Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-15
ELLIS ISLE ABLAZE
Government Immigrant Station
at New York in Ashes.
WHOLE PLANT Is SWEPT AWAY,

Together with All the Immigration Rec.
ords-Evsrybedy on the Island Saw Cd,
Including Those in the Hospital-Loss
to Uncle ssm Figured At 4ss0, OO0-Cali.
fornis Town Nearly Wiped Out and a
Woman Killed-JOckey Burned Alive.
New York. June 1.-THE United States
government immigrant station on Ellis
island, In New York harbor, was de.
stroyed by fire this morning, but with
probably no loss Of life. The fire wasfir
seen at 1888 a. m. by the lookout from
the harbor police station. He first no.
ticed flame about as large as a mans
hand coming out Of the window on the
second floor toward the eastern end. The
fire spread rapidly. At los a. m. the
caves 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 was a mass Of flames illuminating
the entire inner harbor and the lower
part of New York. As quickly as posi-
BILE two sections of police, twenty men,
and the police patrol launches were sent
to the island.
Two Fire-Boats Sent to the Scene.
An alarm was Immediately sent to the
lower precinct police stations Of the city
and twenty-five men were ordered to
the scene. The fire boat New Yorker
was soon under Roadway with firemen,
policemen and others. The fire beat
Zephar Mills was sent to the island as
quickly as she could be made ready,
The end Of the building in which the
fire started was used for sleeping, cook
ing and eating by the immigrants The
detention pen, in which there are al
ways considerable number Of immi-
grants being held for investigation, was
soon consumed. Besides the buildings
mentioned there are a hospital, the Of
fees of the commissioners, a laundry, a
disinfecting department. and great els
terms in which are stored large quanti-
ties of rainwater gathered from the roofs
of the buildings. The physicians and
minor officials live in the smaller build
ings.
Immigrants Gotten Away Safely.
Two hundred immigrants were safely
transferred from the island to the barge
office at the Battery, leaving no one on
the island except the f1remen and few
attendants. The ferryboat John G. Car
Isle, which plies between the Battery
and Ellis island, arrived at 1870 o'clock
this morning from the island with the
sick from the hospital. There were
seventy-five men and forty-five women
and children on the boat. Twenty of the
women were sick, one of them suffering
from typhoid fever and said to be in
serious condition.
Description of the Buildings.
The buildings on Ellis island were sim
ply vast wooden sheds made Of the most
infiammable material. The main build
ing 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 immigrants and the Of
fces Of the express men. The second
floor was occupied by immigrants 1t
was vast open space divided into pens
by picket fences. The third floor was a
gallery from which the crowds below
could be inspected without coming in
contact with the inspectors The whole
plant cost the government $3.50 900. The
most valuable property lost was, how
ever, the records. relating to the passage
Of migrants into the United States since
the beginning of the government.