Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-26
100000 BLAZE
Gives the New York Rremen
a Hard Christmas Job.
Sohmer's Piano Warehouse, Polytechnic
Hospital, Tenement and Factory
Destroyed Or Cutted-No Fatalities PEG.
pie HomeIess-The Loses.

New York Dec. 25.-Fire broke out
here, this morning, on East 33d street
and destroyed Sebastian Sohmer's
piano warehouse: New York Poly
clinic Hospital; large five-story
brick tenement at 299 East 33d street.
| and large five-story factory building.
| One hundred people were rendered
homeless and the loss is nearly 10000
The piano warehouse occupied one
| fourth of the block The fire began
| Oh the second floor of Pianare's snuff
| factory. 2ll East 33d street When the
| first engines arrived the fire had al
ready communicated with the piano
| warehouse adjoining on the east. Sew
| eral large streams of water We're
| poured into the BURNING building, but
| without apparent effect, and the third
| and fourth alarms for engines were
| sent in.
| The police aroused the sleeping ten
| ants of the building on the west of the
| burning factory. There was a panic
| when the tenants found the smoke
| pouring into their rooms. and in the
| excitement and decentralization which
| followed the cry of fire" several of
| the tenants escaped narrowly with
their lives. Eighteen families consist
| ing of Is people We're dragged and car
| ried from the building.
| Several girls. only partially dressed.
| opened the windows of their rooms on
the NTH floor and stepped on the fire
| escape in front of the building. one
Of them was about to jump to the
| street when policeman. who had
| entered the room. drew her back and
carried her to the street. The tenants
| with their children We're taken to a
| hotel at the corner of Sd avenue and
| 3od street. where they bewailed the
loss of their property.
| AT S clock. the piano warehouse was
| on fire from cellar to roof. and l. min
| utes later the roof fell in. The fire by
| that time had assumed such enormous
| proportions that the hospital in the rear
| of the warehouse. and fronting on 24th
| street. was i'll imminent danger. There
| We're IS patients in the building and when
| they We're aroused there was another
| panic Patients whose condition had
| been very serious. leaped from their beds
| and ran toward the stairs.
| I'll" nurses and employees of the hoSpi-
| tai assured them that there was no dan
| ger and they Were temporarily quieted.
| The patients We're carried from the build
proViSed StretcherS bore the patients to
| the nearby hotel. where they We're placed
| in beds. An attendant in the hospital
was overcome by the smoke but soon
| recovered.
| The flames communicated with the
| roof of the hospital at $50 and in several
minutes the upper floor was helching
| forth huge waves of smoke and fire. The
| iircmcn. who We're inside the building.
Were ordered to leave the struggle ana
several lines of hose poured water on
| from the elevated tracks on 34th street.
| The tenement house ut No. 2D9 from
which the tenants had been rescued BY
| the policemen. had been considered safe
by the iiremen until S.$5. when Il strong
wind blew the flames over ii. In short
time the roof caught the neat of the fac
tory fire. and 10 minutes afterward. the
interior WAS ablaze. Several streams of
water had no apparent effect and in a
short time the roof Tell in with y deafcn-
ing roar.
The front wall of the fifth floor fol-
lowed. a short time afterward. and
then the fireman turned their atten-
ton to the tenement adjoining on the
west. The roof of the building at No.
I'll fell in at $40 and carried with it to
the ground four floors. The piano
warehouse wall, which was almost
solid and nearly 200 feet long and 60
feet high. collapsed shortly afterward.
A part of it fell on the roof of the
East River hotel, at No. 223, and dam
aged the building to a great extent.
The fremen poured several streams of
water on the hotel, The fire started
in the rear of the top floor. shortly
after the wall fen upon it.
The fire in the factory warehouse
and tenement were under control at 10.
but only after everything in them had
,,fI
the three buildings except parts of the
outer walls and blazing mass of
lumber and woodwork in the interiors.
The building in which the fire started
was occupied on the first. second and
third floors by J. f. Kaldenberg. man |
ufacturer of pipes and smokers mate |
rails. kaldenber2s loss is about $l5,-
Oo0. Pinare's snuff factory occupied a |
part of the second. fourth and fifth !
floors of the building. The loss to the |
snuff manufacturer is no less than |
$50, 900 and may reach twice that |
amount Loss to the building will |
amount to nearly 5000, 900. partly COW
cred by insurance
The Sohmer piano warehouse is a |
total loss. The building was owned by |
the company. of which Senator Clar- |
ence Lexow is the receiver. The loss |
to Sohmer in stock and machinery will |
reach $50. 900. with the probability that |
when an account of the stock which |
was in it, is taken. it will reach $780, |
900 more. The building was assessed |
at $20O.000 and valued at nearly twice |
that amount.
The tenement at 200 East 33d street |
is owned by a real estate company. |
and was damaged $4,000. The damage |
done to the furniture and personal |
property of the tenants was several |
thousand dollars. The damage done |
the Polytechnic Hospital is at least |
$4,000.
The fires in all the buildings were |
under control at II, although the fire. |
men continued to throw streams of |
water on the small flames The fire |
has thrown out of work nearly 500 en- |
p,oyes of the factories and hospital. !
The New York Polytechnic is private |
institution. organized as a medical |
college and hospital about Is years ,
ago. Several persons We're slightly |
injured during the progress of the !
fire.