New-York tribune., 1900-04-10
-FOUR BLOCKS IN RUINS.
FIRE DESTROYS NEARLY A HALF MILL
ION OF PROPERTY.
TY-TwO COMPANIES FIGHT THE
FLAMES SEVEN HUNDRED
MEN OUT OF WORK

-Four blocks in the manufacturing district of
she Seventeenth Ward % Brooklyn, within
,ort distance of the Newtown Greek Bridge.
sra sraouldering ruins Property valued at
nearly $4,000 is destroyed. Seven hundred
,an have been thrown out Of work The fire
-b,ch swept this district burned the buildings
:, the triangular piece Of s5round bounded by
paidge-ave.. Dupont-st and Oakland-st, and
,-,ad down also some OF the buildings along
Oakand-st toward >e"to"h NIeeh' oiiiS d
block away.
The fire started at 80 a. m. yesterday. For
,o,.ora, hours au Greenpoint was threatened.
Alarm after alarm sent out. and thirtytwo
oo,,,,,a MES responded. This said TO be the
,.reast number OF companies called TO
ere in Brooklyn. Engines came to the fire from
al directions Some were from Red Hook Flat
t,,sb and East New-York, and No. 101 came
.ror, Fourth-ave. and Fifty-second-st., in South
FrooBlyn Every engine company in Brooklyn
,ras moved as those from the outlying districts
,ere sent in 10 cover the territory left
protected
So serious was the prospect of the fire spread
,,e over q wide territory that Chief Croker. who
he5 whirled 10 the scene Of the fire in his auto
,,oble. ordered several Manhattan companies
.o On 20 the fire There were engines, too. from
1ong Island City. The hreboats Van Wyck,
r,a,.,d A Boody and Seth Low steamed TO the
r.ena as soon as the seriousness OF the situation
was realized
ESTIMATES OF THE LOSSES.
The following estimates of the losses result
ing. from the fire are based on the statements
Of those who lost:
Post & McCord. iron founders and pattern
makers, Paidge-ave. and Dupont-st-; loss between
BrooRlyn Sy oil Works. Oakland and Ash SITS;
M Plpfg Go wqos Yoss agS ao5 paint works
A J J. j, Mccullon, coal yard, Paidge-ave
5s@seH ssa2 sSsS aHs s5 9skaHG es
F5f E6WaPd G smith box manufactory, Oakland
as FsAs4a s St smith G aa SoT56 carolina Pine
Der Company; losses OF two combined slz9'"" OF
The police estimate the losses al about $500
BOO. but il was commonly declared at the scene
Of the fire yesterday afternoon that the total
loss would reach 100000 when a careful esti-
mate had been made.
The fire started in the stables Of Edward Z
Smiths box factory. The cause is unknown
The first alarm sent in by Charles Bauman.
night starter Of the crosstown branch of the
Ra1!d Transit system. who was arranging the
cars for the morning start. The first engine on
the scene was No. 10 from India-st
While the fire was burning the strong wind
veered and the pier OF the Church company, on
Newtown Creek. was destroyed. also frame
structure containing chemicals and coal. lmme-
diately adjoining this bullclng were the OH NIX
ers Of the Brooklyn Oil Works, owned by the
Standard Oil Company. A slight spark would
have set this combustible fluid into mass Of
flames. The employees, seeing the danger, hur-
riedy pumped the eli back into the stills a
block away.
NO ONE WAS INJURED.
No one was injured at the fire, but there were
exciting incidents While some of the members
Of Engine Company No, 121 were fighting the
flames il Smiths box factory from beneath
shed hundred feet long and Weighing several
tons Assistant Chief John Perry noticed the
walls OF the factory building waver, and he
called TO the men to come out from under the
shed Just the men got 10 the opposite side
Of the street the brick walls Of the building col
lapsed smashing the shed and pitching it into
the middle Of the street.
In the Office OF the McCullom Brothers was a
safe containing bonds and mortgages valued at
about $3.50 900. When the safe opened after
aka Slsnna.ared that he SeclrirleE had