New-York tribune., 1899-02-16
A MILLION DOLLAR BLAZE.
THE NAVY YARDS BIG MACHINE-SHOP
DESTROYED.
VALUABLE ENGINE PLANS AND PATTERNS
BURNED. INCLUDING THOSE OF THE
BATTLE-sHIP MAINE-FIREMEN MADE
GALLANT FIGHT AND SAVED THE

BATTLE-sHIP MAINE-FIREMEN MADE
A GALLANT FIGHT. AND SAVED THE
FOUNDRY AND BOILER-sHOP.
In a mountain Of flame that illuminated the
sky for miles and drew thousands OF spectators
10 the scene the big machine shop Of the steam
engineering department in the Brooklyn Navy
Yard was burned to the ground early last even
ing The destruction was complete. Nothing OF
any value was saved, and the building Which
was an immense affair and was the prlncipa
machine shop Of the Navy Yard, is to-day
mass Of smouldering embers. inclosed by rev
portions Of brick wall that still stand as naked
reminders Of what the building was.
Resides much valuable machinery a large
number Of patterns OF engines Of men n-of-war
were destroyed that cannot be replaced. Among
these we're the only patterns in existence OF the
engines Of the battle-shp Maine, and 1t was a
singular coincidence that exactly one year ago
on the night Of February II. 1S9N-the Maine
herself was blown to pieces in Havana Haroor'
while yesterday the keel Of the new Maine
was laid in Cramps's shipyard. Thus the IA
nous batte-ship IS now entirely relegated 10
the past. with not even her patterns left and
with her final oblteratlOn a new Maine steps
into her place.
Patterns for the Chicago. the Raleigh the AL
lanta and the Cincinnati and many Of the older
ships Of the Navy, besides vast number OF
valuable drawings were also destroyed and can
not be duplicated
The loss IN figures is estimated at S1OOOOOO,
Of which $35O.0O0 went in the building ana
100000 in the machinery
II was almost a miracle that the fire did not
spread. and it was due only to the fierce fight
foundry.
which was not more than thirty or forty feet
away. and the boiler-shop which adjoined the
machine shop. did not also go
If the foundry had caught IT would have caused
much more damage as it was filled with wood
on models and the fremen said the flames
would surely have reached from IT across Flush
ine-ave.. and that giant conhagration among
the small houses near the Navy Yard would
have followed As it was all the outside wood
work on the foundry was blackened and
charred In spite Of the constant deuge it re-
ceived from the hose
SENTRY TRIED TO PIT 1T OUT.
The cause Of the fire is unknown. It was dis
covered about 6:15 o'clock last evening by
sentrv. and at that time was such a trivial af-
fair that the sentry tried to put 1t out himself.
He found a small blaze on the second floor of
for some water. but could find none and so
turned in an alarm. Fifteen minutes before, the
last two men to leave the building of the hve
hundred who are employed in it locked the doors
and left everything all right. they supposed
Their names are Sullivan and Hemphil' and
they both aver that there was not suspicion or
a fame when they left the shop.
"rrRr QUARTERS" or THE MASSACHUSETTS
The gentry who discovered the fire had
hardly turned in his alarm when the quarter
master Of the battle-ship Massachusetts, whch
is in drydock 30. 3. noticed smoke coming rom
the shop He reported the fact 20 Lieutenant
MfUigan. and Fire quarters" was sounded
without delay The sailors are constantly
trained for such emergency ana III
a few minutes the jackies started tor the ou""-
ing under command of Lieutenant MlIlisan'
The marines of the ship accompanied then'
and they we're joined by the fire corps oi tue
marines under Colonel huntington anu LIZ"
tenant Doherty. Hydrants We're uhloosr"' anu @
hose attached and the sailors ana Hai%IneS % t ye
a4n the fight like veteran hrelheH. b",
fire had gained sudden ana Tremendous
,,..,, and even the engines of the city tlir
DEPARTMENT. which soon came fuSnlHS Ill., ~"
do nothing Alarm after alarm was sent IN
until with the fourth twelve ire em5''S M ne
trucks and the hreboat Seth Low were OF 1HI
eooue The engines had no trouble IN seIuHS
through the snow. and they plunged lHlo tu
Navy Yard i'm quick succession throuEn IT, ~
tba Trlushing-ave and Sands-st. entrances. H'
hurning building was just inside the east gaze
which leads into Fushing-aNe.
As soon as the hremen came IN force thg
iacLies ,, no were pretty well used up. retrel
i'm their favor but continued 10 lend name
whom needed. BY o'clock the names ehNe,uPeu
tho entire western end of the building. IheL
er,,r, mn through the stairways and eastward
and out of the windows with Irresistible IorcH'
and the fremen soon realized that the building
was doomed.
FIREMAN SLIGHTLY INJURED
A. 100 o'clock the roof fell in with deafen-
ing crash. and shower Of sparks went up
rhon mart Of the northern wall came down. and
,,.,tb II the telephone wires iu front Of the
buidine. and two or three telephone poles
fireman named Michael Lynch. OF Engine CON-
ranv No. TO- received confusion OF tl' I,AI
knee from the flying bricks he was attenueu
L, an ambulance doctor from the brooklyn
homeopathic Hospital, but insisted on return
ing to work At about 40 o'clock the eastern
wall which had been sWayihs on'"aiu a,, ,lari,. a1p
and more toppled over with crash, and nearly
hurled a group Of hremen who had been th'o"-
ing water on it, No one was hurt. however
BIG CROWDS ASSEMBLED.
The Navy Yard was by this time surrounded
with crowds from all over the city. and extra
scntrtos were stationed at all the entrances
,,bo admitted no one except fremen and report
.ors Within the walls the fremen had aban-
doned the machine shop 10 Its rate ana turned
their attention To the foundry. Engine no.
,,as etuck I'm the snow directly in front Of the
building but hose was dragged around from
the other engines and thu building received
steady drenching The boiler shop on the other
side of the machine shop was also Kept "et'
and was saved with the foundry
HOW SAILORS HANDLED AN ENGINE
At $50. when the burning building had crum-
bed almost to pieces. an order was given oy
nm officer and on the instant some sixty or seV-
enty jackes ran with shout toward Engine
No O. They rlgged rope to H. and then with
a ..Yo no hoi and many hreathless laugh
= hoy dragged the engine. which the horses could
NOT bulge. ont Of the .nowdrift with a rush. In
their enthusiasm they Jumped 1t through the
gate. and almost punctured passing carr IN