The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-15
All the Buildings, Which Were Con-
structed Mostly of Wood, in Ruins
Early This Morning.
PROBABLY NO LIVES LOST
ALL THE SICK TRANSFERRED TO
NEW YORK HOSPITALS.
Property Loss About $SOO,OOO-AlI the
Records and migration Sta
tistics Destroyed.

NEW YORK, June 15.-The United States
government immigrant station on Ellis ISL
and, in New York harbor, was destroyed by
fire this morning but with probably no loss
of life. The fire was first seen at 1888 a. m.
by the lookout at the harbor police sta
ton. He first noticed a flame about as
big as a mans hand coming out of the
window on the second floor towards the
eastern end. The fire spread rapidly. At
LOS a. m. the ewes along the entire roof
began to fall, setting fire to the wooden
piers and docks on either side. At 1:12
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 police patrol
launches were sent to the island. An alarm
was Immediately sent to the lower precinct
police station and twenty-five men were
ordered to the scene. The fire boat New
York was soon under Roadway with fire.
men, policemen and others. The fire boat
Zephar Mills was sent to the island as
quickly as she could be made ready Later
many persons went over in tugs ana row
boats.
The end of the building in which the fire
started was used for sleeping, cooking and
eating by the immigrants. The detention
pen, in which there was always a consider
able number of immigrants being held for
investigation, was soon consumed. Besides
the buildings mentioned there are a hospt-
tai, the offices of the commissioners, laun-
dry disinfecting department and great
csterns in which are stored large quanti-
ties of rain water gathered from the roofs
of the buildings. The physicians and minor
officials live in detached smaller buildings.
1t is presumed at this hour that these, with
all the other buildings on the island, will
be destroyed. The 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 attendants. The ferry boat John &.
Carlisle, which plies between the Battery
and Ellis island. arrived at 1850 clock this
morning from the island with the sick from
the hospital. There were seventy-fve men
and forty-six women and children on the
boat. Twenty of the women were sick, one
of them suffering from typhoid fever and
said to be in a serious condition. With the
party were also the aoctors and nurses
Before the ferry boat Carlisle arrived,
ambulances had been summoned from
Gouverneur and Hudson-street Hospitals
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 in
jured. He said however, that there were
many of the immigrants who refused to
leave the island. All about there were fer
ry boats, tugs and small boats, willing to
bring the people to the city. but the immi-
grants, in their excitement, feared to VEN
ture on the water.
The buildings on ELLIS island were simply
vast wooden sheds made of the most in
flammable material. The main building was
404 by 154 feet and three stories high. 1t
was constructed entirely of pine. The first
floor was devoted to the baggage room, the
custom-house offices, the pens of the immi-
grams and the Offices of the expressmen
The second floor was occupied by emil
grants. 1t vast open space divided
into pens by picket fences. The third floor
was a gallery from which the crowds be-
low could be inspected without coming
into contact with the inspectors The cost
of the plant is said to have been $780,000
All the records were lost.