The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-02-17
UNCLE SANS BIG LOSS.
Over a Million Goes Up in Smoke
at Brooklyn Navy Yard,
VALUABLE MODELS DESTROYED.

Some of the Property Loss Cannot BE
Replaccd-Tho Model OF the Battle
ship Maine Included In the Burned
Property-Cause of Fire Unknown.
New York. Feb. l6.-Over a million
dollars worth OF government property
was destroyed by fire which started in
the large machine shop Of the Brooklyn
navy yard, known as machine shop No.
2S. last night. and the workings Of the
navy yard received a serious setback
Many fine models and patterns Of bat
tleships, their parts and plans, have
been destroyed. and some of them can
not be obtained again except by going
over the work mapped out in the be-
ginning. A great number OF the models
We're simply copies Of plans. drawings
and specifications now in the store
rooms of the department at Washing
ton and those can be replaced at any
time. The steam engineering depart
/ ment of the Brooklyn yard Is practi-
cally wiped out, and the work done in
| that building will have to be thrown
/ temporarily upon the department of
yards and docks and that of construc-
tion and repair There is considerable
obstruction to the work there; and an
extra force viii have TO be put on i'm
order to keep UP with the work
The fire was first discovered at $3.50
o'clock bv the man on watch for the
1 battleship Massachusetts,. He immedi
| ately notified Lieutenant r. 7. Multi
| gan, In charge of the watch, and a call
to fire quarters was called. The men
| of the Massachusetts scurried down to
| the machine shop, about 300 yards
away, and with the aid Of hose reel
! picked up in the yard got a small
| stream playing on the fire. The build
/ ing was about 100 feet in width and 325
! feet long. 1t was four stories in height
| and built Of stone and brick The
! wooden inside was thoroughly satur-
! ated with oil. and the flames gained
| headway. 1t was seen that the Massa-
| chusetts men could do but little against
! the blaze, and Colonel Huntington, in
| command of the marines, Joined in the
work About this time fourth alarm
| was turned in in the city and all the
engines in the neighborhood of the navy
| yard responded. The flames had then
! completely enveloped the great ma
chine shop, and attention had to be
| paid to the foundry and other buildings
| in the vicinity. Several times the
]
| but the firemen quickly put them out.
| small corrugated iron building in the
| rear Of the machine shop took fire and
/ was burned, but the loss on this is in
| significant.
! The fire made such rapid progress in
! the machine shop that by $3.50 o'clock
! the officials Of the navy yard pro-
l nounced it an utter loss. At about IL
! o'clock the fire had spent itself.
Machine shop No. 2S was occupied by
| the coppersmiths, the boiler makers.
/ the carpenters and machinists. About
! 800 people were employed in them, but
| only two watchmen were in the build
/ ing at the time of the outbreak of the
! fire. The last workman had left the
4 place at o'clock. Aside from being
| filled with a great mass of machinery,
more or less used, the building was oc-
cupied as a pattern and model shop.
| Here were kept all the models, plans,
! drawings and specifications of work to
| be done on any of the naval vessels
that were to be repaired at the yard,
| Many models of battleships and war
| vessels built from time to time were
| kept there, including the model of the
! battleship Maine. These were mostly
| copies Of models, and their loss, while
/ footing up considerable from a pecuni-
| airy point, will not be irreparable. The
| steam engineering department had a
| number of elaborate plans which were
originated in this yard, and they can
/ not be replaced.
The loss to the building is placed at
$3.50. 900, and that on the machinery and
| lathes in the building at 100000. The
cost the models and patterns is
variously estimated, but officials in the
yard put the total loss at little over
| 81, 600 600. The cause of the fire is un-
| known as yet.