The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-13
3 DEAD; 7 HURT; 4 MISSING.
FATAL PIRE IN WILLIAAsBUR6
-WxIDHANN C00PERAGE BURyED.

-WEIDSANE C00PERAGE BURNED.
Scramble tor Life n . Pesr-stsry Building
-Fiames Ciinb % . Chsss - Through .
Chiunsy-seversi Men Tryiss - Escape
suAe Dow. This Chute lsts the rrs-vire-
nea save Three Big Gss Heldsrs Frsa
Exploding Victims Dvsp Prsn Windows.
The weidmann Cooperase. on wythe avenue.
between North Eleventh and North Twelfth
streets. williamsburg, was destroyed by Ore
last evening. The Are started at few minutes
before q, just as the men were washing up BE-
fore quitting. About one hundred andtyenty-
Ave men we're in the building Three OF them.
At midnight last night. were known to
be dead A fireman vas st the point OF
death. Seven other workmen were IN the
hospitals with severe injuries ana four were
missing from their homes, People who reached
the FIRE before the frst company Of hrsmsn q.
rived are sure that there are many bodies IN the
ruins. because they say they sav man after
Wln run to the dame-lit. Window and fau oad9
into the building. There never was . big hrs
that did not give rss to such stories. but the
nremen said that Il would not surprise them 70
ind that there was some truth IN them this
time.
The IRE spread % fast that almost anything
in the way Of loss Of life was possible. The
factory WIS a four story brick building thai
ran clear through the middle Of the block from
Eleventh 10 Twelfth streets. On the Wythe
avenue side Of IL was . low one-story building
used Is q store room for shocks and for finished
sugar barrelA On the Twelfth street side Of
the building were several lean-to sheds used
for storage purposes. The eastern side OF the
lot was occupied BY three tanks Of the Brook.
Ign Union Gas Company. They were full Of
gas. There were also three dwelling houses on
Eleventh street below the factory. The factory
itsel was not particularly substantial In 10
architecture. II wa peculiarly adapted to
spreading FIRE In that II had q chute which ran
from the third door to the bottom Of the build
ing, through which finished barrels were shd to
the ground noor. The fire started near the
chute on the bottom floor and the flames shot
up the chute Is though Il had been . chimney
made for Just that purpose. There were Ore
escapes OH the front Of the building.
Most Of the men and boys on the nrst door
got out. some Of those on the second floor
were burned a little. The names on the lists Of
IL huicu, u hitsoih8 " "a hoh
on the third floor.
up through the chute. but some Of them
thought that It was only smoke and that the
chute offered them . quicker way Of get
ting down than the crowded stairway
or the precarious frs-escaps. and they
jumped into the chute. They slid right into
the fire. Every one Of these was badly
burned. One man. August Benedict OF 81 StagG
street ran TO the chute and heard the yslk Of
fear and pain Of those whom he had already
seen jump into It Though he had already
climbed in and was holding himself up for Q mo-
ment before taking the slide. the heat rising
from beneath satisfied him that the chute was no
safe way Of escape. He pulled himself out to the
floor again. But even his time the flames
had caught him and bad burned
clothing from the lower part Of bis body. Some
of he man at the windows making their way
to the Gre escaped called him 70 JOIN them. In
his pain and fright he became confused and
went up to the roof. The fireman on the roof
Of the storehouss sav him there and put
up q adder, He had tainted and was lying
helpless on the roof whom they finally reached
iIfell with . great noice. He was taken 70
the Eastern District Hospital and died there at
5 o'ciock.
those who got % quite upharmed. told this
story Of his experiences. Il was on the fourth
floor changing my clothes when I saw the
Yelled Fire. That was ali wanted. / mads
then T. made on. more Jump 70 The
suit me. You know. there was . lpt OF Kids
working there setting up barrels and that sort
OF thing Then there was q lot Of OLD men. The
kid and the men we're all around the head
Of the stairs fighting Ike rats for Q chance 70 go
down. They were so Wild that when one fellow
did get a start down they'd reach out and pull
him back again. They were clean gone nutty.
SO l makes Just one more Jump. 10 the IRE
down.
The lam about the stairway continued until
many Of those who were nghtlns Tor a chance
there took to the windows on the east side Of the
building and jumped TO the roof OF the store
house. Foreman Cleary OF Engine lie caught
two OF those who Jumped In this way 'n his arms
any injury except such a. he suffered from
being burned while he was hanging from the
window sill before he dropped. The other.
John NJ. lockwood, the father OF the foreman
Of he factory. was 80 badly hurt that he died.
The fremen had no easy task before them in
keeping thu flames away from the gas tanks.
The first engine to reach the cooperase was
No. IL? from Mythe avenue and Eighth street,
Berry street and North Eleventh. a block TO the
east Of the factory. No. liz came up To Eleventh
street and was swinging east when one OF the fire
men standing on the tailboard saw the
flames coming from the windows OF the
cooperage The engine was whirled around
and sent flying down the street. Foreman
CIeary needed but one look TO convince
him that IL was no fire flor one single oat-
talon TO tackle, and he sent in a third alarm,
without going through theformality Of sending
first with a two minutes interval, every fire.
man kno VS. that something extraordinary has
happened. The apparatus fairly swarmed in the
vicinity for he next fifteen minutes. The David
A Boody and the Seth Low, the two rreboats,
pulled up TO the foot Of Eleventh street and
down to the river to meet them. Chief Perry,
who had charge OF the fire until the arrival II
Chief Dale. did not Tx the looks OF the big
gas tanks so clos 10 the roaring furnace into
which the cooperage was transformed
within half A. q hour Of the discovery
gas company to take its gas out Of the
tanks. Meanwh ile he set the streams
from the freboats playing on the sheet-iron
sides OF the tanss Over on the Twelfth street
side the Pratt oil people. who occupy the block
diaRonally opposite. deemed it advisable to do
overheatins the tank that was nearest
to tnem. They got out their own, ap-
paratus and kept the eastern side Of
that tank wet, At O'Clock the big gas holders
began "a 20 down, showing that the gas was
being Withdrawn, and Chief Dale sighed with
all settled down TO their lowest level.
and the greater danger was over II was
a considerable danger while " lasted. Tor the
explosion OF any one Of the tanks would have
meant the spread OF the fire TO the Pratt oil
tanks on the other side OF the street and
nrahahlv To the Ofhar ga funE. urki,k oil tha