The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-06-16
NO LOSS OF LIFE
Ellis Island Fire Discovered in
Time to Save all Immi-
grants.
Forty Patients in the Hospital
Removed Only by Very
Quick Work.
Loss to the Government Over
Three Quarters OF a
Million.

NEW YORK, June l6.-Fire at an ear
iy hour destroyed the immigrant land
ing station that covered nearly all Of
Ellis island, causing property loss of
about S1SO,0OO to the United States gov
ernment. All of the government records
and the property of the Immigrants
were burned. Two hundred and fifty
immigrants were rescued from the burn.
ing structure and brought safely to the
city, not one of them receiving a burn.
There were 40 patients in the wooden
hospital building in the rear of the main
structure who were carried out in cots
just before the hospital took fire. The
cause of the fire is as yet mystery. 1t
started in the> east end of the main
structure. which was more than 1000
feet long and thre stories high.
The first floor of this buil ding was
almost entirely given up to baggage,
while the eastern end of the second
story was used for offices. The third
story was used as reviewing gallery.
The middle and southern portions Of the
first two stories were used for landing
bureaus and detention rooms. 1t was
in this part of the building that most Of
the immigrants were sleeping When
Chief Night Watchman Burke noticed
the fire, it was licking around one Of
the towers. He at once summoned the
80 men employed under him, who
quickly unlocked the iron gates leading
into the detention rooms and aroused
no
benches and cots.
Rescued All the Sick.
Surgeon J. H. White and Assistant
Surgeons White and Gideon had been
aroused by this time, and they at once
began to remove the 40 patients in the
hospital 1t was seen at glance that
the big main building was doomed, and
it required GIick work to carry out the
helpless sick, before the blistering heat
prevented al approach to the hospital
building.
Meantime, some Of the nnmigr ants,
who had escaped from the main build
ing, had become anxious about their
baggage, and, despite the fact that the
vast building was fast being encom-
passed by the flames, rushed back to
y save it.
In all the known tongues they insisted
that their all was contained i'll the boxes
and bundles, which they had brought
over. Captain Burke and his men had
to fairly fight them back on the boat.
They wept and wrung their hands,
when they found it was impossible to
save their property.
The fire by this time had the entire
main building in its embrace, and the
flames illuminated the whole harbor,
lighting up the lower'end of New York
almost as plainly as day. Jersey City
and Brooklyn were thrown into bold re-
lief by the flames, which licked aud
cracked around the cornices and shriv-
elled up the great corrugated iron roof
of the immigrant building. Lighted by
this glare, with the paint bhstering
from her sides, the Carlisle steamed
out Of the long slip into the upper bay.
She had been preceded but few min
utes earlier by the transfer steamers
Emmons, Halle Kirke and John E.
Moore, with three of the big immigrant
barges.
Thousands View the Spectacle.
The Battery in this city was crowded
by thousands who We're attracted thlth