The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-05-07
FIREMEN DISABLED.
Fifty or More Made Unconscious
at a New York Fire.
ONE DIES IN AN AMBULANCE.
The Men We're Overcome by the
Fumes ofAmmonia and Heavy Smoke
Another Fire in New York in Which
tho Supposed Firebug Perished.

me Men We're overcome by the
Fumes ofAmmonia and Heavy Smoke
Another Fire in New York in Which
tho Supposed Firebug Perished.
New York, May THE interior of
the large cold storage warehouse Of the
Merchants Refrigerating company, oc-
cupying the upper floors of the five
story brick and stone building 159 to
1853 Chambers street, running to Reade
street, was almost completely destroy
ed by fire last night. The loss will
probably amount to more than $500,0OO
Three alarms called 16 engines to the
scene, and so or more firemen who en-
tered the basement of 16l Chambers
street, where the fire started, were
overcome by the fumes of ammonia
and the heaviest of smoke. Fireman j.
Rheinhardt missed his way in leaving
the cellar, and was finally taken out
unconscious. He died in an ambulance
on the way to a hospital. Rhenhardt
was taken from the cellar by Fireman
John ]. Murphy and John O'Connell.
They were both overcome by smoke
while rescuing Rheinhardt, and had to
be taken to the hospital.
The first floor of 16l Chambers street.
in the basement of which the fire start
ed was occupied by Robert Gair as a
paper warehouse. AS soon as the fire.
men got into the cellar they were i'm
mediately overcome. Rescuing parties
were formed OF policemen. citizens and
firemen, who carried the unconscious
men across the street to engine house
No. 20, which was formerly old Cham
bers street hospital. The horses quar-
tered there were turned out and hos
ptal made of the place again. General
ambulance calls were sent out for the
ambulances. When the ambulances
and a corps Of extra doctors arrived
they found men lying about on all sides
unconscious. So many had been over
come that the fire gained great head
way before additional firemen arrived
on the scene.
The windows of the upper floors,
used for cold storage, were boarded
up, and this greatly hampered the
firemen in their work. At II o'clock
two floors fell with a crash. At mid
night the flames broke through the
roof of 1863 Chambers street, and this
building was also totally wrecked.
1t is said that there were 15O, coo cases
of eggs, containing 80 dozen each, val
ued at about 50 a case, in the cold
storage warehouse. These are a total
loss.
The buildings on Reade street are
occupied by butter, cheese and egg
commission merchants, among them
being l.. c. Miller & Son. C. N. Howard
&. Co., Charles E. Foster w. d. Young
&, Co.. Fred Bishop and Samuel Bal
som. These parties will suffer heavy
damage from water.
Fire in apaint shop at IFS Essex
street, on the first floor of tenement
house in a densely populated district.
gave the fremen much trouble last
night, After the flames had been eX-
tinguished the body of an unknown
man was found burned almost beyond
recognition. No one could account for
the mans presence in the building.
The occupants of the building believe
that the unknown man set fire to the
paint shop and was unable to escape
from the flames.