New-York tribune., 1901-02-01


est manufacturers or cigar boxes. labels and
ribbons in this country. at Thirty-frst-st. and
First-ave.. and the annex of the factory. with
frontage in Thirty-second-st-, just east of First
ave- were destroyed by fire last night The
annex building was Nos. 404. 400 and 4OS East
Thrty-second-st., and was occupied by a num-
Der OF firms. The factory building proper was
No. 401 to 419 East Thirty-hrst-st 1t was
connected with the annex by an iron bridge,
and in the court between the buildings was the
tall chimney Of the engine house Of the Wicke
company
Not only was the property destroyed but the
fire did considerable damage to a lumber
yard east Of the premises. five three story
tenement houses. No 522 to $50 First-ave:
three five story tenement houses just north of
the factory building proper. and two lumber
yards in the rear of the tenement houses No.
522 to $50 First-ave. The total loss was estf-
mated high as S1.25OOOO
One fireman was seriously hurt. two sick per-
sons in tenement houses near the factory were
overcome by excitement and were taken to
Bellevue Hospital. horse attached to fire
engine was injured and had TO be shot. and
business man. who is said to be staying at the
WaldOrf-Astoria. was found lying unconscious
in the street. He was revived by an ambulance
surgeon. 70 whom he said that he was Arthur
Herbst. OF the Astor Manufacturing Company.
of Chicago and that he was staying at the
WaldOrf-AstOria. In trying TO get past the
fire lines he was beaten, he said. over the head
with club by policeman.
THE INJURED.
ankles broken: .aken to Belevue Hospital
HERBST. Arthur. Of the Atlas Manufacturing Company.
beea 6it oven a head %s6 club B BY poiiceman "
MCCONNELL. Mrs. Sarah. OF No. 52s First ave. was
sick In bed and became hysteriea taken to Bellevue
MORGAN, John. invalid. Of No. S41 First ave: be-
@aR Gan' h'''e''i carried out Of MS nome 0y police
BY explosion in the engine house Of the
Wicke Company in the afternoon two persons
We're seriously hurt and a score Of persons
slightly injured. TIE explosion badly damaged
the engine house and blew out many Of the
windows of the building. and Of those in houses
within two blocks of the building.
FINE EXHIBITION OF BRAVERY.
A remarkable exhibition Of bravery was given
by fremen at the blaze last night While walls
were shaking and flames coming out Of all sides
OF the Wicke factory building, they stood at
their post playing streams of water upon the
burning structures until they were driven away
b. tongues % flame that seemed at sne time to
envelope them AS they staggered toward the
avenue they we're so weak that they appeared
again they deserted one of the engines partly
buried by bricks and irreparably damaged. and
a water tower partly wrecked
How the fire started will probably remain
mystery IL broke out soon after o'clock last
night. several hours after the fremen who had
responded TO the alarm for the fire resulting
from the explosion in the engine house in the
afternoon had gone home Several reports as
to the cause were heard One was that tn
chimney Of the engine house collapsed about .
o'clock ard that part Of il tore through the
engine house and caused another boiler ex-
pIosion This report. it learned. was un-
founded. Another was that the fire was caused
by spontaneous combustion in the dust near
the machines where the cigar boxes were made.
The explosion early in the day cracked the large
chimney and. men from the Buildings Depart
ment went to the factory soon after IL was dam
aged to tear il down. as it was thought that II
would fall at any moment Superintendent
Dooner, of the buildings Department. had charge
of the men He and five helpers were trying to
raze the chimney at o'clock last night. They
were on the roof Of the Wicke factory building.
They had placed rope around the top Of the
chimney and were about TO place another. when
Dooner saw smoke coming from the first floor OF
the building He looked TO see what caused the
smoke. and saw flames leaping out Of a window
Of the first floor He shouted to the men to
get to the street as quickly as possible. as the
building was on fire. and told them that the
best way to get down was by the fire escapes
on the east side OF the building.
CLIMBED DOWN LADDERS.
In nny the men were climbing down the
ladders. and in a few minutes they reached the
street and were out of danger An alarm was
at once sent in. The first engine companies to
reach the scene were Engine Company No. 81,
whose house Is In East Forty -iTst-st. and Hook
and Ladder No. = There was hydrant near
the main entrance to the factory. and the men
of Hook and Ladder No. Z and Engine Com
pany No. ii soon had hose connected and
the engine working. and ladders up on the
Thirty-first-st side Of the building
When they got to the building big clouds of
smoke and flames were issuing from door
leading into the basement Captain Rowan of
the engine company saw that the fire threatened
70 do serious damage and sent in a third alarm
The heat from the blaze even then intense
1, rbirtv-drst-st and within five minutes after
tho Aremen arrived fourth and fifth alarm
r,sra sounded When Chief Croker appeared
the alarm two mines was sent in This
hro,gb+ all the companies that would re-
snond TO a third alarm turned in at HOuston-st
and broadway. Owing to the slippery condi-
tion of the streets the fremen were somewhat
delayed.
been blown out by the explosion in the after
noon the blaze in the basement was quickly
canned into raging flames by the many draughts.
About five minutes after it was discovered it
had spread TO nearly every part OF the building.
and volumes Of sparks were soaring high above
the building and falling upon many near by
structures The heat from the blaze became
avsrv moment more unbearable To add to the