New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-02
KEPT SUFFERING ON A ROOF.
SEVERE HARDSHIP CAUSED BY A FIRE
IN NASSAU-ST.
THREE FAMILIES. INCLUDING A PNEUMONIA
PATIENT. DRIVEN OUT BY FLAMES WHICH
HAD BROKEN OUT TWICE IN AN
HOUR WAIT TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES
FOR THE OPENING OF A sKYLIGHT

HAD BROKEN OUT TWICE IN AN
HOUR. WAIT TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES
FOR THE OPENING OF sKYLIdHT
TO ADMIT THEM TO SHELTER.
The old building numbered Gi and Go Nassau
st and standing midway in the block between
John-st and Maiden Lane, was last night visited
by two fires. the origin Of which Is as YET uh-
known The first involved about So,Ooo loss
The second. occurring an hour later at oo' p
m.. was much larger in its scope. II caused
loss OF 10000 drove out three families AT the
imminent risk Of their lives and gave Chief Bon
ner and his men two hours fight before II was
finally subdued.
The Nassau-st stores were Just closing for the
day Crowds were hurrying TO the ferries ana
railroads when. at BIS o'clock, four sharp ex-
plosons coming from the rear Of the house NO
66. brought every within hearing TO stop
The explosions were followed by a burst of haIne
and smoke, and before the fremen could get
we'll TO work the three upper floors OF the build
ing were In flames. The fire had originated in
the rooms occupied BY Henry J. Ling. dealer IN
amber and celluloid ware His store was at the
rear OF the printing Office OF I. +. Brainard'
while the rest Of the building IS taken up by
Baker. Voorhls & Co., dealers in lawbooks. and
d
Guilty about this fire, its situation rendering 1t
fairly easy Of attack. and within half an hour
it was under control. having. however. sue
ceeded in wrecking the whole upper part Of the
building The nremen carefully examined the
premises from roof to basement. satisfied them
selves that the big Sheldon Building. which ad-
ioins No 66 on the north side " as IN no danger
and went away.
Patrolman Gleason Of the Old Slip station.
passing the building q few minutes before /
o'clock stopped at the sight OF q thin flicker OF
flame protruding from the basement of No. 81.
This basement is occupied by Benkeiser King.
who make school desks. The smoke accumu-
latlng In dense volumes in the narrow Railways
and IN the angles and corners with which the
building abounds. drove the fremen back as
time after time they tried 10 penetrate the re-
cesses OF the cellar. The mpossibllity Of finding
Just where the fire started added TO the difficulty
and It was only after Chief Bonner, with con-
siderable delay and work, succeeded in forcing
an entrance to the rear by way OF John-st that
the fremen got their hose directly on the seat
OF the flames. BY that time the whole middle Of
| the sub basem mt, basement and ground floor
was In flames.
This part of the fire was well beaten after
half an hours fierce fighting, and then followed
a most peculiar circumstance. AS If an Invisible
| incendiary were at work. fickers Of flame ap-
| peared In half a dozen different parts Of the
! building and in almost as many minutes. No
| sooner had the fremen drowned one small blaze
| than fresh alarm would be sounded from an
other quarter, and in this way the fremen con-
! tinued to play hide and seek with the fire for
| more than an hour before Chief Bonner felt
| Justified in saying that the blaze under
| control.
On The top floor Of No. G4 DIN Koerner boy,
| lay I'll with pneumonia. His home IS with the
family Of A r. Sroia a jeweler who has a
workroom at No. 66. The family had remained
| In their apartments through the first fre on the
! assurance II the police that they were IN no
! danger but on the second alarm the smoke
| mounting through the stairways choked and
| blinded them. depriving the boy koerner or
| what little breathing power was IeIt nm. Mn the t
! door leading TO the roof was locked Ihen the
| family ran to the window screaming for help,
! and they presently Joined by the Wlfe ana
| children Of J. Shields. the janitor OF No o4.
! The families were in this plight when Rounds
! man Mclaughlin. PatrOlman Gleason, and John
| Kelly. fireman, ran up the stairs ana, Dreah-
Ing the door to the roof dragged them through.
on the roof they were joined ny the Iamdy
of T DuhdOn the cOlOred janitOr. Of No. o..
Koerner wrapped in a blanket, was carried by
| Gleason and Kelly The little party made It's
| WAY around and the roofs Of the buildings
| until they came In sight Of the big LorsCh Build
ing. which fronts Maiden Lane. Every scut-
tle-door they had tried Wa9 fastened ana every
skyght window was locked on the inside as the
tenants OF the buildings had long ago gone
| home There was no one 70 hear their calls for
help and thus for twenty-five minutes the group
of rescued and rescuers stood helpless on the
roof every blast OF the icy wind bringing young
Koerner nearer his grave.
But at last the wife Of A J. Duddon tantor
OF the Lorsch Building looking out from her
windows on the twelfth floor, saw them and
called 10 her husband. who. after considerable
difficulty. making his way down six floors
! through the adjoining building. broke open a
| skylight and drew the shyerng people in. The
effect on the sick boy cannot be foretold. but
there was no change FOR the worse last night
! About the origin Of the second fire. the iremen
and police are As much In the dark as they are
as to its predecessor but ascrbe 1t to defective
| nue Although the halls and the landings IN
! the two buildings are divided by partitions, one
| nue serves FOR both, and the most reasonable
! proposition is that some sparks from the nrst
fire. entering the nue. burned downward 10 the
basement and thus brought about the second.