The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-12
TWO MINES FOR THIS FIRE.
NASSAU CHAMBERS AND THE vlN.
DERBILT BUILDING lBLlkE.

In All. drought scnrryinE Downtown 20
Rattle with tho PLANES Among the lysfty
omce rsuiidihEs-showers or Glowing En-.
hers Start MANY Small Fires-A Do.en Euila-
tnEs Abiase ut One Time-psoO, 900 lons.
Shortly before 2 o'clock last evening Are was
discovered In the basement OF tho building
known rs the Nassau Chambers. and the flames
spread so rapidly that within half an hour five
big buildings were ablaEe, and It looked 40 if
the entire block bounded by Nassau, Beck
man. William, and Ann streets would be
destroyed. Owing to tho peculiar construction
Of many Of the buildings the lromen had q hard
fight on their hands. Tho buildings all about
are among the tallest In the city, and Nassau
street 10 SO narrow that the sunlight scarcely
ever reaches IL. A strong wind carried away big
chunks OF burning timber and strewed flaming
torches on the neighboring roofs. Third, fourth,
and fifth alarms had been turned in by
7:40 o'clock. but ten minutes later the firemen
found It necessary to sound the 1.-TWO nines,"
which meant that thirty.ive engine companies.
ten trucks and three water towers were needed.
In fact, nearly all the iremen stationed south
Of Fifty.ninth street were sent scurrying down.
town, causing the greatest excitement In the
lower end of the city and bringing crowds from
the uptown districts.
A GREAT soURRy OF IREMEN.
1t wasn't long before Broadway was filled with
q crowd that reached from Thirty fourth street
to the Battery. and nearly every one who saw
the great turnout OF f1rcmen believed that half OF
the town was burning. At 8 o'clock the Broad
way cable cars stopped running and tho Third
avenue line was also blocked. as the fremon had
laid their lines of hose as far as Barclay street,
across Nassau street, Park row and Broadway.
At a quarter past 8 it seemed as II all the peo-
| r1a In tha nity hal .atho,od T. kkz .A.n.A. -
joining the fire. Chief Bonner, finding that the
flames had spread to many of tho tall buildings
in the neighborhood. requested tho police to
keep the crowd at least O block from the fire.
Acting Captain Of Police Lindeman proceeded
to drive the crowds back. having in his com-
mand the police reserves of the First, Second.
Third and Fourth precincts.
The police did effective work. They assisted
the fremen Of 10 Truck to rescue several scrub
women who were found on the third floor Of
the building which first caught fire. On the
fourth floor they found a woman on the fire es-
cape yelling for help. She climbed over the fro
escape railing. and 1t looked for a moment az
II she intended to jump to tho sidewalk. Tho
police and fremen shouted TO her not to jump.
She answered.: II am being suffocated.' A
minute later two policemen and three fremen
climbed the fire escape and assisted her down.
SHOWER OF GLOWING EMBERs.
The Nassau hamber is a T-shaped building
extending back from Nassau street 1875 feet,
with a wing reaching over to Ann street and
another wing going back thirty feet toward
Beekman street, tho building being an eight
story structure.
flames had crept up aud bnck through the Mas.
sau street or south wing. By 8 o'clock 1t had
spread through the north wing to the roof.
When the roof Of the north wing caught
fire the wind carried large pieces OF
burning wood westward. Tho burning embers
arose and blew through the air 30 that tho
whirling fire soon reached the rear Of the new
Vanderbilt building. which faces at IL Beekman
street. In a few minutes all of the window CPS
ings on the seventh, eighth, ninth. tenth. eleventh
twelfth. thirteenth. and fourteenth floors in tho
rear OF the building were burning. The men of
six engine companies were put to work here and
had the experience Of carrying their hose higher
than they had ever carried them before. They
succeeded In keeping the flames from spreading
over to Beekman street.
Borne up on the rising current of heated air
myriads o: little fire brands shone through
the column of smoke. The breeze that
always plays about Printing House square
with freakish Inconsistency Of direction
whirled them down through the narrow
cahon.like streets, and they settled serenely to
the pavements. covering the spectators. VIII
gathered in thousands, as on an election night
They fell like the flakes in a heavy snowstorm.
but each fake was q living coal of fire.
THE FIRE Al sppcr.o,r
II pliuso nls 'no Dos. sah'ase poih.
from "nioh VI" 'ne eorseous spe'Iecio. anu
tue pfomohnuo "Ae 'hfonkou . spSo'Soors'
FROM 'holo K" seomou as II Nv "noio oioo.
about over the roofs of the buildings
ana occasionally ieapea OUT over am OF Nassau
streeI III eaRer u yam a'eehpe .oeroSs 'ne
marrow guns o u ouiuihes Deyoho ,nvn.
INC crown u iheu nroauway anu niie ing
clty u I a'oheu siShs euon 70 n'ikn.y
lew Tres NO" ioIA noiu ono 'Nso
column VI sparAepamsiou smoAo fo'o up
oehiho Wv 'ah oui"inee vi III fow
ana uPilIeu u oo"afu u pA,H ma
hrc' nomn ~ 'no nai,o" y .