New-York tribune., 1903-01-19
FIREMAN LOSES LIFE.
4LL-DAY BOWERY BLAZE.
Many Of PmToy's Hen OUercome-
Pedestrians Hurt Cars Blocked.

Flames discovered "a 255 a m. yesterday In
hundreds of bales OF excelsior. jute and fibre
stored in the lower part of the modern seven
story metal frame and buff brick building Nos.
394 and 396 Bowery, which fronts in the open
triangle at the junction of Third and Fourth
aves., reduced the structure to a shell and
caused the death of fireman and the over
coming of several others
James Corbett, of Hook and Ladder Com
pany No. 8. killed. and George Doherty. OF
Engine Company No. - falling regain
consciousness when taken into the open air.
was removed to Bellevue Hospital The other
men prostrated who, coming to, returned to
their posts. were James Mccall and Patrick
Mcguire of Engine Company No. -, and John
McGough and J. Milton, of Engine Company
No. %.
McGough knocked down by falling
terial at the time Corbett perished. Miss Grace
King, of No 10S Fourth-ave.. while passing
along the street tripped over hose, and. falling.
sustained contusions which caused her removal
to Bellevue Hospital. Albert J. Kramer. of No.
10 East Sixty-fourth-st-, one OF the spectators,
was struck by wiggling hosepipe and suffered
severe scalp wound. He sent to the
New-York Hospital
The premises in which the fire started were
used entirely for business purposes. They cover
an unusually deep lot, and back of them. the
ing establishment Of Funk & Wagnas. the La
fayette Place Baths. and the stables of the
Frank Hall Bedding Company. of No 120 Bax-
ter-st.
When the fire threatened to spread the two
hundred and odd patrons of the baths were
warned of the danger by Maurice Vein. the
manager. and Herman Barnard had the thirteen
horses in Hall & Co.'S stables removed to a
place Of safety.
Although there We're long gaps in the sending
out of the calls for additional apparatus, by dint
of hard work the firemen confined the stubborn
blaze to the building in which it originated
This was not accomplished. however. for nine
hours. Eighteen steamers. summoned by a
fourth alarm. deluged the place from roof to
cellar, and the crews of five hook and ladder
companies worked amid dense smoke hauling
the smouldering bales of infiammable materials
into the street. Because of the back draught
this was difficult and dangerous task.
All the floors of the skyscraper were filed
with dense smoke. which the electric search
lights taken from the engines failed to pene-
trate. At 1915 Corbett, who several times had
braved danger to help companies overcome by
the smoke. perished- He crushed to death
beneath bale of excelsior. and his comrade.
McGough, was also knocked down in wagon
runway on the ground floor They were missed
and McGough was soon found. Several minutes
elapsed before Corbett's body found under
meath the bale of excelsior. 1t was first carried
into the rooms of the Volunteers of America,
at No. 29S Bowery, and later removed to the
quarters of Truck No. 9, in Elizabeth-st He
was fortv years old married and lived at No.
40I West Forty-ninth-st. The ruined building
was thus occupied: Ground floor and basement,
Boston Excelsior Company; second floor George
F. Moore mouIdings; third floor, A Pieron.
billiard pool and bowling supplies: fourth floor
Voker Brothers printers. and Peter Fuhrer,
printer; fifth floor, H. F. McCaferty & Co,
eectrotypers: sixth floor, J. Mott & Son, book
binders and seventh floor American Label
Company general photographers
Acting Chief Purroy and Battalion Chief
Burns responded to the first alarm.
This is about the most stubborn fire that the
department has had to contend with IN ten
years." said the acting chief 1T will shoulder
for a couple of days. because the bales are
packed as tightly as they can be away back in
the building We had trouble getting in on ac-
count of a large steel Iatticed gate closing the
wagon runway at No 396 Bowery. When we got
through the gate found three wagons stored
there and they were loaded with bales OF the
dangerous stuff. The passageway left was quite
narrow. The smoke inside was 50 thick that
the men could not remain inside any length OF
time When we opened up there was the back
draught to guard against The suppression of the
fire at the start was made more difficult by the
fact that the excelsior bales were packed from
floor to ceiling in the basement and on the
ground floor. The story that at > a m we
thought the fire to be under control and some
of the companies were preparing to return to
quarters is false. The fire was not considered
to be under control until noon
The four alarms brought out the ambulances
from Bellevue and other hospitals and Fire
Chaplains WaIkley end ST Elmo Smith The
Church Temperance Socety's coffee wagon was
also on hand and supplied the ice coated fire
fighters with warm drink and sandwiches.
The fire blocked the Fourth and Madlson-aVe
cartracks from Cooper Square 10 the City Hall
all day. o1oo ooo ,
The police estimated the loss at S1OOOoO and
the firemen at $4,000
Last night the fire still burned the fire
men were at work all night. and the apparatus
that had been called the fourth alarm was
kept there
Captain William B. Kirchner, of Engine Com
many No % was at work in Lafayette Place,
when he became so blinded by smoke that he /
sea rceIv could see. In remaining at work his
evesight became temporarily damaged that /
he was unable to see and get out OF the way |
of a great quantity of sliding Ice He was struck
on the head and knocked down. His head was |
hadIv c11t and he was removed to Bellevue.