New-York tribune., 1901-02-02
PROBABLE CAUSE OF FIRE
GAS FROM BROKEN PIPES THOUGHT To
HAVE STARTED 1T.
THREE PERSONS. TWO OF THEM POLICE
MEN, MISsING-SEARCH OF THE RUINS
INSURANCE ABOVE 81 g.oooooo


INSURANCE ABOVE 100000
An examination of the cause of the fire which
destroyed the big factory of the William Wick.
Company at First-ave. and Thirty-frst-st to-
gether with many neighboring tenement houses
and other buildings. on Thursday night. makes
it appear that the fire due TO boiler ex-
plosion to the ignition of chemicals as was
at first supposed The factory was pierced by
chutes. which led into the boiler room. Into
! these sawdust and shavings were famed and
carried into the boiler room, where they were put
| into furnace and consumed ii Is thought that
the first fire was due TO the sawdust and shaw
| ines getting caught in a blaze and then being
carried by back draught up through the
| chutes spreading sparks and flames through
the factory.
| This first fire occurred at PIP .. m. The cause
| of the second fire. which broke out at 7:15
O'Clock in the evening. Is it is said. be found
| in the careless manner in which the first fire was
| put out. 1t is believed that in quenching the
| first fire a number Of gaspipes in the factory
were severed. Gas escaped from these, and
coming in contact with some smouldering
| embers, was touched off into flame. and thus
set fire to the factory a second time.
| Deputy Fire Marshal De Malignon fnvesti-
| gated the ruins of the fire yesterday.
| Il was sent by Fire Marshal Seery," he said
Il
and 10 find out it's cause. if possible. My in
vestigation is almost completed. and shall soon
make a report
| The scene Of the fire a desoIate one yes
| terday. The only part of the factory standing
was a huge chimney. which had a number Of
| big seams in the side facing First-ave The
chimney was surrounded by the blackened walls
of the tenement houses. About twenty five men
were at work on the Thirty -second-st- side of
tha tie
ruins. looking for the body Of Patrolman Fitz-
patrick, which is supposed to be lying in that
spot. The fronts Of the houses in First-ave
We're covered with ice. and the fire escapes were
| thick with icicles that had formed from the
water poured on them on Thursday night. First
ave. was open 70 traffic. The streetcars ran
regularly after the early morning.
The men who were digging for the body OF
| PatrOIman Fitzpatrick had little doubt that
they would find it, Fitzpatrick, who at
tached the East Thirty -nfth-st. station.
sent to the scene of the fire by Captain Delaney
with three red lanterns He put the lanterns
in place and then stationed himself at the en-
| trance of the factory in order 20 guard IT, II Is
| likely that he was buried there by falling wall
or that he ran into the burning building with
| the hope Of saving lives. and perished there. His
brother and his wife watched the workmen for
! a while yesterday. They expressed themselves
as hopeless. Fitzpatrick lived at No. 112 East
| Fifty-fourth-st. He was born on April q. 1871.
| and was appointed to the police force March
IS 1896 He married, but had no children
| The other two persons who missing are
| Policeman Edward ]. Mullen and August
| Schwendeman Mullen was attached 70 the
East Fifty-frst-st. station. He was sent 70 the
fire and has not been heard from since. He was
a single man, twenty-six years old, and lived at
to the police force on September II. 1900 His
father visited the ruins yesterday. He was
heartbroken. Schwendeman was employed in
the factory. 1t is thought that he went into the
building in the progress OF the hre and thus
lost his life.
The exact amount OF insurance carried on the
factory and the tenement houses has not yet
been determined Figuring as closely as pos
sble. however. the amount will exceed $1,000
900. George A stanton & Co.. of No. 10 Cedar
St. the brokers through whom the insur-
ance was placed. representative OF the firm
| said yesterday that far could be reCkoned
$944 900 carried on the factory. and $4,000
on the tenement houses. Practically all the
principal companies are involved IN this in
surance. Some Of the largest policies are as
follows:
North British and ooo Continental $40 go go
German American 25060 Sun ............ 10000
4aT'eern Of LONDON Is @ 6naon an of and lnd2 Tanc OO
Fhenx Of Brookiyn 5000
The insurance loss is one Of the largest that
has occurred for some time.
Insurance men hinted yesterday that the ar
rest Of Otto ReideIe and Fritz SchOefele. the
| engineers IN the boiler room of the factory, by
| Captain Delaney was unwise, since 1t left the
boiler rooms in inexperienced hands at a critical
moment. They said that il the engineers could
have stayed TO put out the fires in the boilers
| the second fire might not have occurred The
! arrest of the engineers made no difference. how
ever If the cause of the fires set forth in the
| foregoing is correct.
For thing, IL is now almost certain that
there were ma chemicals in the building. Fire
Chief Croker said to Tribune reporter early
yesterday morning that as far he could learn
the fire had been caused by explosion Of
| chemicals When the Chief made this statement
the supposed true cause of the fire, and the most
probable one, had not yet been discovered