New-York tribune., 1900-12-12
PROSPECT HALL BURNED.
FLAMES LEAVE THE WALLS UNSAFE
AND THEIR REMOVAL is
BEGUN AT ONCE.

Prospect Hall. in Prospect-ave. between kifth
and sixth aves., Brooklyn. was destroyed oy nre
early Yesterday morning. at loss OF ABOUT SSuev"'
II was the largest assembly hall in South BFeok-
1,n and seated about three thousand people. The
fire IS supposed to have been starbed oy hsh'eu
cigar or cigarette. which may have oeeh tnro"h
on the floor of dressing room at the smoker Oh
the Knights of Columbus. held there on MONDAY
night
three thousand members of the order were at
the meeting and it is said that it was a1ter s;so
O'Clock yesterday morning before they hau "
gone Soon afterward the fire was discoveries oy
Mr.. Quinn, the watchman, who hurried 70 'no
house next door and informed William hohe' 'ie
manager Of the place. The latter dressed 'i,nseii
hastily and running to the hail. trleo III NaIn -
stop the blaze with tine fire extinSulshers iNo, .
man McNulty Of the FortyfOurth precinct sHselleu
smoke in Fiftn-ave and turned in an alarm A
second alarm was sent in while the hrerneh We're
on the way. and Battalion Chief Murray OH ni'
arrival sent in third and fourth aarn. P"e
Chief Dale took charge Of the two hundreu hre-
men.
The hydrant in front of Prospect Han was out
of order and engines were sent along Flrth ana
sixth aves and Sixteenth and seventeenth sts'
for water. The entire west side OF the nulloihs
Was then burning. Water froze on the ruooef
coats and helmets Of the fremen. ana soon the
street was covered with sheetins OF zee III
sixteenth-st. IN the rear OF Prospect thaH' 'iio Ia
mates of a number of wooden tenement anu i1't"e
houses were aroused by the police, ana hurrleu
into the street some of them scantily clad-
dozen horses in a stable in Fifth-ave. were niihu-
folded and led out to place OF safety'
The fremen had hard work on account OF lhe
light water pressure, and even when two engines
bsd been nut on each line of hose 1t was dinheult
10 force the water up to the lever OF tne sSc0hu
foor THE fire blazed fercely that the puiIuIhs
US soon burned out This is SAID 10 nave DeeL.
dine TO the fact that all the woodwork Wds oL
Georefa pine st. Johns German Lutheran
CbUreh in Sixteenth-st., three doors away was IN
GREAT danger but was saved
PTospecT RaI four story brick structure, Wa was
hi1iIt in ,Ssl at a cost, il is said, OF S5zO
ing the fixtures and all the interior nLIlhss. II
rs is5 feet in depth extending back to SixIeentn-
81 and had a frontage in PrOspect-aVe. OF % Ieet
BESIDES four large bowling alleys, there We're q
shooting gallery, theatre hall ana seVSIaI lOuSe
roons The barroom. on the first moor 'front.', Wds
proba DIV the largest in Brooklyn. Inere was also
a summer roof garden and a large OaLooini, s,o.
Among the societies which met IN me me ouiotis az tb
were two lodges OF Odd Fellows a Ioqge o1 @ Ile
Knights OF Columbus and the BROOKLYN fSlae SOar P
pany All the costumes, properties anu P PaL kStb
naia of these organizations were desUoSeu VII"
John Koiye, the owner Of Prospect Hall whose whose
son William was the manager, teH III q SMooL s
from excitement hearing OF the ueSuuGIIon - -.
the building 1t said yesterday lndt ne We. We
insured for only S150000, half the value OF te
ing Building Commissioner GullfoylS Nlslle1 W
scene of the fire early yesterday. ana ulluer nls
orders the work of tearing down the Wais, winch
were in IN unsafe condition, was begun at chCS