The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-05
BLAZE ON BROADWAY.
Three Of New YOrk'S Sky
SCrapers Almost Wiped Out.
LOSS WAY ABOVE A MILLION.

Postal. Telegraph Co.'S Magnificent
structure Partially Wrecked.
oncratOrs Continued Sending Mes
soges Until the Fire Was Upon
Them COndagratiOn Started in
nogors. Pcct ~ Co.'S building
which Was Totally Destroyed.
Ten stories of the Home Life In
xurance Building. Burned-United
states Life building Badly Dam
aged.
New York, Dec. AIN a binding rain
storm tonight the massive block of build
ings on Broadway, No. 25S to 259 and in
cluled between Murray and Warren
streets was almost destroyed by fire.
Within three hours more than a million
dollars worth of properly was destroyed.
The fire began in the hve-story brick
building occupied by the mems furnishing
nrn of Rogers, Feet & Co., on the south
west corner of Broadway and Warren
street.
Adjoining the Rogers-Peet building and
south of it was the magnificent white
building of the Home Life Insurance Com
panv building, and next to this was the
handsome brown stone building of the
Postal Telegraph Company, erected at the
cost of millions only a few years a6o.
Within few minutes after the discov-
erv of the fire the Rogers-Peet building
was a roaring furnace, and an alarm had
been turned in which brought more than
a score of engines to the scene. 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 gath
cred on the scene, and the binding glare
Of The flames lit up the lower part OF the
city.
The Home Life Insurance building was
occurred by the company and by large
number Of prominent men in various lines
of business. Every effort was made TO
save the valuable papers stored In some
of The offices, but many of these were
lost. The offices of the Rapid Transit
Company were on the ninth floor of this
building, and it is believed that all the
pans and schemes of work with Whlch
the company have been working many
Years have been destroyed. In the Postal
building, as well, there were many serI-
ous losses of private nature.
The fire burned even more fiercely in the
Home Life building, owing to the great
hight of this structure, and in an incred-
IDLY short time the upper half of this mag
nihcent building was in flames. The fire
men could do little in the face of such
a fierce sweep Of fame and gale. Ii 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 Bon
ner soon after midnight was $i,OOO0OO, with
a probability of a still further loss should
the fire continue to make anything ike
rapid progress. At that hour, however,
he believed that he had the fire under
control within reasonable limits.
Al > o'clock, however, it was still burn
ing fercely in front, and although not
observable by the thousand of spectators,
was stll burning more fercely, and eX-
tending lower down in the rear.
An insurance man roughly estimated the
losses about as follows: Rogers, Peet &
Co., building and loss TO other tenants in
the building, S35O,OOO; Home Life Insur-
ance Company, building and losses to other
tenants, S500.0OO Postal Telegraph Com
pany building and losses to other tenants,
100000 Losses to surrounding buildings,
$4,000.
Chief Bonner thought that his estimate,
on the basis OF 81 100000 was about as near
correct as it was possible to make.
T1,., ID
the property of the Hoffman estate, and
was one of the historic buildings of
Broadway. 1t was erected thirty-five
years ago
The fire started in the basement of the
building occupied by Rogers, Peet & Co.,
clothiers, about $3.50 o'clock. Two police
men standing within half a block of
Warren street heard a loud explosion, and
moment later saw thin line of smoke
curling up from along the side of the
Rogers Peet & Co. building. At that time
the rain was falling in torrents, and the
wind blew a gale.
An alarm was sent in, but before the
hrst engine turned into Broadway the
Rogers Peet & co. basement was a roar
Ing furnace, with great flames bursting
through the floors above and rushing
fercely to the roof. Within ten minutes
live alarms had been sent in, bringing en-
gine after engine to the scene.
BY 10 o'clock so rapidly and fercely did
the flames make progress, there was
nothing but the shell of the Rogers-Peet
building left, with mountains Of flame
roaring a hundred feet in the air and en-
eircling the adjoining structure, the Home
Life Insurance building.
In the binding rain the hremen worked.
ttre.ching The black and slippery lines Of
rose through the building, lighting the
lanes from every side. Soon great wave
oi fire swept across Warren street and