, 1898-12-05

tail clothing store, occupying a five
story building at the southwest corner
of Warren street and Broadway, utter
ly ruined that building and its contents
in a short time. Then the flames at
tackled the sky-scraper building of the
Home Life Insurance company, ad-
joining to the south and Quilted the up
per ten stories, the firemen seeming
utterly helpless against the flames so
far from the ground. Next the upper
floor of the Postal Telegraph company's
building at Murray street and Broad
way, n of the handsomest in the city,
burst into flames and at midnight was
still burning fiercely. The loss is at
least a million dollars already, and the
fire in the Home Life and Postal build
ings is unchecked. There has been no
loss of life SO far as known.
The fire started in the basement of
the building occupied by Rogers, Peet
& Co., clothiers, about $3.50 O'Clock.
Two policemen standing within half a
block of Warren street heard a loud ex-
plosion, and a m later saw a thin
line Of smoke curling up from the side
of the Rogers, Peet & Co. building. At
that time the rain was falling in tor
rents and the wind blew a gale. An
alarm was sent in, but before the first
engine turned into Broadway the
Rogers, Peet & Co. basement was a
roaring furnace, with great flames
bursting through the floors above and
rushing fercely to the roof. Within ten
minutes five alarms had been send in,
bringing engine after engine to the
scene.
By 10 o'clock, so rapidly and fiercely
did the flames make progress that there
was nothing but the shell Of the Rog-
ers, Peet & Co. building left, with
mountains Of flames roaring a hundred
joining structure, the Home Life IN
surance building. In the binding rain
the fremen worked. stretching the
black and Shiny lines OF hose through
the building, fighting the flames from
every side. Soon a great wave Of fire
swept across Warren street and caught
the United States Life Insurance
Building, at the west corner of Broad
way, numbered 259 and 261. The wood
work on a dozen windows was afire in
a moment, and from that time on sew
eral streams were played ON this bull
ding to ave 1t from destruction. When
the Warren street wall OF the Rogers
Peet building fell, at 1890 o'clock, a
dozen firemen were directly beneath.
Several of the men wer struck by
bricks, but none was more than slight
ly injured. Acting Chief Parle fell,
but was dragged to safety by some of
his men.
Just before II O'Clock the Home Life
Insurance Company's building, 16
stories high, at 255 and 257 Broadway,
caught fire. The firemen already had
their lines in this building up to the
seventh floor. They were greatly han
dicapped by the many stories. Flames
had eaten their way through the side
wall in many places and the huge white
structure burned fiercely. The ele-
vators made trips up and down until
the men running the cages were COM
PEELED to fee for their lives and in this
way many of the effects of the offices
were saved. The three top floors were
beginning. The smoke was dense.
Flames shot high above the roof and
over the massive brown stone Postal
building and everybody at work in the
structure had been ordered out Of this
building long before.
Desperate efforts were being made
to ave it. The interior OF the Home
Life Insurance company building was
by this time a furnace. From the win
dows of the six or eight upper stories
the flames were pouring in masses. In
the rear nine stories were afre and the
fire department, so far as this portion
OF the building was concerned, was alb
solutely powerless.
AT 1875 the Postal building of 10
stories caught fire. Chief Bonner, who
had charge of the firemen, took the
elevator and went to the roof to give
personal directions. At this time there
were a few operators who had ignored
the orders Of the fire chief. two or three
clerks and a few boys a. work in the
building In the sitting smoke and mes
sages were sent until the flames came
and all forced to rush for their lives.
The unseut messages we've left at the
telegraph keys.
CHIEF Bonner had under his direction
all the engines stationed In the IRE
houses below Twenty-third street. In
addition dve hook end hddsr COM
panies, Including water towers. were
q the scene. Most Of them worked in