The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20
FIRE IN THE NEW ASTORIA.
IN EXCITING LTTTLE BLAZE ON
THE FOURTEENTH FLOOR.

the stairs and Put IL Out. whlio Another
Great crowd waited for the Useless Engines.
Away UP In a bedroom on the fourteenth story
OF the new Hotel Astoria, in the extreme north
west end Of the unfinished annex TO the Hotel
Waldorf, n flre blaEed away morrily last evening
for at least an hour, while many people on tho
ncighboring streets looked skyward at tho
sparks and smoke issuing from the window and
wondered what 1t meant.
Policeman Michael Sims of the West Thir-
tieth street station, passing the corner OF Broad
way and Thirty-fourth street shortly after Z
o'clock, stopped TO see what a group OF pcdestri-
ans standing on the corner were gazing at. Tho
smoke from the window OF tho new hotel
started him running instantly. As he ran into
the unfinished building he called TO Daniel f.
Cody of Fire Patrol 8, who was riding on the
front platform of an castbound Thirty.fourth
street car, to follow him.
Tho two men ran up the main stairway in the
centre Of the now hotel. Building material was
strewn about the Railways and lying on the stair
ways. but they kept going as fast as they could.
Fourteen long flights OF stairs take some min
utes to climb, and by the time the policeman and
his companion were half way up they were
winded.
Outside, on the northwest sido Of the hotel,
fire escapes run all the way to the top story.
They are regular stairs, and easy to ascend
and descend. Tho window from which
fire was now coming opened on to the fire
escape. and hastily climbing upward was
a uniformed fireman. He was Roderick Of
Engine ]. Rodcrick was on his way home to
dinner when he saw the blaze. He ran TO Fifth
avenue to ring In an alarm. but as he turned
northwRrd on the avenue he met a policeman,
who shouted that III was going to call the en-
gines. Roderick turned back and went up the
fire escape.
The sight OF the running policemen and the
fireman hurrying aloft on the outside Of the
building increased the size Of the crowd that had
already gathered. Hundreds q people stood in
Broadway, when the engines came rafting up.
RoaerisG had ren,het the burning winaGw
arrived. Sims and Cody had got into the room
already and begun TO beat out tie flames.
easily, md shouted that fact down to his mates.
Three engines md two hook and ladder trucks
Of the Eighth Battalion, with ono man:
s sIscksned Up h ,he T pns, e'G %Rsy but iims ,h0 b chis,
he reached the fourteenth story. When he did
SGt to the he, window the fire nsno Was o out. The
had been put out, Sims; Roterick: and
wood 9St0 arS %1 '1 the window '0" DThsy bad
eXtinguisheI the tire easily with pals Of water
which they had obtained from barrels on tho
floor. The barrels had been used by the plns'
terers who had been working on the floor during
the day.
After an investigation Acting Chief Grady
concluded that the fire had started in 2 heap OF
rubbish right under the window which wat
burned out. Some workman had dropped a
pipeful of ashes on the window sill when quitting
work. the acting Chief thought. and the window
being open. the wind had blown the dottcl into
the rubbish heap. where 1t had smouldCrcd, foi
g good while before the fire started. tn.
had left the building at $50 o'clock
II was after 7 when Policeman. Sims saw tn,
fire. but = resident OF Thirty.third street who
seen the blaze from his house half nm hour be
fore. but didn't pay any attention to IL.
The first heard of the lire in the. Waldorf wa'
when n very excited man rushed into the hote
coming from the top floor OF the new
annex. The clerk hurriedly summoned th'
policeman stationed In front Of the hotel ant
told him to send in an alarm. The policeman
Fifth avenue and Thirty-fourrh street he me
Rodcrick. The alarm was turned in from Fihi
avenue and Thirty.hnh street.
The hotel clerk disCrrctly Kept the news L
himself. The diners knew q 'hing OF the fir
near by and there WINS absolutely no eHCiteInrn
In the main hotel. The engines didn't della.
long when Acting Chief Grady notified the fire
men that they we RI not needed.
Some members Of he Manhattan Club, dircCtl,
across the way from the Astoria, stood on tn
that had assembled. hut when the tireInol
started away they went back into the clubhouse
The damage caused by the blaze will amour
D to 500. Two wntchmen are employed in tn
j., both at the Fifth avenue side while the fire wa
l burning.