New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-06
Thomas J. Brady. together with some engineer

ing experts. made as careful an examination as
| was possible under the circumstances of the
| effects OF the fire. For nearly three hours they
continued their Investigations Mr. Ide in sub
| sequently explaining the conditions tney mad
found 20 a Tribune reporter. said:
1--WE made a careful examination or the state
In which the fire left our building. We found
that practically there has been no structural
weakness. and that with one exception. so far
rs we could see there was no warping OF the
massive wroughtiron Orders. The one excep-
! tion is girder which found 70 have weak
ened. and will have to be replaced. There VIII
be no delay in rebuilding the upper stories to
which the fire confined The whole front
down probably to the eighth floor will have 10
be taken down and renewed
The freproof walls aad floors are intact and
did not give way. The only holes in the floors
that we saw were in two instances where heavy
safes had been resting between girders and had
fallen through l am unable at this moment to
state with any approach to exactness what the
amount Of the loss will be. but it Will not reach
the estimates published this morning The loss
will be fully covered by insurance
HOME LIFE NEED NOT MOVE.
Mr. Ide said that the Home Life Insurance
! Company would not be much Inconvenience
by the fire Their Offices had suffered no dam
<.
as soon as the heating apparatus could be start
ed business would be resumed IN the Offices
Yesterday the affairs of the company were
conducted in temporary offices in the Postal Tel
eeraph Building next to that Of the Home Life
| Insurance Company. Mr.. Ide said yesterday
that other tenants Of his company whose Offices
were below the ninth floor would be able to
begin business again the heating ar
raneempnts were COMPLETED
THEORIES AS TO THE ORIGIN.
| Many theories were INDUCED In yesterday as
to the cause of the fire. but they had no better
basis than mere speculation. The theory most
in favor is that spontaneous combustion start
ed the FIRE but this idea mainly because an
explosion heard just before the fire was
| first discovered
F. r Chambers. a member of the firm of
! Rogers Peet & Co. when he was seen at the
establishment AT Prince-st. and Broadway, told
I a Tribune reporter that II was Impossible 70
form any accurate opinion as to the origin o,
! the blaze He said the loss TO his firm would
amount TO $4,000. the whole o. which was
! covered by insurance.
Mr. Chambers said he did not know how soon
steps would be taken to rebuild the place or
whether or not a skyscraper would he erected on
the site OF the old fashioned structure now IN
ruins The Hoffman estate, which owns the
property has however for a long time wished to
| more
been prevented because Of the lease owned by the
! firm Of Rogers Peet e. Co The impression pre-
walls now that the trustees Of the Hoffman
| estate will utilize the present opportunity to
nut up a tall office building. which. with those
Of the Home Life Insurance and Postal Tele-
| graph companies. Will transform the block INTO
one Of the most imposing in the city.
POSTAL BUILDING LITTLE THE WORSE.
al
Postal Telegraph building was not damaged to
any appreciable extent. nor were the walls
much marked by smoke. Charles s. Bruch'
assistant general manager Of the Postal Tele-
graph Company. said yesterday it was not a
fact that two Of the company's expensive switch
boards were destroyed by the fire He added:
The loss we have suffered Is trifing. 1T con-
sjsts Of few broken windows and some
scratched and blstered paint We have not
been much damaged by the fire. One or the
boards which is known as the city switch
board is near a broken window and this gave
rise to the belief that our valuable switchboards
were damaged but they were not
Charles Shirley, manager Of the operating
department. told a Tribune reporter that the
| telegraphic service Of the company had not peeh
seriously interfered with as a result OF the hre'
and that the storm had been responsible for
|
The fire caused more or less inconvenience
Yesterday to many Wall Street brokers. who
had private telegraph wires connected with the
Postal Telegraph Company's main office. Early
IN the afternoon however the wires were again
in working order and quotations from out or
town came along promptly
RAPID TRANSIT PAPERS DUPLICATED.
The Offices of the Rapid Transit Commission
| Aoo IF q III
ing. 1t is feared that everything IN these Offices
has been DESTROYED together with many records
and naners Of value but duplicates of these are
in existence.
Lewis l.. Delafed. secretary of the commas
sion. said yesterday: Assuming the destruc-
ton to have been total the direct pecuniary loss
will not exceed 500 | am glad to state that
the indirect loss and inconvenience VIII be very
slight. Ny personal impression is that none
Of the original papers connected WIN u"r WI,
Of the Rapid Transit Board having any permd-
nont value were destroyed. So far as the rec
ords Of the Board are concerned. have in my
own private office what beheVe 10 De compete
copies of everything OF value.
ONLY WATER DAMAGE IN THE BANK.
Among other tenants in the Home Life Build
Ing are the Merchants Exchange Bank. Elliot
Danforth, Register Isaac Fromme ana Assem-
blvman Robert Mazet The officers Of the Mer-
chants Exchange Bank secuieu 'o'"p''"i'
place Of business at an early hour yesterday
morning, In rooms Nos. 3oo and 90 on the
third floor of the Postal Telegraph Building. The
yjce-president A. s. Apgar and the assistant
cashier Mr. Gambler. went 10 the vaults at go
o'clock and sec ired their checks and exchanges.
As soon as the clerks arrived they were put 10
work on improvisod tables. made or drygoods
boxes and at $50 the bank was ready ior busl-
ness and all its exchanges READY LOT me Ole@ e,
Uouse The only damage 10 the bank was from
water.
Register Isaac Fromme reached the scene OF
the fire at an early hour IN the mo- ming 7ii'one
! vac nnurinp from the windows OF his once on
the twelfth floor Of the Home Lie Bu'lclhS' ana