New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-11
FLAMES WRECK BRIDGE.


To get close enough. Finally a ladder was
stretched and extended from Truck No. II, on
! the Delancey-st. pier, far out as it would
reach Then ropes were thrown to the men,
who climbed back up the steel frame some
twenty or thirty feet. and made the ropes fast
+ to the framework These were fastened to the
extended ladder and drawn taut. Then, between
! falling redhot bolts and sizzling planks' the
| fremen slid down this rope to the ladder and
crawled along that to the pier. They all got
down safely although they were burned by red
hot sparks When they reached the pier there
/ was a tremendous cheering.
THOUGHT THREE MEN LOST.
About this time James McKeon. of No. 434
| Wythe-ave., Brooklyn. a foreman for some Of
the cable constructing work at the Manhattan
end of the bridge told the police that four of
! his men had been at work on the top of the
| tower when the fire broke out. He said they
| were Daniel Brophy, of Montreal Canada. and
| his brother John, a laborer. known only as
Tom and A p Mcbride. of No. 434 Wythe-
! ave. Brooklyn He said they had been trying
/ to cut away the woodwork about the twelve
small 214 inch cables, when suddenly the frame
work on which they stood gave way: The two
Brophy brothers, he said, and Tom were
thrown into the river. while Mcbride, by
catching some projecting pieces of the steel
! framework managed to save himself.
McKeon said ne had been to the Brooklyn end
OF the bridge. and his way over to this
side, walking the foot bridge. when he met
MCbrlOe. VINO IOlQ MIN IHe STORY NChepl
went back when he learned the footbridge had
fallen at the Manhattan end. and came over
to this side on the Brooklyn Bridge
Up to midnight however, the police and the
life saving men, who were patrolling the river
in boats, had found no bodies and had no
further verihcation of the story.
While the firebCat ZOphar Mills was under
meath the bridge close up TO the tower. big
bolt fell and struck Fireman jeremiah Hag-
gerty, Of No 81 Vandewater-st. He was seri-
ously injured, and after treatment on the boat
by Ambulance Surgeon Mcdonald. who had
been taken out in rowboat. was taken to
Gouverneur Hospital His condition is said TO
be critical.
When the foot bridge fell the horses attached
TO Engine No. 10 ran away. breaking the hy-
drant connection. A number of planks and
heavy iron bolts fell where the team had stood.
The horses attached to the engine tender also
ran. Both teams were caught a couple of blocks
away. The team attached to Truck No. IL.
standing in Easiest, a hundred feet away from
the tower. were cut loose when the foot bridge
began 70 sway, and ran. The truck was almost
buried by the debris and the horses would GER
tainly have been killed had they been left there.
the hTemen barely got away in time.
After the fremen had been taken from the
tower Chief Engineer Kingsley Martin, OF Com
missioner Lindenthals department. appeared at
the scene. He became anxious as TO the safety
of the four big 1S1l inch cables. He said he
wanted TO go up and look after them.
We'll take you up said Battalion Chief
Guerin.
CHIEF ENGINEER MARTIN CLIMBS
BRIDGE.
SO With the battalion chief and fireman.
whose name was not learned. as escorts. Mr.
Martin began the perilous climb Of 355 feet up
the steel framework. The wooden stairway or
ladder had long since been burned away Up
the steel frame of the great tower the three
men started The big crowd stood back
breathless almost for minute. and then yell
ing itself hoarse with terrific cheers the next
The trio climbing the steel rods paid no atten-
ton 70 the crowd. but steadily mounted upward
the fremen carrying two axes.
fhpf hORi 7irrr
smaller and smaller. Finally they reached the
top. and were almost lost in the darkness
once on top the work OF cutting away the
woodwork that remained about the four big
main supporting and permanent cables was be-
gun under the direction OF Chief Engineer Mar-
Tin This work went on for some two hours.
At its end, and when they had done all that
could be done, the chief engineer and his escorts
started on the climb downward.
According TO Battalion Chief Guerin the frst
Of the four big cables known as Gable No l
was all right when he saw II last Gable No
had some strands the outside that were bad
~ warped and few that had parted He
could tell nothing about Gables Nos and
for the fire at its hottest at the point where
they crossed over their saddles and were fast
ened TO the steel tower
After the fremen had made their reports to
Chief Croker. he said:
Il am told that an engineer has bean N Tho
top OF the tower. He says that all Of the twelve
214-inch cables have parted and that some Of
the big supporting cables IN bad shape
there is grave danger OF at least one OF them
breaking In that case the danger is very
Chief Croker then ordered battalion chief
10 inform the police to stop all traffic up and
down the East River for the night He said
that 1t was too dangerous 10 allow river craft IN
pass up and down under the bridge cables
sTOREHOUsE Kisses INTO RIVER.
About o'clock the fire spread from the frame
work on top of the tower down TO the big store
house OF the Pennsylvania Steel Company, on
the platform from which the bridge promenade
Will start when completed. This storehouse was
10 feet from the water surface. The fireboat
Zophar Mills steamed up under this and turned
streams OF water into the storehouse. 1t had
about much effect on the fercely raging
flames as the stream from a squirt gun wouId
have on a gasOlene torch
The storehouse filed with tool chests
barrels OF oil and tar, and other stuff of the
most inhamnable nature In it were tons Of
potts, nuts and rivets. AS the storehouse burned
the moor gave way, and this mass of red and
white steel debris plunged with a steaming hiss
into the river. There We're two or three big
hosting derricks on the platform also and
they, 100 went INTO the water and plunged into
the mud at the bottom
In the mean time Battalion Chief Guerin
mad ordered all firemen to turn out with all the
Babcock fire extinguishers and all the apparatus
on the scene The hremen started at the store
house with them and used them but with little
erect ana the fire practically burned itself out
A RAIN OF WHITEHOT STEEL.
The scene about the bottom of the tower was
most awesome one. From the platform on
the top as the floor gave way fell great redhot
bolts and blazing tmbers. This floor was Of
timbers twelve inches square. The bolts were
eight, ten and twelve feet in length and from
tnTee TO six inches in diameter. and many of
them moulded down to almost sharp point
with the screw threads for the nuts cut half
way up their length.
These bolts Weighing in the peIobborboo5 20
three hundred pounds. according to the work
men about the scene, fell fast and thick for a
tifne. Some Of them plunged down straight &C
an arrow shot from a bow and hurled tbap,