The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-19
SOAKED THOSE FIREWORKS
II TEE FIREMBS DIDN'T HUSTLE,
THOUGH, IN PARH PLACER

Fireworks stor. was simply SWIMMING in
Water when They Got Through, and
not an onnce Of Powder Had Caught
In Fact There Was None to Catch.
There was q heap OF fun q, nre In the nro-
works district early yesterday morning. although
there wasn't very much fun in I, for the 1remen
who had to turn out Of bed. The flro. was in tho
nvc-story building a, 10 Park place, which ex-
tends through TO Murray street, and tho lower
port Of which s occupied by tho Jubilee Fireworks
Company, Of which Thomas Lloyd 10 tho principal
ownor
About half-past 2 o'clock In the morning Will
lam Denim an employee Of the Union News Com
pany, which occupies the adjoining building saw
. sheet OF flame issue from window ono Of tho
upper floors Hor ran down 70 the corner Of Church
street and turned toward Barclay. going in search
Of policeman. He was running rapidly that
he refused 10 stop when ordered to do 80 by dark
figure hat stepped out on tho sidewalk In front
Of him. He simply kept on running. Tho dark
hguro was policeman's, who believed that Denim
was . burglar. The policeman raped for help
and ran after Denim Several other policemen
Joined In the chsoe They caught denim at Cor,-
land stree. whore he had turned In an alarm. and
he brcathlessiy Told them thu, there was Q nrc
., 10 Park place Back they won't and mot an
other policeman. who had turned In an alarm from
another FIRE box Some Of the nromen wcre led
. couple Of blocks OUT Of the way by tho extra
alarm. Capt johnson Of Insurance Patrol No 1
battered down the Park place doors OF the nrc-
works place and put his men 70 work on tho ground
floor. The nremon appeared noxL and there was
. great hustle. Boxes Of Roman candles, sky
rockets, parachutos, magic stars, wheels, tour
billions, prismauo whirwinds mines, torpcdocs
and batteries wero handled with care. Some Of
them were carried into the stree, by men who Ell.
pected every minute TO be blown to pieces Several
streams Of water turned upon the vari colorod
wheels and rockets. and while tho men Of tho in.
sufnncc patrol were at work with their rubber
,arpauns they never once KEEP, thor eyes from
the ceiling, where the FIRE was slowly eating It's
way down to the fireworks establishment
Several hundred persons gathered in Park
place and Murray street Every now and then
some one shouted that an explosion was coming
and the crowd made pell NELL toward Broadway.
Nothing happened. and back II came to run away
again at the next alarm Alter the hre had been
burning about half an hour. a toll. thin man
stepped from the skirt OF the crowd inside the police
lines and shouted:
Here sho comes now, hero sho comoa The
ere has got 10 the ground floor
Just then some one slammed down sheet iron
cellar door and the noise It made sent chill
crowd were half way across City Hall Park before
they stopped to look back INSIDE the building
at the pumps OF q sinking ship TN Of them
found Il dig tub and filling II with water. dumped
into II an armul oi colorod Roman candles Another
dumped into the water an armful of eolored sky.
"tourbillon Il had a sign on IT, which read
7 hese gods should be laid on smooth boarI.
or hat even surface"
For God's saNe Jack. don't stand tina, on
H. ss.d sG g1s Of lo Ps s dSSn
Water Mater shouted a third man. Wet
down those v hirl winds and star batteries"
Bucket after bucket 81 water wus carried In
and thrown over the rockets and candles and
bombshells a dozen large pieces labelled levi
among the I ailors" were torn down from tho
shelving aud dumped into n water tank. Pieces
labelled -Chrumatlc Fountains" and -Pampas
Pumes" were thrown upon tho floor and stream
VI water was turned ON them
battalion Chief Cruger ordered pipo lines 10
the adjoining r"of. which is level with the third
floor Of tho fireworks building. From this roof
the nremen poured a flood through the 81 win.
dows Tho water tower was operated from tho
Murray street side Of the uilding Water ran
the mrs. floor and then dnpped into tho oeiiAr
where the nremen saw ian;r quantities Of Roman
Hall hundred nrcnien With guarded lanterns
were going through the first floor 20 mako sure
that tnerc were no burning embers when little
man pushed his way through the crowd and In
Gciuccd himself as Superintendent Ncwkirk.
Of the fireworks company.
remarked one Of the drcren You'll md MA,
ell ., your damage was lone by Snt"r. ! sup
In the future They'll all soaked. II we hadn't
done good work here, you would have probably
found this building on Broadway, opposite tho
Post flee
Why" said Mr. Sewkirk.
why" repeated the fireman You ought
70 know why. Jus, imagine what wo Id have
happened II We had no, poured a hundred tons
Of water on these fireworks"
These arc not fireworks" said the superint~nd-
emit they are dummies We don'i keep fireworks
in this building. Our fireworks ais all down IN
Staten Island. The only time we keep fireworks
~. ,.f h. Inn To tIa ~ I,l.-
hrfe ~ from We iV'n q u,n 70 .ne io,n on july
in New York keeps fireworks in its stores al any
other time We all have vaults where We keep
a stock worth about 500. and ihoao vaults are
away down under the streets These Roman
candles flying FISH. pinw heels rockets and div.
ing devils are only dummies They arc made Of
wood. shaped like fireworks and covered with
red white and blue paper. We them 10 show
cusiomera There isn't one ounce Of powder
in this establishment"
-Oh. he'll, said all the nremon-