The herald., 1898-12-05

ABOVE ana fusnlnR Hercely 10 Ine TOOI. win
in ten minutes five alarms had been sent in
bringing engine after engine to the scene.
BY 10 o'clock, so rapidly and fiercely die
the flames make progress, that there wa
nothing but the shell of the Rogers, Peet
& Co. building left, with mountains of fam,
roaring hundred feet in the air and en-
circling the adjoining structure, the Homo
Life Insurance building. In the binding
rain the tremen worked stretching the
black and slippery lines OF hose through the
building, fighting the flames from every side
CROSSES THE STREET
Soon a great wave OF fire swept across
Warren street and caught the United States
Life Insurance building at the west corner
OF Broadway, Nos. 259 and 26l. The wood
work on a dozen windows was afre i.:( a. mo-
ment and from that time on several streams
were played on this building to save it from
destruction.
When the Warren street wall OF the Rog-
ers, Peet building fell at 1890 o'clock. Il
dozen tiremen were directly beneath. Sew
eral of the men were struck by bricks, but
none was more than slightly injured. Act.
ing Chief Perle fell but was dragged to safe.
ty by some of his men,
THE THIRD VICTIM
just before IL o'clock He Home Life In
surance company's building, sixteen stories
high, at 255 and 257 Broadway, caught tire
The tiremen already had their lines in this
building up to the seventh floor. They were
greatly handicapped by the many stories.
Flames had eaten their way through the
side wall in many places and the huge white
structure burned fiercely. The elevators
made trips up and down. The men running
the cages were compelled to flee for their
lives and in this way many of the effects Of
the offices were saved.
The three top floors were On fire almost
simultaneously from the beginning The
smoke was dense. Flames shot high above
the roof and over the massive brownstone
Postal building, and everybody at work in
the structure had been ordered out of this
building long before.
Desperate efforts were being made to save
it, The interior of the Home Life Insurance
building was by this time furnace. By
this time from the windows OF the six or
eight upper stories the flames were pouring
in masses. In the rear nine stories were
afire and the fire department. so far as this
portion of the building was concerned, was
absolutely powerless.
THE BIG POSTAL BUILDING
At ll:l5 the Postal building OF fourteen
stories, caught fire. Chief Bonner, who had
charge OF the tiremen, took the elevator and
went to the roof to give personal directions
AT this time there Jew operators who
had ignored the orders of the fire chief two
or three clerks and few boys at work in
the building working in smoke, and mes
sages were sent until the jiames came and
made them run for their lives. The unsent
were left at the Telegraph keys
Chief Bonner had under his direction all
the engines stationed in the fire houses be-
lew Twenty-third street. In addition five
hook and ladder companies, including water
towers, were at the scene. Most of the men
worked in the lower parts of the building to
save adjoining buildings. Only few gangs
were with the fire chief on the top Of the
Postal building. They fought with all their
strength to keep the flames back But, not
!" outstanding all their efforts, at o'clock
this (Monday) morning three floors of the
building had been partially destroyed. The
fire was then working its way downward.
UNDER CONTROL
Chief Bonner thought, however, that lie
had it under control. He did not expect to
get much below the stores now burning.
At 2:3O Chief Bonner went home, saying
that the fire would burn itself out in short
time and that it could not spread, and was
practically out.
ANOTHER BLAZE
Fire early this morning wrecked the end
of st. Agnes Catholic church on Fifty
third street near Third avenue, destroying
valuable affairs, paintings and new organ
Loss 100000.