The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-02-01
GOTHAM GETS
A SCORCH|NC
LOSS WILL RUN INTO THE
MILLIONS.
MANY NARROW ESCAPES
Terrific Heat Forces Firemen to
Run for Their Lives and
Abandon Apparatus.

New York, Jan. 31-The seven story
factory of the William Wicke COM
pany, manufac turers of cigar boxes,
labels and ribbons, at 415 to 419 East
Thirty-first street was shaken up by an
explosion in the shaving tower"
which wrecked the tower and demol-
ished the roof of the engine house.
The explosion is believed to have been
caused by gas which found it's way into
the "tower."
The force of the explosion was tre-
mendous. The disintegrated brick
work fell upon the roof, crushing it,
and the concussion of the explosion
cracked the big smokestack, 100 feet
high, that lowered over the engine
room.
Nearly 800 persons were at work in
the factory at the time Of the explo-
sion, of whom $50 we're women. A
panic ensued, but only two persons
were seriously injured.
The loss caused by the explosion
amounted to several hundred dollars.
A fire that did damage to the extent
of 81, 500, 900 started anew in the Will
liam Wicke company building tonight.
Half an hour after the first alarm was
sent i'll the entire building, extending
half the length of the block in Thirty
first street to East river, was mass
of flames, and the firemen who re-
sponded to various alarms had ceased
trying to save the building, but had
turned all their attention to the ad-
joining structures.
How the fire started is not known,
further than that it was result Of the
explosion in the boiler room in the
afternoon.
At the time the fire started Super
intendent Dooner Of the building de-
partment, and Contractor Conroy, who
has annual contracts for removing the
wreckage of burned buildings, were
at work with 80 men attempting to
pull down the shaving tower adjacent
to the boiler room, in which the explo-
sion in the afternoon occurred. The
tearing down of this tower is thought
to have been responsible for the start
OI Gu0 S0COuu 1lf6. =
The ruins of the tower fell into
the ruins of the boiler room and on
top of adjacent buildings, in which
there were stored chemicals for the
purpose of seasoning woods, thus
causing a second explosion. The
smouldering embers from the late fire
added to this and in a moment there
was huge blaze.
The men of Engine Company 16,
who had been left on duty and had
put out a "watch line,'' were at work
at the time the fire started.
Four alarms We're turned in within
Is minutes. Chief Croker soon ar
rived and sent in fifth alarm. A
minute later he sent in the alarm
known as the 1.-TWO nines," the first
time this alarm has been used since
the Nassau Chambers building fire in
1898. The final call brought all the
engines, hook and ladder companies,
tenders, water towers and search
lights between Leonard street on the
south and Eighty-fifth street on the
north, $40 III all.
Roundsman Quinn and Sergeant
Hauptman, who was promoted for
bravery at the Windsor hotel fire, were
in command of squad of 10 men at
the scene when the fire started.
They at once saw that the Woke
building was doomed and turned their
attention to the tenement house at 464
East Thirty-firs street, directly op-
posite the burning factory. This is a
five story tenement occ,Srsied by %
families of Italians ano Germans.
The police succeeded u.o9e INJECTING all
The fire in the meantime had spread
with the greatest rapidity through
! the entire plant of the Wicke company.
The fire leaped over Thirty first street
and First avenue was in flames in no
time. By this time the blaze had eaten
it's way into the building in the rear
and facing on Thirty second street,
the top floor of which was occupied
by the same company.
About this time the police saw that
/ the tenement on the west corner Of
First avenue and Thirty-firs street
was doomed. They turned their at
tention to getting out the people who
were there. A policeman carried out
Mrs. Sarah Mcdonald, who lives on
the second floor and who had given
birth to babe only few days ago.
Engine company 81, which had at
tached lines of hose to the hydrant at
the corner and almost underneath the
walls Of the burning factory, was seen
! to be- in dangerous position. The