The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-12-05
MILLION DOLLAR BLAZE.
A Picturesque Conaagration in the
Metropolis.
DANGERS OF "sKY sORAPERs." "
The Upper Portion of a Sixteen Story
Building Burned While Firemen
Were Fighting the Flames Below.
Telegraphers Flee For Their Lives.

building Burned While Firemei
Were Fighting the Flames Below
Telegraphers Flee For Their Lives
New York, Dec. Sin a binding rail
storm last night the massive block o
buildings on Broadway, Nos. 253 t
259, and included between Murray anc
Warren streets, was almost destroyed
by fire. Within three hours more thar
O. million dollars worth of propert )
was destroyed. Thousands of people
gathered on the scene, and the binding
glare of the flames lit up the lower
part of the city. Even in the down
pour the great crowds Of people grew
and the police reserves were called out
from many stations and kept the peo-
pie back for blocks. Great showers OF
sparks We're carried by the gale that
blew 60 miles an hour in all directions.
1t was picturesque fire.
The fire started in the basement of
the building occupied by Rogers, Peet
& Co., clothlers, about $50 o'clock. Two
policemen standing within half block
of Warren street heard a loud explo-
sion, and moment later saw a thin
line Of smoke curling up from along the
side of the Rogers Peet building. At
that time the rain was falling in tor
rents and the wind blew gale. An
alarm was sent in, but before the first
engine turned into Broadway the
| Rogers Peet basement was a roaring
furnace, with great flames bursting
through the floors above and rushing
| fiercely to the roof. Within ten min
| utes five alarms had been sent in.
bringing engine 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 encircling the adjoining struc.
ture, the Home Life Insurance COM
pany building.
In the binding rain the firemcn work.
ed, surrounded the block, stretching
the black and slippery lines of hose
through the building. fighting the
flames from every side. Soon a great
wave of fire swept across Warren
street and caught the United States
Life Insurance company's building at
the northwest corner of Broadway.
numbering $50 and 261. The woodwork
on dozen windows was afire in a
moment. and from that time on several
streams We're played on this building
to save it from destruction.
When the Warren street wall of the
Rogers-Peet building fell, at 1890
O'Clock, dozen fireSnen were directly
beneath the wall. Several Of the men
were struck by bricks, but none was
more than slightly injured. Acting
Chief Perle fell. but was dragged to
safety by some of his men.
Just before II o'clock the Home Life
Insurance company's building, 16 stories
high, at 2J6 and 257 Broadway, caught
fire. The fircmen already had their
lines in this building up to the seventh
floor. They were greatly handicapped
by the many stories. The flames had
eaten their way through the side wall
In many places, and the huge white
structure burned fiercely. The ee-
vators made trips up and down until
the men running the cages were COM
PEELED to flee for their lives, and in
this way many of the effects of the
offices were saved. The three top
floors were on fire almost simulta-
neously from the beginning, The smoke
was dense. Flames shot high above
the roof and over the massive brown
stone Postal building on the corner
below. All the operators of the Postal
building and everybody at work In that
structure had been ordered out of this
building long before. Desperate efforts
were being made to save 1t. The in
terror of the Home Life Insurance
company building was by this time
furnace. From the windows of the
six or upper stories the flames were
pouring in masses. In the rear nine
stories were afire. and the fire de-
partment, so far as this portion of the
building was concerned, was absolutely
powerless.
At 11:15 the Postal Telegraph COM
rany's building, OF IA stories. caught
fire. Chief Bonner. who had charge of
the firemen, took the elevator and went
to the roof to give personal direction.
At this time there were a few opera
tors who had ignored the orders OF
the fire chief, two or three clerks and
the sitting smoke, and messages were
sent until the flames came and all were
forced to rush for their lives. The un-
sent messages were left at the tele-
graph keys.
Chief Bonner had under his direction
all engines stationed in the fire houses
below Twenty-third street. In addition
five hook and ladder companies, in
cluding water towers, were at the !
scene. Most of the men worked in the
lower parts of the building and at
tempted to save adjoining buildings.
Only few gangs were with the fire
chief on the top of the Postal building.
They fought with all their strength to
all their efforts at o'clock
this morning three floors of this build
ing had been partly destroyed Chief
Bonner then had the fire under control. |
AT $50 o'clock this morning Chief |
Bonner went home, saying that the fire
would burn itself out in a short time,
hat it could not spread and was prac-
ically out.
The fire started from three explo-
;ions. What caused the explosions no
me knows. The firemen could not find !
)ut. They thought gas had escaped in
some manner in the basement, and so
resulted in explosion and fire. A fierce
,ast wind. almost gale. blew all night
aimed the flames and made fire fight
ng the more difficult and dangerous.
Rochefort Lied ABOUT DURAN bassador