Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-12-29
RED RUIN.
Fire in New York Destroys Prop
erty Worth 100000.
FOUR BIG BUILDINGS ARE BURNED.
They Include Piano Warehouse, Hos.
pital, 1t Factory and Tenement
Many Sleeping Persons Res
cued by Police.

PIE homeless. Iour buildings, lnclud-
ing Sohmer's piano warehouse aud the
New York polytechnic hospital, were de-
stroyed. The destroyed buildings also
include large five-story brick tene-
ment at 200 East Thirty-third street.
and large five-story brick factory
building. The piano warehouse occu-
pied fourth of the block and the Poly
clinic was a four-story building witt,
front of so feet on East Thirty-thirl
street.
The fire began at 7:o5 o'clock on the
second floor of Pinare's snuff factory
ct Ell East Thirty-fourth street. When
the first engines arrived on the scene
the fire had already communicated with
the piano factory adjoining on the east.
Several large streams of water were
poured in the burning building, but
without apparent effect, and third and
fourth alarms for engines were sent in
Rescued from Great Peril.
| The police, under Sergt. Pagan,
aroused the sleeping tenants of the
building on the west of the burning fac
tory. There was panic when the
tenants found smoke pouring in their
rooms, and in the excitement and de-
moralization which followed, several of
the tenants escaped narrowly with their
Lives. With the aid of the police, is
families. consisting of rs people; were
dragged and carried from the building.
Sturdy police carrying small children
IN their arms were cheered by the large
crowds as they brought them down the
stairs and out on the street. Several
girls only partially dressed opened the
windows of their rooms ON the fifth
door and stepped on the fire escape in
Front Of the building. One of them was
ebout to jump to the street when po-
Diceman, who had entered the room,
dragged her back snd carried her to
tha street.
Panic in o Hospital.
! At eight o'clock the piano warehouse
owned by Sebastian Sohmer was on
Are from cellar to roof. Fifteen min
ptes later the roof fell in. The fire had
by that time assumed such enor-
nous proportions that the hospital in
the rear of the warehouse, and fronting
pm Thirty-fourth street, was in i1nmi-
nent danger. There were IS patients
N the building, and when they were
aroused there was another panic.
Patients whose condition had been very
serious leaped from their beds and ran
towards the stairs. The nurses and EN-
Ployes Of the hospital assured them that
there was no danger and the panic was
temporarily quelled. One by one the
patients were carried from the build
ing until all of them had been removed.
Hastily improvised stretchers bore the
patients to nearby hotel, where they
we're placed in beds. The flames COM
municated with the roof Of the hospital
et $3.50, and in several minutes the up
per aoor was belching forth huge waves
bf smoke and fire. The 1iremen who
were inside the building were ordered
. leave the structure, and several lines
IL hose poured water on it from the
elevated railroad tracks on Thirty
Fourth street.
Other Buildings Destroyed.
I. The tenement house at 200, from
which the tenants had been rescued by
the policemen, had been considered
sate by the fremen until s:35, when
strong wind blew the flames over it.
In short time the roof caught the heat
OF the factory fire, and ten min
utes afterward the interior was ablaze.
6everal streams of water had no APP
parent effect, and in short time the
soof fell in with a deafening roar. The
front wall of the fifth floor followed
short time afterward, and then the fire
men turned their attention to the tene-
ment on the west. The roof of the
building at No. 211 fell in at S:45 and
carried with it to the ground the four
floors. The piano warehouse wall,
which was almost solid and nearly 200
feet long and co feet high, collapsed
shortly afterward. Apart fitfell on the
roof of the East River hotel, at 223, and
damaged the building to great extent.
The fremen poured several steams of
water on the hotel, but fire started i'll
The rear Of the top floor shortly after
The wall fell upon it.
> Tho Losses.
| The fires in the factory, warehouse
and tenements were under control at
ten o'clock, but only after everything
In them had been destroyed. Nothing
Remained of the three buildings ex-
eept parts of the outer walls and q
blazing mass of lumber and woodwork
In the interiors. The building in which
The fire started was occupied on the first,
becond and third floors by ]. T. Kalden-
berg, a manufacturer of pipes and
bmokers' materials. The loss is about
e15O,O0o.
J Hinare's snuff factory occupied part
p1 the second floor and the fourth and
bfth floors of the building. The loss
10 the snuff manufacturer will not be
)ees than 5000. The loss to the build
ing will amount to nearly 100000, part
y covered by insurance.
j The Sohmer piano warehouse is
total loss. The loss to Sohmer in stock
pnd machinery will reach 100000 or
100000 and the loss on the building
k2o0, 1000.
The tenement at 200 East Thirty
khird street was damaged to the extent
pr $4,000. The damage done to fur
piture and personal property of the
tenants is several thousand dollars.
Khe Damage done TO the Polycllnlc hos
bital will amount to at least $4,000.
There were 30 children among the pa
tients, and all of them were carried out
n the arms of iremen.
The fires in all the buildings were
under control at II o'clock. Besides
rendering homeless hundred people,
the fire has thrown out of work nearly
500 employees of the factories and the