New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-07
MANY FIREMEN OVERCOME.
one KILLED AT A BIG CHAMBERs-sT
BLAZE.

FLAMES IN A COLD STORAGE WAREHOUSE WHICH
MAY CAUSE LOSS ESTIMATED AT
OVER HALF A MILLION.
The large cold storage warehouse Of the Mer-
chants Refrlgerating Company. occupying the
upper floors Of the ive-story brick and stone
building Nos 159 161 and 1863 Chambers-st.
and from 141 to 151 Reade-st almost COM
retely wrecked by fire last night. which was
still burning at an early hour this morning. The
total loss Is likely 20 amount to over half mill
ion dollars.
Three alarms brought sixteen engines to the
scene. and thirty or more iremen who entered
the basement Of No. 161 Chambers where
the fire started, overcome by the dense vol
ume Of smoke with which 1t was filed. Fireman
John Rhenhardt. OF Engine Company No. l. who
missed his way in leaving the cellar. was finally
taken out unconscious and died in ar ambulance
on the way to the Idson Street Hospital. Rhein-
hardt was thirty years old and married on
Easter Day. He never recovered consciousness
after being taken from the basement. He was
taken ou. by Firemen John ]. Murphy and John
O'Connell. of Truck No. l. O'Connell entered the
cellar with rope about his waist. taking another
rope which he tied about Rheinhardt. When the
men started to pull Rheinhardt out the rope
slipped and pulled off one Of his boots The rope
was again placed about his body and the man
was dragged out. Murphy and O'Connell were
both overcome and were taken to the hospital.
DISCOVERY OF THE FLAMES.
When the fire was discovered, smoke was
issuing from the basement Of no. 16l Cham
bers-st., which. with the first floor Is occupied
by Robert Gair as a paper warehouse. Police
man Hearle turned n ,n alarm and sounded
his nightstick for help When the iremen ar
rived second and third alarms were sent out
in quick succession. Both Reade and Chambers
sts. were soon filed with dense volumes of
smoke, and when the fremen. after breaking
into the cellar. got In the building. they were
immedia tey overcome. Rescuing parties were
formed, and policemen, citizens and firemen
carried the unconscious men across the street
to Engine House No. % which was formerly
the Chambers Street Hospital Horses were
turned out from the place. and hospital was
mad, of the old house again.
General ambulance calls sent out to Hud
son Street Hospital, which finally brought
two ambulances. In the mean while the uncon-
scious firemen vigorously treated in ef-
forts to restore them to consciousness. Other
calls were then sent to Bellevue Hospital! Gou-
verneur, and finally to st. Vincent's Hospital
extra physicians from Bellevue Hospital with
whom came Superintendent Murphy Of the hos
pital himself. Fire Chief Bonner and Fire Com
missioner Sturgis soon arrived on the scene,
and made their way through the binding smoke
in the street to the engine-house. where many
of tho men lay still unconscious on the floor.
EXTRA MEN CALLED.
The sunfocation OF so many men curtailed the
| force. and Chief Bonner sent to uptown stations
| for an extra supply of men. Captain Cross, of
| the Leonard st station. with his reserves, and
| reserves from the Church-st. and Macdougal-st.
stations who were on the scene, rendered valu-
| able assistance in maintaining the fire lines the
| entire length Of the blocks and In helping to
| care for the unC conscious men.
In the mean time the flames ate their way up
| through the building. almost unseen by the peo-
| pie in the street This was owing to the con-
| struction Of the cold storage warehouse rooms
| on the upper floors. All the windows on both
| streets were boarded up with heavy castings or
wood and felt paper. through which the hrenen
with the greatest difficulty and with consldera-
| BILE delay were compelled to chop their way.
| This and the dense smoke made 1T almost M
| possible to enter the building. At IL O'CLOCK
| two floors fell with crash.
SOME OF THE LOSSES.
| At midnight the flames broke through the
| roof of No 163 Chambersst.. and were still con-
| ,umng the building at that hour. although
| lines Of hose were run up through the adjoining
buildings 10 ngnt tne h''i' ''N''
noints & G. Freed commission egg and butter
broker who occupies part OF the flrst moor OF
| No 40 Reade-st. which is also occupied py -.
c. Miller & Son. volunteered the statement tnat
tbern we're 10000 cases of eggs. containing
thirty dozen each and valued at about ~ a case,
stored in the warehouse These VIII propably
no a total loss The other occupants OF the
buildings in Reade-st. were as follows: NO. III
| e, n. Howard G. Co; No 141. Charles +: Foster;
| No 140 w. l. Young & Co; No. 1ol, Frederick
Bishop and Samuel Balsom Those firms on
| the first floors will all suffer. a heavy water
damage The first floor Of No l43 was occupied
| nv the Refrigeratng Company.
| Among the firemen who were overcome We're
| Lieutenant Barta. of Company No =; Chief
| Charles W. Cruger OF the First Battalioh; zap
,ain Kennv OF No I: Captain c. Burke, Of En-
| CINE Company No 4; Lieutenant Peter sloane
| and Lieutenant Cunningham.
| some of the fremen who were overcome re-
| covered sufficiently to return to work. others
| we're kept at the Hudson Street Hospital.
| BURNED IN SUSPICIOUS FIRE.
| t.r-