New-York tribune., 1901-01-27
CANDTWORTH $50. 600 BURNED
ELEVATED ANI5 SURFACE TRAFFIC. DE-
LAYED FOR. \ LONG TIME-OF
CIOUS INSPECTOR ANNOYS
PASSENGERS

stock Of candy valued at $4,000 de-
stroyed last evening by fire in the seven story
brick building at No. 419 West Broadway.
owned and occupied by Ode & Gerbereux. manu-
facturers of candy. The damage to the building
was estimated at $4,000
People riding in the elevated cars were de
rained an hour by the blocking of the trains
Tenements flled with people were emptied by
order OF the police. The surface cars were
stalled for about two hours. William j. Flynn.
a fireman. of Engine No so was overcome by
smoke. but returned to work.
No one knows the cause Of the fire which was
discovered on the third floor by Policeman Cros-
by. Mr. Gerbereux. who was in nearby cafe
with a friend became so excited that he tried
to rush into the burning building. but was re-
strained. The two hundred employees of the
firm had left at : o'clock. and at q. when the
fire started. no one was in the place
The fire broke through the great iron shutters
II, front. and was roaring loudly in a few min
utes \ crowd of fremen tried in vain TO raise
Water Tower No 3 The elevated structure
prevented it. They were then sent to the rear.
where the flames on all floors above the second
were threatening the five story factory of d.
Sichter & Co. underwear manufacturers at Nos
100 1O7. 100 and III Wooster-st Hard work
nv the fremen for two hours saved the building.
Firemen of Engines Nos. 80. and 13 and q.
working on the front fire escapes of the building.
suffered not little from the intense heat and
showers of broken glass Flynn was overcome
there and had to he carried down.
Firemen ran hose lines up the elevated road
structure and .siamesed' lines to send water
through one nozzle. This stopped the elevated
trains
The Sixth-ave. branch of the elevated railroad
was blocked for an hour or more Passengers
,tI,i1 tod
noyarce and inconvenience by what looked to
the ordinary observer like a case of wiIfuI mis-
p-anaeement After several trains had been
held M between the curve at SiXth-ave- and
Third-st and Beecker-st, persons on the traln
following instead of being informed of the de-
lay at Eighth-st.. where they could nave got
off and taken the surface lines, were hauled
down TO a point near the curve There the
men, at least-and the women. too, with little
heIp-could have reached the footpath and
walked back to the Eighth-st station. This
means of escape. however, not allowed TO
the passengers. many of whom were in hurry
~ catch trains or meet important engagements.
When some one proposed this solution of the
difficulty an inspector who was on the train
declared that il would he unsafe. and ordered
tho guards 10 let no one of. This palpably
absurd as no trains were moving on the north
hound track. Then the train was moved slowly
across the spur leading from SiXth-aVe- TO West
broadway and there the passengers were prac-
ticallv held captive, because there Is No foot
ma IN on that part of the line. Many of the sut-
ferers declared that the action of the superser-
viceabIe and ofiiciOus inspector was unwar-
ranted and unnecessary. The congestion was
relieved by switching trains to the uptown
track lust below Bleecker-st
No 421 West Broadway. next the burning
building is a two story frame building, owned
nv Frank Drummer. whose estate is in litigation.
The building has not been occupied for several
wears Ii was in danger, but the hremen saved
il. There are four tenement houses in the rear.
The peopIe in them rushed out with such 0f their
effects as they could gather
The. fire was declared to be under control at
quarter TO = O'Clock.