The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-02-16
Which viii Be Hard to Duplicate
Were Destroyed.
THE FIRE MADE RAPID PROGRESS
And the Machine shops Were Total
Loss-Thc Records OF the Battle
ship Maine Were Among the
Articles Destroyed - The
loss is Estimated at Over
Million.

NEW YORK. Feb l5.-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.
%. tonight, and the workings OF the
navy yard have received a serious set
back. Many fine models and patterns Of
battleships, 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 begin
ming. A great number OF the models
were simply copies Of plans, drawings
and specifications now in the store-rooms
of the department at Washington, and
these can be replaced az any time. The
steam engineering department OF the
Brooklyn yard is practically wiped out.
and the work done in thst building Will
have 10 be thrown temporarily upon the
department OF yards and docks and that
OF construction and repair. There is
considerable obstruction 20 the work
there and an extra force will have 10
be put on IN order to keep up with the
work.
THE FIRE DISCOVERED.
The fire was first discovered az $50
o'clock tonight by the man on the watch
OF the battleship Massachusetts, lie Inn
mediately notified Lieutenant r. F.
Mulligan, In charge Of the watch, and
call 20 fire quarters was made The
men Of the Massachusetts, scurrled down
TO the machine shop. about three hum
dred yards away and with the aid OF a
hose reel picked up in the yard. got
small stream playing on the fire. The
building was about one hundred feet In
width and three hundred aud twenty-five
feet long. IL was four stories In height
and built Of stone and brick. The wood
en- inside was thoroughly saturated with
oil and tho flames rapidly gained head
way. IL was seen that the Massachu-
sets men could do but little against the
blaze, and Colonel Huntington. IN COM
mand OF the marines Joined in the work
About this time a ire alarm was turned
In and an the engines in the neighbor-
hood of the navy yard responded. The
flames had then completely euvelored
the great machine shop and attention
had 10 be paid 10 the foundry and other
buildings in the vicinity Several times
the flames got start on the foundry
roof, gut the iremen quickly put them
out small corrugated iron building
-'A AAAN Afit NA Allt machine NnOD LOOK IRE
and was burned, but the loss on this is
The iremen pumped huge
streams Of water into the blazing ma
chine shop, but all efforts were fruitless.
RAPID HEADWAY.
Inc nre made such rapid progress in
no machine shop that by ) o'clock tho
)Hclals or the rlyy yard pronounced IL
an utter loss. At about II o'clock tho
ire had spent itself.
Machine shop No g was occupied by
ne coppersmlths. the boiler-makers. the
carpenters and machinists. About 500
people were employed IN them. but only
wo Watchmen were In the building az
ne time Of the outbrak Of the ire. The
asst workman had left the place at 5
clock. Aside from being filled with a
'reat mass OF machinery more or less
lsei, the building was occupied as u
'attern and model shop. Here were kept
ne models, plans, drawings and specin-
atoms OF work to bo done on any OF
laval vessels that were 10 be repaired al
no yard Many models OF battleshlps
nd war vessels built from time to time
we're kept there. These were mostly
Oples OF models and their loss. while
ootlng up considerable from a pecun-
ary point OF view, will not be irreparable.
ne steam engineering gFdepartment had "A
lumber OF elaborate plans, which were
riginated in this yard, and they cannot
e replaced. In the machine shop very
title work was on hand. A number OF
mall orders were being filled for the
orpedo boats Mckee. Rogers. Foote.
'orter, and some engine fittings were
eing turned out for the Newark, Scor-
ion and Indiana.
THE MAT % RECORDS.
a IL.
hip Maine, which was blown up In Ha-
ana harbor on February Is. 1895, were
lso destroyed.
The loss 70 the building is placed AZ
5000 that 20 the machinery and lathes
! the building. $4,000
The cost OF the models and patterns
varlously estimated. but oficlals In
ne yard put the total loss az a little
YER million. The cause OF the fre IS
nknown as yet.
The cause OF the FIRE will be the sub
ct Of an inquiry within the next few
ays.