The record-union., 1898-12-05
FIremen Were Unable to Check the
Flames.
Could Not Get the Water to the
Top of the Skyscrapers and
Were Utterly Helpless in the
Upper Ten Stories-Postal Tele-
graph and United States and
Home Life Insurance Buildings
Destroyed.

| NEW YORK, Dec. 4.-In a binding
rainstorm tonight the massive block
Of buildings in Broadway, Nos 253 to
| 259, and included between Murray and
Warren streets, was almost destroyed
| by fire. Within three hours more than
million dollars worth of property was
destroyed. The fire began in the five
story brick building occupied by the
mems furnishing firm of Rogers, Peet &
Co., on the southwest corner of Broad
way and Warren streets. Adjoining
the Rogers, Peet building and south of
it was the magnificent white building
of the Home Life Insurance Company
and next to this was the brown stone
building of the Postal Telegraph Com
pany, erected at a. cost of millions only
few years ago.
Within few minutes after the dis
covery Of the fire the Rogers-Peet build
ing was a roaring furnace, and an
alarm had been turned in which
brought out more than a score of en-
glnes 1t was but short time when
the flames had eaten through the wall
OF the Home Life and were roaring high
above that lofty structure Thousands
OF people had gathered on the scene
and the binding glare of the flames lit
UP the lower part Of the city. Even in
the downpour the great crowds of pep
pie grew and the police were called ont
from many stations and kept the people
back for blocks. Great showers of
sparks were carried in all directions by
the gale that blew sixty miles an hour
1t was a picturesque fire.
The Home Life Insurance building
was occupied by that company and by
large number of prominent men in
various lines of business. Every effort
was made to save valuable papers
stored IN some of the Offices but MANY
OF these We're lost. The offices of the
Rapid Transit Commission were on the
ninth floor of this building and it is be-
lieved thet@.al the plans and schemes
OF work with which the commission
have been working these many years
have been destroyed.
In the Postal building aus we'll there
We're many serious losses of a private
nature and when the flames reached the
operating room of this structure. which
they did within three hours of the out
break, the one or two solitary operators
VINO remained at their posts were COM
PEELED to flee for their lives, leaving un
sent messages at the keys
The fire burned even more fiercely in
the Home Life building, owing to the
great hight of this structure and in an
incredibly short time the upper half of
this magnificent building was in
flames. The water towers in the streets
We're able to throw their heavy streams
only into the lower part of the struc-
ture and the fremen, though they
worked with great bravery and untir-
ing energy in the binding smoke and
heat, could do little in the face of such
a fierce sweep of flame and gale. 1t
was only a question of time when the
Postal building, so far as the upper
stories were concerned, went the way
of the others.
The estimate of the losses by Chief
Bonner, after midnight, was a million
dollars with a probability of a still
further loss should the fire continue to
make anything like rapid progress At
that hour he believed he had the fire
under control within reasonable Limit.
AT z o'clock, however, it was still burn
ing fiercely in front and although not
observable by the thousands of people,
was burning still more fiercely and ex-
tending lower down in the rear.
An Insurance man roughly estimates
the loss about as follows: Rogers,
Peet & Co, building, stock and losses
to other tenants, $35O.OO0; Home Life
Insurance Company building and losses
to other tenants, S500,O0O
The Postal Telegraph Company build
o,a1 60 Tow.
Losses to surrounding buildings, $50
600.
Chief Bonner thought that this esti-
mate on the basis Of a million dollars
loss was about as near correct as was
possible to make
The Rogers Peet building was the
property of the Hoffman estate and was
one of the historic buildings of Broad
way It was erected thirty-five years
ago.
The fire started in the rear of the
basement of the building occupied by
Rogers, Peet & Co., clothiers, about
$3.50 o'clock. Two policemen. standing
within half block of Warren street, |
heard a loud explosion and moment
later saw a thin line of smoke curling
up from the side of the Rogers. Peet e.
Co. building. At that time rain was
falling in torrents and the wind blew a |
gale An alarm was sent in, but before
the first engine turned into Broadway, |
the Rogers, Peet e Co. basement was
roaring furnace. with great flames
bursting through the floors above and |
rushing fiereely to the roof Within |
ten minutes five alarms had been sent
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 Rogers, |
Peet & Co. building left, with noun
tains of flames roaring a hundred feet |
in the air and encircling the adjoining
structure, the Home Life Insurance
building. In that binding rain the |
firemen worked, stretching the black |
and slippery lines Of hose through the /
building. fighting the flames from ev-
cry side. Soon q great wave of fire |
swept across Warren street and caught |
the United States Life Insurance build |