The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-01
NEW YORK'S Big FIRE
BOx FACTORY DESTROYED WITH
LOSS OF SI,0OO,OOO.
CROKER SOUNDED 1.-TWO sS."
CITY PEOPLES BAD WORK SET
THIS BUILDING OFF.

an Explosion In the Afternoon.
While Supt. DOoner and Contractor
Cody Were Pulling Down Tower
WrecISaGe Fell into Rooms stored
with Chemicals and Caused second
ExplOsion-Big Tenement Buildin y
Destroyed AIsO--Fifty-four Fire
Figh ting Machines Were on Hand.
New York. jan S1.--The seven-story
factory Of the William Wicke Company,
manufacturers of cigar boxes. labels and
ribbons. at 401 to 4l9 Thlrty-1rst street,
was shaken this att rnon by an explo ion
in the Shaving towe.," which W. eek d
the tower and demoli he'd the roof of the
enginehouse The ex plosion is attributed
to gas leaking into the tower"
Nea.ly eght hundred pc. sons, including
$50 women. were at work in the Iacto. y.
A panic ensued. but only two persons
were seriously injured.
Joseph Speidler. fireman, was badly cut
and bruised and may die. Emil Barshel,
a steam filter, was badly cut about the
head and shoulders. Both were sent to
Bellevue Hospital
A score or more were slightly hurt,
Otto Reidle, the chief engineer, who
was at lunch, was arrested. Fritz Scho-
field, the assistant engineer. who was in
the engine house, was also arrested. The
loss caused by the explosion amounted
to several thousand dollars.
Fire that did damage to the extent Of
81 100000 started anew in the William
Wieks Company's building tonight. In
a half hour the entire building, extend
ing half the length of the block in Thirty
first street to the river was a mass OF
flames and the firemen confined their
work to saving the adjacent structures.
A Second Explosion Caused.
Supt Dooner of the building department
and Contractor Cody. who has an annual
contract for removing wreckage of burn
ed buildings, were at work with thirty
men attempting TO pull down the wreck
ed shaving tower.
The ruins. OF the tower fell into the
ruins of the boiler room and into adsa
cent rooms in which were stored chem
icals for the seasoning Of woods. thus
causing a seeond explosion. Smoulderiug
embers from the late fire added TO this
and In moment there was a large blaze.
The men Of engine company l6. who had
been left on duty, and had put out q
watch line" were at work al the time
Four alarms were turned Ia within ht
teen minutes.
Chief Croker soon arrived and sent in
fifth alarm. A minute later he sent IN
the alarm known as 1.-TWO Mines" the
first time this alarm has been used since
the Nassau Chambers building fire in 1898
The final call brought fffty-four engines,
hook and ladder companies. tender and
water towers and searchlights.
The Wicke building was seen to be
doomed, and the men turned their atten-
ton to the tenement house at 464 East
Thirty-frst street. opposite the bul ming
factory. This is five-story tenement oc-
cupied by twenty-five families of Italians
and Germans. The police got them out
safely.
The fire spread with the greatest ra-
pidity throughout the entire plant of the
Wicke company.
The po ice then began saving people in
other tenement houses. Engine Company
81 was stationed almost underneath the
walls Of the burning factory. The fire.
men had been forced back by the heat.
The three white horses struggled hard
to escape from the burning heat and
some firemen threw overcoats over their
heads and ran in and cut the traces. The
horses plunged badly away. but became
entangled about a lamppost. Three fire.
men secured a lot of overcoats from
the crowd, cut the lines and started them
away.
TIE Wicke bu lIing meant me had bu n
ed to the ground. The walls had fallen
one by one, and there Cnly rem lined
standing the tig chimney n the south
wall. The build ng in It's rear was also
gutted and the II terror burned. 1t wAs
occupied by the Wicke Company, the In
novation Trunk Company, tn j. b. Cit
Company, man ia turers OF gas ia ks,
and by Miller, D4bal & Peters, maaufa =
turers of c.gar moulds. Fire man Coyle
had both ankles broken by a fall ng wall
Water tower No. 3 a-tlchsd to book and
ladder No. had to be abandoned en- ac-
count of the .heat and was quickly de-
az