New-York tribune., 1901-02-01
FIRE DEVASTATES A BIG AREA.
TWO FACTORIES. THREE LUMBER YARDS AND SEVERAL
TENEMENT HOUSES SUFFER-


4
lumber yards of the Buckout and Wicke com
panies in the rear of the three five story tene-
ment houses in First-ave.. between Thirty-hrst
/ and Thirtieth sts
| GAS TANKS THREATENED.
For some time the flames threatened to reach
| the gas tanks at Thirty -second-st. and the East
/ River. The iremen afraid that even II
| the fire did not get to the tanks the heat might
! cause them to explode. and for the first time in
years an order was issued not to allow any one
| within two streets of the fire This order was
/ a sweeping one. and affected even newspaper
/ men and the representatives OF the Insurance
| companies In order to prevent a possible ex-
/ plosion the employees of the gasworks let out the
gas in the tank nearest the fire into another
! tank, and then turned the gas from these two
1 tanks into third near Thirty-third-st. and the
\ river.
Before the tanks were threatened. the arenen
fighting the blaze on the Thirty -1rst-st side of
| the factory building were in danger of being
| killed by falling walls by the flames.
/ score or more men were standing in this street.
| within few feet of the building Some were
4 operating Water Tower No. 3. and the others
were either on ladders attending TO the hose
lines Of Engine Company No. II.
| FIREMEN SUFFER INTENSELY.
| on one of the ladders was Joseph CoyIe. OF
Truck No u. So quickly did the flames spread
4 that the f1remen did not wait to unhitch the
| three horses attached to Engine No 21. Most
OF the fremen were then almost ready to drop
where they stood owing to the intensity OF the
| heat from the blaze. The horses were prancing
/ about. The fremen gave no signs of wavertug.
\ however until a column Of smoke rolled down
l upon them and shut them from the view OF the
/ spectators for several minutes. When the
smoke cleared away tongues of flame shot out
/ from the lower windows and some Of the upper
| ones. The ladder %. which Coyle stood caught
i fire and swayed. throwing Coyle to the street.
/ Some of his comrades picked him up and car
ried him to a safe place. He was later taken to
Bellevue Hospital where ne was found to have
4 received fracture of both ankles
1 As he was being carried away back draught
/ almost knocked the fremen in the street down.
\ Some of them. hatless turned toward the ave
| nue. and walked Tor some time in a dazed con-
| dition. Others. frenzied with pain. ran toward
J the avenue. Among the men in the street at
| that time were Captain Roam. Barney Con
| lin. John Flynn and John Gillespie Of Engine
| No. n To stand at their post a few minutes
| longer was almost certain death, but they could
not fOrsake the horses attached TO the engine
( OF the company. Several staggered toward the
| animals and Ioosed the traces II was then seen
] that one of the horses was weak from the heat
and smoke The shouted at the animals
Il and beat them with broken trace
| Two of the horses started to run to the ave-
nue., dragging along the weak animal Near the
| avenue was a post. and the horses ran into ii
and We're caught The sick horse fell at the
/ post and his mates. in their efforts to escape
| from the scorching heat. dragged him against
| the post and inro the avenue. The injured ami
| NAL had to be shot
/ Soon after the horses got clear of the post
part Of the wall on the Thirty-rst-st side OF the
| building fell and wrecked Engine No. 81 and
| the water tower.
| The scene around the fire indescribabls.
| Thousands of people gathered in all the nearby
streets in an incredibly short time. and kept the
three hundred and fifty policemen hard al work
| keeping the fire lines clear.
| The fire was the most spectacular that New
/ York has ever seen. according to old in the
| Fire Department service The flames leaped
hundreds of feet into the air, and there were
few points in the entire borough Of Manhat-
tan from which the blaze cOulC not be seen.
For blocks away from the fire the flames made
is so light that papers could be read with ease
| Chief Croker when seen after the worst OF
the fire was over, said that it was the hottest
| he had seen in this city for years. He said the
flames had burned with almost incalcuIable
rapidity, and that within thirty minutes after
the blaze was discovered the main building
a wreck. and nothing left but portion OF the
walls.
Captain Delaney said the crowd that surged
about in an attempt to set within seeing dis
tance Of the fire was the worst he had ever en-
countered
Chief Croker said that the fire was the hottest
he had ever experienced In First-ave.. on both
sides Of the street. from Th'rty-hrst-st- south
10 Twenty-ninth-st., window panes were cracked
and melted by the intense heat, and for cor
responding distance nOrthward-
A cab driven by an empIoye Of Bellevue Hos
pitaI was allowed TO go through the fire lines
bv a policeman II was stopped by Chief
Croker who wanted TO know who was in it. He
was told that a person suffering with smallpox
and a physician were I'm it, and were hurrytng
20 the hospital where smallpox patients are re-
cefved He ordered the driver 70 turn into one
Of the cross streets. and not continue up the
avenue.
The occupants Of the buildings Nos. 404 90d
and 4OS East Thirty-second-st were the J. B.
Colt Company. manufacturers of gas tanks:
Miller. Dubrue & Peters. cigar molds the In
novation Trunk Company and the wicke com
pany.
Chief Croker. speaking about the cause Of ne
fire. said:
a lighted candle into vault As he left
the vault there was an explosion in it, There
must have been chemicals in the vault"
At 1 O'Clock this morning Chief Croker said
that he thought the loss was about 81, 100000
The fire was said TO be safely controlled at
o'clock this morning Firemen were playing
many streams il from all points, and said
crowd was still large at that hour and IL was
plain that many meant 10 make a night OF IT,