The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-12
DISASTR0USNEW YORK FIRE
LEYI p. M0RTON'S SEV EN-SToRY
OFFICE BUILDING GUTTED.

Also a Building With Frontages OH Mas
sau and Ann Streets Known as the Mas
sau Chambers-Portion of One of the
Buildings Blown Out by an Explosion
Loss One Million Dollars.
New York, Feb. 11,-LeW P. Morton's
seven-story office building, an L shap-
ed structure with frontages on Nassau
sau chambers. was completely destroy
ed by fire tonight. The firemen had
hard battle, and for three hours after
the discovery of the flames at $3.50
o'clock, there was every prospect of
a great conlagration. Every fire COM
pany In the city from 59th street to
the battery was called out and in
remarkably short time thousands of
people had gathered in those streets
and Broadway. The Derby Desk COM
pany occupied both the Nassau and
Ann street stores, and the basement of
the building, where the fire originated,
was occupied by the Herald Cycle Co.
From the Nassau chambers the fire
spread to the four story building ad-
joining and the clothing store of Madru
brothers on the ground floor was quick
ly in flames. While group of fire
men were at work on the Ann street
side of the fire, there was loud ex-
plosion, and a portion of the building
was blown out. Several of the firemen
were badly cut by flying glass and deb
ris and a call was sent out which
brought several ambulances to the
scene and caused a rumor that a num-
ber of people had been killed. OF the
number injured, Foreman Edward Fa-
gan of Engine Co. No. IL alone sus-
tanned any considerable injuries, and
even he after his wounds had been
dressed returned to his work.
The Murray stationary store occu-
pied a small frontage adjoining the
| Derby Desk company on Nassau street
and this concern has very little, If any
| left. The upper part of the Nassau
chambers was occupied by lawyers and
| as offices of number Of manufactur-
| ing concerns. Assemblyman julius
| Harburger occupied offices on the Sec
| ond floor. He lost everything, ~includ-
| ing valuable library. Assistant Cor
| poration Counsel Lesser, the National
| Advertising company, Smith & Hass.
| the latter firm occupying the entire
seventh floor; Saunders & Rosenstein,
Johnson & Bailey, publishers; Simond-
son & Hudson, brokers, and the Hano-
| way company, publishers, are among
| others who suffered severely from the
| fire.
Acting Captain Linderman of the Oak
street station was on hand early with
| 100 policemen, who had great difficulty
in keeping back the vast crowds of
people who had congregated from all
parts of the city. The entire reserve
forces of the Old Slip and Oak street
| stations were called out to maintain
order and assist the firemen.
| The Bennett building, at the south
west corner of Nassau and Ann streets,
caught fire several times, but the flames
were extinguished by the firemen and
employees of the building. A scaffold-
ing on the new syndicate building on
| Park Row was ignited number of
times also and once the woodwork on
the twenty-fourth floor was blazing,
| Several of the men employed by the
contractors hurried to the building
when they learned Of the fire and kept
the flames under control. 1t was found
necessary to call out more police and
Inspector Cross ordered out every po-
liceman in every station south OF
Fourteenth street who was not or
duty. This took the entire reserve
force The loss is estimated at one
million dollars. The heaviest loss will
be borne by the Morton interest, al
though it is stated that they were
well insured in the Globe and the Lon
don and Liverpool companies.