The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-08-13
some narrowing SCENES
WITNESSED AT THE BURNING
OF \ BIG BUILDING IN
NEW YORK.
BURNED 70 DEATH IN PLAIN VIEW.
A Large Crowd Stood Helpless and Saw
Three Men Burn ON n Fire rs
cape-Others Injured by
Smoke and Heat.

New York, Aug. 11.-At least three
persons and possibly others were burned
to death in Il fire that destroyed a sX-
story brick building at No. 400 Green
witch street this afternoon. Several per-
sons were injured by the smoke and heat
and by jumping, and two of them are
expected to die. The dead are: William
Gray, foreman of electrical repair shops,
and two unknown men, all of whom were
caught on Il fire escape and burned to
death in view of the crowd.
The injured men who are expected to
die are Felix Hasse and an unknown
man.
The other persons hurt went to Il hos
pital and then went home. The ground
floor of the building was occupied by A.
X. Warren Il Co.. who operated the New
York electrical repair shop. The firm
also occupied the fourth, fifth and sixth
floors. The second floor was occupied by
Julius Cohen as distillcry. and the third
floor was occupied by Plaut Il Bros,
manufacturing jewelers.. This building
was completely burned out. and so was
the adjoining one, at No. 467 The lat
building was occupied on the ground floor
by Alex klcinkowsky, a wine rehner,
and the second floor as WELL The third
floor was vacant; the fourth was occu-
pied by John Lancy. as the New York
Pan company, and Kelsall Il Co., manu-
facturers, occupied the fifth floor. The
top floor was vacant.
How the fire started is not known, but
its origin is attributed to an explosion.
1t began in the rear on the ground floor
of No. 400 Greenwich, and before the
alarm could be given the flames shot up
the air shafts and the smoke was pour
ing out of the roof. Most of the fifty
persons in the building were mt work in
the machine shops of A. X. Warren 4
Co., on the fifth floor of the building.
Those who were first to reach the fire
escapes succeeded in making their way
down to the first floor landing, and there
jumped to the sidewalk. Those who
followed found they were cut off by
flames and dense smoke, which poured
out of the windows below, and escapes
over the roof.
One of the last men to make for the
fire escape on the fifth floor was the fore
man, William Gray. He was seen on
the landing for a moment. He was fol-
lowed by another man, who was not rec
ognzed. Men on the roof shouted for
him to take hold of II wire which they
had let down, but he either did not hear
them or was too frightened to do any
thing. Flames suddenly shot up and
drove the men on the roof back. and they
lost sight of the men below. When the
wind shifted the naked bodies of two
men were seen on the fire escape as the
firemen played the hose into the build
ing. Another unknown man appeared
on the fire escape above Gray's body.
For an instantly he gazed distractedly on
the crowd below. The flames then burst
from the windows, and when they fell
back the dead body of the man was lying
on the ground. The flames ate their way
through the building at No. 465 quickly,
and then burned their way into an adj
joining building at 461. The flames were
also blown into the windows of 400, and
in minute that building was burning.
All traffic in that section of the city was
suspended. Eight or ten explosions
added to the excitement, but served a
good purpose in aiding the fire depart
ment. as thereafter the flames were more
easily gotten under control. Individual
losses can not be definitely arrived at
The total is estimated at S15O.OOO
Warren 4 Co.'S loss is total, and is es-
timated at $4,000.