The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-13
No BUILDING %FLREPROOF.
-,oys TAUSHT BIZ FRIDlY
yIGHT,S BIG BIlSE

1919, u.,per sass Tint n n skyscrnpsF OauEht
~. u,rb There would ne NethinE to Ne
g., let n urn-bs Again Urges the
S..,,,,ty OF an Auxiliary water sSstona.
,o.ne of the fire which destroyed the
,i...r chambers building at ia and 116
49, .,rect and 10 Ann street, and the two
N,I.Inine buildings at llS and 100 Nassau
-, nm Friday night was no longer pio-
"NS..ra Yesterday after the nremen had
,u.~Ssdi II down with hundreds Of thousands OF
u.Son. NJ water. Instead OF the flames which
49, hivb above sven the sky.scrhpors In tho
"",YShorbood and waved a warning TO all the
.nrronndipe country, the ruins were dead and
s,,ck and. curiously enough, exhibited from
T....r and Ann streets only the smallest traces
=, m, great volcano OF flame that had wrecked
~, and NJ tho losses which had 90
spyred within their walls.
Az o'clock yesterday afternoon the hremen
..oid,a that Il would DO safe for persons to use
N. .,reets again, and the police lines were
.rot.n 10 let pedestrians through Nassau street
III An, street. A few policemen remained
~. t,,t the streams Of curious persons con-
"a IN the west sidewalk and q part OF the
,o.dvsy on that side OF the street. There had
Ran many thousands Of interested sightseers
sovsrinp all day about the scene OF the IRE. and
a, ,oop as the police lines were broken those
-ho ware in waiting pushed forward from both
.nds NJ the blocks. They saw little to reward
them for their trouble.
Tho work of the Fire Department had been 30
ancient where the buildings could DO got at
trom the streets that it was difficult for the
vis,,ors TO realize that they were looking upon
thu scene OF one of the largest and hercest OF
recent downtown fires. The front of the Mas
,au Chambers building showed the most
traces of the hire, but even this would
h.v. led one to suppose that the build
Inc had been seriously damaged only In
i,s upper stories. 1t was not until ono as
eeuded the fourteen.story extension OF tho
vanderbilt building. opposite the rear of the
Nassau Chambers, that the extent Of the fire
could be realized and the flimsy character Of the
ruiped office building be understood. Fire has
brought TO light the dangerous character of
many populous structures in this city, but IL
has probably never disclosed q moro flimsy and
DANGEROUS structure than this since the burning
of the old World building, which stood q block
above the scene of Friday nights fire, whore
the Potter building now stands.
Looking down from the upper stories of the
Vanderbilt extension one could see that the
Nassau Chambers building covered q space
which is almost a perfect T in shape. The stem
OF the I has its front on Nassau street and ex-
tends back for seventy.ive feet until 1t
meets the larger part Of the building which
forms the top Of the I. This part of the build
Ing, twenty-five feet IN width; fronts on
Interior OF the block about 100 or 100 feet. The
walls are OF brick, only Just thick enough to
meet the requirements OF ne building laws for
posed Of brick piers supporting cast-iron girders
at each floor.
pied by windows. there are Windows close to-
gether In the side walls where they rise above
the surrounding buildings and the rear wall,
E . ;sh wa # free si Eaen the W SHhiidin e. Was erected,
the rear, fronting on Ann street. was erected its
wall was put close against the rear wall of the
Nassau Chambers building. but the window
spaces In that wall were not filled up. The
weakness Of these window-pierced walls is
shown by the wall on the north side Of tho stem
Of the 7, which has bulged out about eighteen
building, and the hremen were making arrange
ments last night to tumble this part OF tho wall
into the ruins.
The floors OF tho big office building were sup
ported throughout by wooden floor timbers.
Yesterday there was not q thing loft between
The walls except q few Of these floor beams and
these were charred and burned until they woro
mere skeletons Of what they had originally been.
IL was ascertained with certainty yesterday
that the fire started in the basement Of tho
Nassau Chambers building in the south side,
where the Herald Cycle Comphny's store was.
According TO the information obtained by Fire
Marshal Mitchell. this concern and q simi,
lar ono in the basement of % Park row,
next TO Dennetts restaurant, are both
owned BY Ernest J; Willis, who makes his
ssaaauarters at % Park row. William Willis,
MS orother, had charge OF the store in Nassau
street. He told the Fire Marshal that at 5:55
o'clock on Friday afternoon he dismissed the sir
men who help him in the place. turned out all
ine hghts and went away, alter locking up.
yanitor Smith said that at about $50 watchman
keafney discovered that the cycle place was afre
~ s..ttnae rear: There was no means of communi.
CATION between this part Of the basement and
tne resi- or Il except BY doors which were kept
i ,Sst hs Ernest Willis told the Fire Marshal
INA ~ naa $ni 29o insurance on his stock In
come TO estimating the value OF his stock yes
SEr,sy. ne said. was that on Jan. 1 he had 800
The Fire Marshal was particularly interested
IN MAKING an inquiry into this matter, because
On uct: a OF last year. when Willis occupied q
SI ssa s,a.t under the next building to the south.
poth TO Willis's stock and TO that of Maduro
D ,Os q Co., clothing dealers. who occupied the
rsrV o HUUte, M "a T Bros. q CO. took tempo
guiding. and have only just got back into the
Su STORE; They said yesterday that their stock
nnd sesin oeen damaged seriously by smoke
From the basement the fire swept with little |
hniiLariance through the entire Nassau Chambers
pudding, ana the frcmen say il spread to Inc
Two other buildings to the north by two routes
,n = 9i these was through holes cut in the base |
menu walls Tor steam pipes, and the other was
~ SPARKS railing through the skyliRhts. These
contents destroyed.
h rsatnaps the most interesting feature of tho |
S Shiol building extension. This extension. \
tH; on runs out to tho east from the older nor.
S Soh o. the building and forms, with its
hhsntng area, a letter u, 10 supposed fo
20 an absolutely ~ireproof structure. X IL four.
II feen stories high. The southern portion Of che |
Oman oeparsted at its lower portion By an
and ~ p,thvao = rev Feet wide from the northern
builStrsan e l. extension OF the Nassau Chambers |
mon proved to DO an excellent pyromster 70
UuS heights. which came from the "oai.
th m OF lame. Tho results. recorded In
"a rum OF scores OF offices in the
flames W.. building, show that this column Of |
but H.. . - not al its hottest when 1t first arose. |
pleie r. 70 ~ combustion became more com. |
was onnos Iitaeaaea until the hottest part of IL
building. 'A'n story OF The Vanderbilt
fo AIm1ost every Office from the eighth tn tho
and In = moot was seriously damaged BY fire.
the fnrni,n "uutDcF or them nothing was left OF |
hpo,has nnl the metal portions.
bui,din' source OF serious damage In this |
frem"n I n me smashing Of the doors by the |
SS nii facing the end OF Inc Na asa c nus hine
Wssiarps and two other windows in a loo AT lie
heat EevSa1a, which were also exposed to The
shntt Every window is provided with iron
prObab,nr ,Ssha had these been closed n ia
would na MA the building and It's contents
the hear snon escaped ~unscathed. As 1t was.
alre from IN Set almost every window frame