The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-02-16
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
Replaced Model OF the Battle-
ship Maine Included in the Burned
prOperty-(ause of Flrc Unknown.

Replaced--TheM Model OF the Battle-
ship Maine Included in the Burned
Property-Causc Of Fire Unknown.
New York, Feb. 16.-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.
28, last night, and the workings of the
navy yard received 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 or
yards and docks and that of construc-
ticn and repair There is considerable
obstruction to the work there, and an
extra force will have to be put on in
ORDER to keep w with the work.
The fire was first discovered at $50
o'clock bv the man on watch for the
battleship Massachusetts. He irnmedl-
ately notified Lieutenant r. 7. NULL
gan, in charge of the watch, and call
to fire quarters was called. The men
of the Massachusetts scurred down to
the machine shop, about 500 yards
away, and with the aid Of hose reel
picked up in the yard got small
stream playing on the fire. The build
ing was about 100 feet in width ana 80
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
wtrs turned in in the city and all the
engines in the neighborhoCd of the navy
yard responded. The flames had then
completely enveloped the great ma
chine shop, and ttCnt!on had to be
paid to the foundry and other buildings
in the vicinity. Several times the
flames got a start on the foundry roof,
but the nremcn quickly put them out.
a small corrugated iron building in the
rear Of the machine shop took fire ana
Was burned but the loss On this is in
siEuiiicant.
The fire made such rapid progress in
the machine shop that by $50 o'clock
the officials Of the navy yard pro-
nounced it an utter less. At about IL
o'clock the fire had spent itself.
Machine shop No. IS Was occupied by
the connersmlths, the buier Makers
the carpenters and machinists. About
COO people We're employed in them but
only tNo watchm2n were in the build
ing at the time Of the outbreak of the
fire. The last workman had left the
place at O'Clock. Aside from being
filed with a greet mass of MACHINERY,
more or less used, the building was oc-
cupied as q pattern and model shop.
Here were kept all the models, plans,
DRAWINGS and specfca tions 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
battleshp Maine. These were mostly
copies of models and their loss, while
footing up considerable from pecuni-
airy point, will not be irreparable. The
steam engineering department had
number of elaborate plans which were
originated in this yard, and they can
not be replaced.
The loss to the building is placed at
$3a0,COO, and that on the machinery and
lathes in the building at 100000. The
cost the models and patterns is
varioualy estimated. but officials in the
yard put the total loss at little over
81 0GO,CO0. The cause of the fire Is un-
known as vet,