Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-02-16
Over S., 900, 900 Worth Of
Government Property Lost
in Brooklyn Navy Yard.
VALUABLE MODELS BURNED.
Will Greatly Retard tho Work on war
vsssels-Tho Records and Models Of
the Maine Among the Lost Proper
ty Six Hundred Men worked in
tho Building Yesterday.

New York, Feb 1j--Over a million dol.
lars worth Of government property vas
destroyed by a fire which started in tho
large machine shop of the Brooklyn navy
Iyard, known as machine shop No. q to-
night, and the workings of the navy yard
have received serious set back NJ my
fine models and patterns Of battleshps,
! their parts and plans have been destroyed
and some of them cannot be obtained
again except BY going over the work
mapped out in the beginning. A graat
number of the models were simply COPIES
| Of plans drawings and specifications row
| in the store rooms of the department at
Washington and these can be REPLACED at
any time. The steam engineering deplrt-
ment Of the Brooklyn yard Is practically
wiped out and the work done in hat
building will have to be thrown temporar-
lily upon tho department Of yards and
docks, and of construction and repair.
There il considerable obstruction to the
work there and an extra force will have
to be put on in order to keep up witt he
work.
The fire was first discovered at $50 to-
night by the man on watch on the bat
tleshlp Massachusetts. He immedia ely
notified Lieut.. r. r. Mu,ugan Office Of
the deck. and a call to fire quarters ras
piped. The mon Of the Massuchetts sour
ried down to the machine shop, about 30
yards away, and with the aid of hose
reel picked up in the yard, got small
stream playing on the fire. The building
was about 100 feet in width and 325 feet
long. 1t four stories in height and
built of stone and brick. The wooden iu-
side was thoroughly saturated with oil
ana the flames rapidly gained headway. Il
was seen that the Massachusetts men
could do but little against the blaze md
Col Huntinc on in command of the ma
rnes, Joined in the work About this time
four alarms We're turned in in the city
and all the engines in the ndghborhOod
of the navy yard responded. The flames
had then completely enVeloped the great
machine shope and attention had to be
paid to the foundry and other build ugs
in the vicinity. Several times the flames
got a start on the foundry roof but the
j liremen quickly put them out small
corrugated iron building in the rear OF
the machine shop took fire and was burn
ed but the loss on this is insignificant
The iremen pumped huge streams of
water into the blazing machine shop, but
all efforts were frutless as the flames had
too much start.
The fire made such rapid progress in
the machine shop that by $50 o'clock the
officials of the navy yard pronounced it
an utter loss. At about II o'clock the fire
had spent itself.
Machine shop No. IS, was occupied by
the coppersmiths. the lolermakers, the
carpenters and machinists. Their were
about 600 people employed there but only
time. The last workman had left the
place at o'clock
1t is estimated that the loss in the en-
gineering department viii amount OF sew
eral hundreds of thousands OF dollars
!, In the machine shop Very little work
was on hand A number of small orders
were being filled for the torpedo boats
Mckee. Rogers. Foote, Porter and some
engine fittings being turned out for the
. | Newark. Scorpion and Indiana.
A peculiar feature of the fire was noted
lin tine fact that the records and models
lof the hattleship Maine which was blown
lup in Havana harbor on February -, l>2S,
lw re- also destroyed.
Tho less to the building is placed at $50
200; thar on the machinery and lathe IN
1.-The Iuillns $4,000. The cost ri tho
noG IT, and patterns is varousy placed
u3t officials in the yrd put the total loss
lit Il little oyer $l,0G0.t'0. The cause If he
fir II unknown as yet. When the yards
were closed to-day, the six hundred ~ n
mp! ycd, all left the building. SO one
rcnatn med but the two watohmen. The
cause of the fire will be the subject Of an
inquiry within the next few days.
Commodore Philip the commandant OF
the yard Is now in Texas. Capt Geo &c
W. summer, is acting commandant Of the
yard.