New-York tribune., 1901-01-26
A BIG DRUG STORE BURNED
PROPERTY VALUED At MORE THAN
S20O,0OO DESTROYED-FIREA WILL
PROBABLY DIE FROM INJURIES.

Property said to he worth more than 5000. .OOO
was destroyed last night by fire which broke
out in the basement of the four-story brick
building at No lbs William-st. occupied by the
wholesale drug firm of Lehn & Fink. The build
ing and It's contents were practically destroyed
The firm of Thurston & BraidiCh occupying the
building at No 40 Wiam-st. which adjoins
the other on the north. dealers in gums vanilla
and general drugs will lose about $500 chiefly
from damage by water. The building i'm which
the fire started is owned by Mrs. Thompson.
who lives in Paris 1t old building, and
her loss is placed at $25OOO
The business conducted in the firm name of
Lehn & Fink has for fifteen years been owned
by Albert and Joseph T.aut. of No. % East Sew
enty-sixth and No I3 East Ninety-second SITS.
respectively, and by Henry Merz. of Newark.
~ j.. and Julius Robertson. special partners for
100000 each, The partnership is to terminate
April 30, 1903
While fighting the fire Fireman David O'COr-
nell twenty-seven years old of Engine No 6.
fell from the roof of the two story extension of
the building at No 126 William-st He was
carried unconscious to the west side of William
st. There. in a sheltered doorway. Chaplain
Smith. OF the department, administered the last
rites of the Roman Catholic Church. as it was
believed the man fatally injured Fifty po-
licemen stood reverently by, with their helmets
Hudson Street Hospital His left arm was
broken. He had also sustained dangerous in
juries internally
John Eercks. of the employees of Lehn K
Fink. was overcome by smoke in the basement
while fighting the fire with chemicals He was
carried out and revived quickly.
Albert Plaut the senior member of the firm.
placed his firms loss at from $1IOND to 5000
600. and said it was fully covered by insurance.
Mr. Plaut said the firm had been about ready
to move into its new nine story building at No.
l-oN lllam-st. The removal would probably have
been mace this week next.
The fire was discovered at 5:JI p. m. Most Of
the / 10 men employed in the building We're get
ting ready TO go home. one OF the men went
INTO the basement for something, and moment
later he rushed up. shouting that the place was
on FIRE. Mr.. Paut and dozen OF his men seized
the chemical cNtinguishers and down. They
made no progress. and the men We're ordered out
OF the building. y policeman sent in alarm.
The ttremen sent three more alarms The po-
lice reserves were called from several stations
because of the experience at the fire and ex-
pIosion i'm the Tarrant & Co. building some
months ago battalion Chief Kruger ordered the
police 20 clear all the surrounding streets for "A
block or more on every side
The hremen put water tower in front of the
building, and 1t threw deluge into the fourth
floor Despite this the fire burned tiercely and
hundred iremen from surrounding roofs kept
the fire from reaching adjoining buildings
\ peculiar feature of the fire was the destruC-
tIon OF thousands of dollars worth of perfumes.
As the fire struck these goods the bottles broke
and their contents. made largely of alcohol,
burned hercely. So strong this perfume
FOR short time that il neutTaliZed the odOr of
and smoke in William-st.
Mr.. Piaut said the fremen's apprehensions OF
an explosion had little foundation, as the crude
oil potash and alcohol which might have blown
up were stored In the rear OF the building. and
not In the basement.
It took two hours or more to get the fire under
control