The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-06-17
FIRE ON ELLIS ISLAND.
The Government Immigrant Station
DestrOyed-NOL Lives Lost

New York, June 15.-The United States
government immigrant station on Ellis
island, IN New York harbor, was DESTROYED
Dy hre TINS morning, but there was proba-
Dly no loss of life. The fire was first seen
at iz:oo a.. m. by lookout from the harbor
police station. He first noticed n aama
ABOUT as large rs a mans hand coming
out of window on the second floor toward
the east end.
, Ihe tre spread rapidly. At los a. m.
the caves along the entire roof began to
fall. setting fire to the wooden piers at the
docks on either side.
AT 1:2O a. m. the whole island was
mass of flames. Illuminating the entire
inner harbor and the lower part of New
YORK City: AS quickly as possible two
sections of police, twenty men, and the
island. N
An alarm was Immediately sent to the
lower precinct police station of the cit
scene. The fire boat New Yorker W!
soon under way with firemen, policemen
and others. The fire boat Zephyr Mills
was sent to the island as quickly as she
could be made ready. Later many per-
sons went over in tugs and row boats.
The end of the building in which the
hire started was used for sleeping, cook
ing and eating by the immigrants. The
detention house lin which there are always
a considerable number of immigrants be-
ing held for investigation was soon con-
sumed.
Besides the building mentioned there a
hospital, the offices of the commissioners.
the laundry, a disinfecting department.
and great cisterns in which are stored large
quantities of rain water gathered from the
roofs of buildings.
1t is presumed at this hour that all the
other buildings We're destroyed. The
valuable records are undoubtedly de-
stroyed.
Two hundred immigrants were safely
transferred from the island to the barge.
office at the battery. leaving no one on the
island except the firemen and a few at
tendants.
There were seventy-five men and forty
six women and children transferred from
the island on the boat. Twenty of the
women were sick, one of them suffering
from typhoid fever, and said to be in a
serious condition.
Before the ferry boat Carlisle arrived as
sistance had been summoned from Cover
nor's island, SO that the sick brought to the
city could be cared for.
DR.. White said so far as he knew no one
had been burned or injured. He said,
however, that there were many of the i'm
migrants who refused TO leave the island.
All ABOUT there were ferry boats. tug
boats and small boats willing to bring the
people to the city, but the immigrants in
their excitement feared to venture on the
water.
The buildings of Ellis island were simply
vast wooden sheds made of the most in
llammable material. The main build
ing, was 4O4 by 154 feet, and three storiSS.
nigh. 1t was constructed entirely of
The first floor was devoted to the 4
gage room, the custom house Offices
pens of the immigrants and the Offices
the express men. The second floor was
occupied by immigrants. 1t was a vast
open space divided into pens by picket
fences. The third floor was place where
the crowds below could be inspected with
out coming in contact with the inspectors.