New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-22
WALL CRUSHES FIREMEN.
CHIEF COLEMAN KILLED
Hundreds Homcless-"Tuo Mines"
Sounded for Big BLa7e.


falling wan A. a frc. which made 40 Italian
families foncicss destroyed the furniture fac
torT Of &rs. II Herman. ar Nos. S0-9s Mott-st.
ooc caused the sounding of tie two nnes an
alarm watch caused every place Of fire ap-
ra7e7uS ~ Manhattan IsIard to dash to the
scene.
TIE DEAD.
z 5Sr5 s,5 s5.s es5 5s5 5sa5sth s's 59t:fo @s No
'oT g. %H1sh.c4 @ proaszsonE-y fireman, Engine No IS;
THE INJURED.
s-cS1Es Lieutenant, Ensine COMPANY No 81: sskis
Captain SMITH. overcome by smoke
soLNIo. Vincent. varnisher: arm broken
IN the rear of the factory are three double
deck tenement houses. housing 150 Italian farni-
lies. F9-e was discovered in one OF these
tenement houses just before o'clock, and an
alarm was sounded by an Italian bog. This
ara was extnguished with little damage An
hour and q half later there was an explosion n
The basement Of t5e Herman building The de-
Ioration shook the entire neighborhood. and
great sheet OF fans shot up the stairways and
elevator shaft. Two alarms were sounded with
IN fve minutes OF each other.
Conrad Weidhoff the watchrran. was OF the
rhird hoo- ~ the time. With his assistant
Frank EaudsJadt, he tried 10 ext:ngush the
flames, but in q few seconds they were beyond
control
fremen we're at the building within two min
Utes after the first alarm had been turned in.
BY that time tie first. second and third floors
were roaring furnace of fame SoImio was
= the building finishing some work Egress by
The stairs was barred by the flames and he
jumped from the second foo-. He landed on
MS SIDE. breaking his right arm and bruising
himself severely. He was taEsE TO St Vincent's
Hospital With the exception of the window
rom EoI-ui0 ma in
SIX story building was guarded b. heavy iron
shutters These were white hot, and streams OF
water had 10 be poured on them for several min
ures before the hremen could send them crush
l1g inward with their battering rams and heavy
sledEes.
HOUSES ROBBED IN EXCITEMENT:
battalion Chief Langford was the first of the
higher officers 70 arrive. He saw al once the
magnitude Of he FIRE and ordered a third alarm
sounded Acting Chief Kruger arrived few
minutes later and ordered The fourth. and then
the two nines. calling cut every piece of ap-
nar1us on the island. The TWO mines were
sounded less than an nour after the fire alarm
had been sent in. They moved Brooklyn hremen
70 take stations left vacant in Manhattan
The reserves q the Eliza beth-sr station were
turned out or the second alarm. but we're unable
to cope with the huge, excited mass Of people
thar focSed 1ron all ove- the East Side In
qgick succession the reserves from every station
sg1rh II Thirtierh-st were on the scene. Fire
lines were established for TWO blocks in each
direction, and every one who had no business
wirhin TIE lines was expelled. This did not
prevent a raid On The household goods Of the
Italians driven from their homes. nor a bold
strong arm" holdup in the middle of Eliza
berh-st
The three i've story tenement houses are en-
tsre1 from Eliza beth-st- and are numbered Nos.
10 159. Isl. 163 and 165. These svvarmed
wiki The poorer class of Italians and were
TANNED ar the tine Of the FIRE The inclement
weather mad driven them in from the streets
and nearly every room held from three TO a
dozen The rapidly spreading IRE drove them
irro panic, and il was due 10 the cooIheaded-
-ess of three patrolmen from the Mulberry-st
station that there was not great loss of life
Ihe Italians swarmed down the fire escapes
and down me narrow stalrways. Policemen
Csae. Wot and McDonough rushed into Nos
ldt- l6l and 163 and found the occupants fran
rc with terror. fighting and struggling to get
on Women and children were being trampled
O. and crushed BY those seeking TO escape.
POLICEMEN USE NIGHTsTIcKs,
TIE policemen went into No. 1s1 first. At the
Aez6 q ne stairs were four men. with heavy
hae5oulG trunks. AS the patroiulen shouldered
iaer way through the f-enzied mob the men in
;Asr ..1gAt dropped the trunks. They wenp
casing down the stairs. carrying the police
inen With them 10 The foot. They were bruised
E1d 1uc. but not ser5ousIy injured They drew
th@-r riShtstlcks and by a vigorous use Of them
o. ne Italians that were tra1nplirg the women
s-7 children gOt the mob into some senblance
ot order. Holding the mob hack with their
nightsticks. the women were first thrust out,
and thec the men were allowed 10 GO
7 The other houses The patrolnaen found e
rf~
Al The Italians bore bundles OF bedding and
.i-.is wooden boxes. En which we're their savings
aa6 rev trtazsts- Children and vaIuaoIes were
io-f. -ztl Eilzabeth-st vas filed With lauerta-
Eas seriously hurt.
IN Gott-Et. there was . much worse condition
There TIE FIRE was raging directly opposite. and
aarnes We're bursting from every window Of the
aernaa building. The Italians were powerIess
trcU terror. Many Of them stood on the IRE
escapes Wfrh bundles Of bedding AZ their feet
yelling wildly and making no effort TO help
tlsznselyez- Men with huge che5ts We're block
,rg the s-ai-7ysys and narrow passages for the
tsw ,hat had VII enough 10 mako an effort %
sacaDe fzere again. With the help Of thei- night
r-4Es ara ta.e crc1nen. the police cleared the
buildings
Acdcl - he terror OF the Italians and the
&C Is la tie STREETS were the cries Of the ter
ror-stricseu horses in TIE Columbia stables. The
stable wss Ele:aoed by the flames that were
ssvc--sE7 across tae 5tree7. The horses were
ether dragged CIT by the sheer strength Of
fhree r- FOUR n-en or Dliudfolded and led out
a. tie Etrcer they became Enusanageaoi bic and
riunsed madly up ard down. knocking over hre-
ll..l ~--H Lasgf frC