New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-25
BROOKLYN PIERS FIRE SWEPT
THE FIERCEsT BLAZE IN YEARS ALONG
THE WATER FRONT.
TWO PIERS WRECKED A SHIP AND TWO LIGHT
ERs SUNK AND DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT
100000 DoNE-CITY YELLED BY
SMOKY MANTLE

Rosin. cotton, jute butts. benZne and tur-
pentine made q fire yesterday afternoon which
extended along the Brooklyn waterfront FOR
three blocks, from Vandyke TO Wolcott ST. one
fourmasted ship and two lighters were de-
stroyed, and three -masted schooner was badly
damaged. The damage is estimated at about
$6j0.0O0. The fire started at 3:15 O'clock and
burned fiercey for six hours Fire boats ano
engines played the blazing comoustihles ali
last night. and the fremen said that it would
be late to-day before they could leave the scene
thick black cloud Of smoke was blown nCrtn-
ward from the fire by the brisk wind. End SET
tied down over both sides OF the East River
as far north as the shores OF Long Island
Sound. Like a huge black mantle, this cloud
Of inky blackness rolled along over Manhattan
and that section OF Brooklyn the river
shutting out the sunlight so that in some Offices
the lights had to be turned long before the
usual time. Thin wells Of smoke which spread
out for mile or more at each side OF the main
column. led some people in distant parts OF the
city to hurry for shelter under the impression
that a heavy storm was coming, and the sun
looked pale and uncanny through the thick at
mosphere. Old fremen say that fire OF this
character assumed such smoky proper
tions before. The only Brooklyn waterfront
fire which in any way approached this in mag
ntude. according TO Captain Cullen was salt
petre fire at Joralemon-st. which. in 1854, dld
immense amount OF damage. although IN
1851 a large fire. which destroyed Boards stores
al the foot Of Amty-st.. proved a very stupnor"
one. the grain in the stores burning for nearly
a month.
LOSSES NOT FULLY ESTIMATED.
1t was hard last night to secure an accurate
estimate OF the losses. but some OF the hea'ies'
are: George L. Hammond. owner OF the naNa'
store extending from Coney to Wocott sts.'
100000 said to be fully insured; f. r. q W.
Roberts. Liverpool, England. owners OF the IRON
ship Andorinha, valued at S3OooOo, ana 'he
Brooklyn Wharf and Warehouse COMPANY,
$4,000 insured. Other damage to shipping anu
carroes will probebly bring the total loss UP to
S6jOOO0
The German American stores, which are part
Of the property Of the Brooklyn Whar1 ana
Warehouse Company, extend from Van DycK 10
coroy s,s Two piers. each about 2l3 feet in
length extend from these stores. No. ~ at the
cast and No 40 at the west. The large tour-
masted iron ship Andorinha was lying at the
end Of Pier No 80 She had been In from Cai-
cutta India about three weeks. with a cargo ot
tute tute butts satpetre, shellac ana IA" SIN
A large portion Of her cargo had been unloadeu
hut several hundred bales Of tute ana 10 'o"'
% ealtnetre still remained on board. The cargo
was consigned TO Ralli Brothers. No 10 Ola Sip
Some OF the jute being carried away on
lighters Two OF these valued at S3oo eaoh'
the William NJ. Brown. owned by sFooerk 81. sls.
,.rasrt, of~No -427 Produce Exchange. and the
Walter = Klatz. owned by the Greehpo'h'
1,ohteraea Company. were loaded. and tied up
between Piers 80 and 40. They were destroyed
Each had about six hundred bales of jute
l M
stores and resin yards Of George l.. Hammond.
Al his pIer. No 81, was the three-masted
eobooner Wacomaw. She was loaded with ben
zine alcohol and turpentine.
THE ORIGIN THE MYSTERY
,~,oro 10 como difference of opinion as to the
! origin OF the fire. 1t spread so rapidly that
| before the Fire Department arrived both piers
| Nos 30 and 40 were mass OF hames' IL ~
/ .oir that the fire starteo near the end OF
Pier No 80 or on the Andorinha. An Inspector
~ rho Fire Department said last night that ne
had found a number Of employees of the Ham
,nord Naval Stores who would testify that they
first saw the flames shooting up from the
hold Of the Andorinha- 1t is the inspector
belier that some careless sailor dropped match
in the saltpetre. The sailors however, declare
that the fire started in some sudden ana u"-
known manner among the bales OF )ute on the
pier. and spread rapidly in both directions
Wherever the blaze started, the sailors had 70
! tump for their lives Seven men jumped from
tho rigging into the water, and five others on
the pier fell over the sides. They clunS 10
some logs until picked up by a tugboat
Patrick Carr. the superintendent of the Ger
| man-American Stores. was telephoring insios
the office when he heard the cry OF FIRE
to ran ont and saw that the pier. which was
filed with jute and cotton, and the Andorinhs
rore all In flames He sent in an alarm. Their
engine after engine was called. and hreboats
uere summoned. until sixteen engines and sl'
freboats we're all at work The hreooats dic
the greatest service. In addition to the Setf
row and David A Roody from Brooklyn. th'
four boats from Manhattan-the New YORKER
80 Uavemeyer the Robert A. Van Wyck anc
,he zonha. Mills-were called into service
Some of the streams from these boats were
ken, husy in checking the little rivers Of burn
ing resin and other infammabe substances
which we're being carried on the surface o
the water TO adjoining wharves and out int'
the channel
BURNED TILL THE PIER FELL.
IN the pier where the fire started were 2.5N
ho,es ~ iute and jute butts and 200 bales o
cotton These substances burned steadily IRON
the ton down until the pier fell In and the re
mains were dumped into the water. TWO lars
hosting engines the property or the storeS
vare also st,oyed. The fire Jumped over oi
% the two lighters moored next to pier No ~
The h,aze leaped up against the sides OF the bi
hrick warehouse No. 313. in which the German
American people had 10000 bales of jute stored
"a tho Nerce heat had nearly forced Its wa
,n,o tho buidng when two fire companies wer
hrourbt IN from the other side and freboa
from, the front and the flames were short
| beaten back They were kept back from IN
warehouse and from the one in the rear OF pie
, No 80.
/ p Martin. the general manager Of all IN
,ronertv belonging to the Brooklyn Wharf An
Warehouse Company reached the scene 500
80, IIa oaid that he los