New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-10
FIRE THREATENS HOTEL.
Blaze at Century Building Does
SIS, 900 Damage.
EXCITEMENT AT EVERETT HOUSE

A stubborn fire in the Century Building, in
Union Square adjoining the Everett House.
kept the firemen who responded TO the alarm
busy in the smoke for over two hours, and
brought many of the guests of the hotel down
TO the parlors in hastily donned attire at an
early hour yesterday.
The fire started, il is believed, from defective
insulation around electric light wires on the
third floor The second floor of the building,
which runs through from Seventeenth-st. TO
Eighteenth-st, is occupied by the Baker & Tay
lor Company, wholesale booksellers and pub
fishers. The third floor is filed with an ex-
pensive stock of carpets and rugs handled by
H S. Tavshanjian, and the fourth floor is occu-
pied by the Earl & Wilson Company, dealers in
shirts and collars.
The fire started in the ceiling OF the Baker
& Taylor Company's establishment. and burned
through the floor to the Tavshanjian establish
ment. and then up to Earl & Wilson's. 1t was
under control before it reached the publication
offices of the Century Company. The blaze
spread in the store of Oriental rugs and did
the. greatest damage there. The water poured
in on the smouldering goods, ran down in tor
rents the book stock of the Baker & Taylor
Company. and did upward of $4,000 worth of
damage there. The damage to the Earl &
Wilson Company estimated at $1,000. The
rug establishment was estimated to have lost
stock valued at between $4,000 and 100000.
The police put the entire loss in the fire at
$4,000.
The fire was discovered by Policeman Conlin,
of the West Thrtieth-st station. who turned in
the first alarm. An automatic alarm rang
about the time. AS soon the firemen
arrived they hurried in a second alarm for
precaution. because Of the height of the build
ing (six stories) and the proximity of the Ever
EFT House. There was little flame showing from
the square, but hundreds of persons gathered
to see the big volume of smoke. lighted up by
the electric displays in the square, roll up from
the building.
In the Everett House It was at first decided
not to cause a scare among the guests by ring
ing the alarms but the noise of the arriving
engines, and the shouts OF the firemen outside
awakened the guests, who put clothing in
hurry and went down to the hotel parlors where
they, with the others who were informed by
knocking at their DOORS remained for two
hours. until they were assured that the fire
was completely out. The hotel fire gang
sent to the roof to fight the fire If it broke out
seriously. The women employed in the hotel,
who have their dormitories the top floor,
went downstairs in a fright when they heard
the firemen above them and learned that fire
engines had been called out.
Policemen Calvin. Nash and F1emming. of the
West Thirtieth-st. station who went from adj
joining posts near Union Square when they
learned of the fire. were told that there were
people on the top floor of the burning building
shut off by smoke. They went into the Everett
House and inquired if there a way up from
one building to the other. Allyre J. Blaise, the
night clerk, sent the night porter. Frank Tracy.
with them to the roof. From the roof of the
hotel to the roof of the Century Building a
straight iron ladder, forty feet long. was found.
The policemen went up and found Henry Will
son. the engineer of the Century Building his
wife and a Mrs. Nulvaney in an apartment on
the top floor The engines We're just arriving
and they were still asleep, and smoke which
had poured up through ar airshaft filled their
rooms, so that the two women We're sick and
partially overcome. The policemen helped them
out and supported them down the long ladder,
which had no landings and was attached directly
to the wall. The women were taken to the roof
of the Everett House and down into the hotel
in safety. They revived after receiving atten-
ton from the hotel physician.
The fire subdued after two hours of work