The sun., 1903-12-27
TROUBLE AT WEST SIDE FIRES
ENGINES busy AT ONE WHEN
THE SECOND ALARM CAME.
West Side Lyceum DestrOyed-Seoond
Blaze In a Columbus Avenue Tene-
ment--Slippery streets and Bursting
Hose Make TrOuble-LOss $50 900.

mcnt-Sllppery sTeeu anu Dus""'
Hose Make TrOuble-LOss ssS 900
Two fires on the West Side gave thu
depart ment a busy two hours yesterday
afternoon. One destroyed the West Side
Lyceum, at Fifty second street and Seventh
avenue. while the other wrecked big
Columbus avenue tenement. No lives
were lost, but the property damaged was
considerable.
The Lyceum fire started about noon
The building was used on Christmas Day
by Frank Tilford for his dinner to the
Little Mothers" and it is supposed that
the fire started in the kitchen while Mrs.
Lena Lawrence and some other women were
cleaning up.
When the first engines arrived smoke
was pouring from every window OF the
four-story structure. In the main hall OF
the building were stored the costumes for
4The Medal and the Maid" show. which
was booked to open in Buffalo this week.
The slippery streets delayed the engines
in reaching the fire, and when they did
arrive the upper floors were ablaze. Three
alarms were turned in. bringing all the
engines on the upper West Side.
Tenants in the adjoining buildings had
been ordered out by Capt. Handy OF the
West Forty ty-seventh street station when
the cupola on the Lyceum collapsed. The
roof of the building went with it, and 1t
was thought at first that fireman had
been killed, but the missing man was soon
found
Bursting hose also caused the f1remen
much trouble. A fireman who was looking
after chiefs wagon counted seven breaks
in as many minutes. A twisting pipe line
coiled around a group Of twenty men, and
before they could skip they were either
drenched or knocked over or both. .,
While the firemen were busy at the
I.yceum building another alarm was sent
in for fire at Sixty-eighth street and
Columbus avenue. The engines which
ordinarily would have responded on this
alarm were at the Lyceum.
Police Captain Kemp of the West Sixty.
eighth street station and Detective wood
went to the fire which was in double apart
ment house at 2ll Columbus avenue, be-
tween Sixty-eghth and Sxtyninth streets.
They hustled out the tenants and then sent
for more engines. 1t is said that 1t was
twenty minutes before any engine arrived.
and Chief Duane was in charge Of the de-
partment. When Duane heard of the
Columbus avenue blaze he started engines
from the Lyceum fire The first one got
part way up the hill between Fifty-second
and Fiftv-third streets and Seventh avenue,
when the horses lost their footing on the
ice. and came to standstill. A big auto
mobile came up and the man in charge ran
it up behind and helped to run the engine
over the hill
All the fire apparatus that could be spared
was sent o the Columbus avenue fire, which
had made considerable headway, working
up The building through an airshaft.
Capt. Harry Hauck of Engine 65 was on
his way to the theatre in fur-lined over
coat and a trock coat when he saw the
Lyceum fire. Then he turned in and worked
but will have to buy a new outfit.
The Lyceum building was leased by E. X.
Bimberg a brother of BIN the Button
Man" 1t is estimated that the loss will
be about 100000 on the building. The
Columbus avenue fiathouse loss the police
figured at about S25,OOO.