New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-27

summoned by the dreaded Two nine9. tn9
signal used only IN extrems need. every fire.
man and every piece CT apparatus availabls
south Of Fifty-eighth-st. fought for hours yes
terday an ugly blaze. which reduced to shells
the buildings occupied By the Adams Express
Company and the Morris European and Arneri-'
can Express Company. an allied concern, at
Nos 59-61 Broadway. When the iremsn finally
conquered the buildings were almost total
wrecks and the Buildings Department took hold
to pull down hanging walls and brace others.
No official estimate OF the loss has been made.
On the two buildings it IS thought that Il will
reach about $4,000 20 $4,000 Even the
officers OF the company DO not know how much
Of the records and valuables IN storage has been
lost.
In the safe deposit vaults OF the Adams Ex-
press Company. which were IN the basement.
where the fire began. and In their stron Eboxes.
were large sums IN money and securities. The
deposit vaults, Deputy Chief Cruger said. were
f.. the hottest part Of the fire. Whether they
vvere damn sed so that their contents suffered
has not been learned definitely On the first
and SecOrd floors were sixteen Of the steel safes
used in the transportation OF valuables. OF
these about half were recovered. The rest ap-
peared INDIANA Eed. At the beginning OF the fire
clerks marched out Of the smoke swathed build
ing. revolvers in hard. dragging leather bags
papers. These went to a nearby bank.
Not FOR years has there been so remarkable a
fire downtown. Spectacular in its first stages.
when the flames burst through the roof OF the
Adams building and sent a tongue OF flame leap
irg and shooting nearly to the roof Of the En-
pire sl1yscraper. the fire. driven back by the
tons on tons OF water hurled into the buildings
from engines and water tower settled into
stubborn blaze. which sullenly ate out the heart
Of the structures. Round the great office build
iugs swirIed and eddied clouds OF inky smoke.
scintiIIant with blazing embers and sparks from
the laboring engines while below in the narrow
streets were nassed thousands OF brokers and
clerks from the financial district. streetcars
caught by the rush Of the fire apparatus and
the great flow OF Broadway traffic.
Police reserves from every station south OF
Fourteenth-st. arrived at the scene at the first
news OF the Importance Of the fire. The three
hundred or so men made no impression on the
vast throng which dauntlessIy threaded its way
among cars and engines. and hampered the fire.
rlen in every way. Another call brought men
from precincts in Harlem. and with them came
Chief Inspector Cortright who managed 70 ere
ate order. All the afternoon the throrg hung
before the burning buildings watching with IN
drawn breath the fremen. who. strapped 70 a
ladder. four stories above the ground sent
streams into the flames.
As the employees Of the Offices finished their
work they became part OF the dense mass Of
humanity which watched. while every window
in every Office building was the setting for a
group OF eager, intent faces.
KRUGER BLAMEs EXPRESS EMPLOYEES.
The fire began about II a m, n the "oId koss~
room in the basement Of the Adams company's
building. There We're stored the unclaimed par
GELS Deputy Chief Kruger attributed the fire 70
Ca~elessness Of employees with cigars or matches.
and declared that II the cOmpany's people hadn't
tried to pat out the fire themselves before turn
ing in an alarm. much valuable time would have
been saved and he fire nigh. not have obtained
much headvay.
1t got beyond the bucket brigade however,
and leaped 20 the first floor. from which it Shot
Upward while before it fed scurrying clerks.
carrying books and records to places OF safety
From the basement OF No . Broadway the
flames spread through arched doorvays 20 the
basement Of No. 81. where the Morris company
had goods in storage. Up to the first and sec
ond floors raced the blaze. smoke. its foreru1uer
pouring out Of the ventlators.
It was this smoke which carried the first
alarm to persons outside the building. and it
was this smoke which was the chief danger
PatrCIc.an Ross. seeing the smoke turned I'm an
alarm from Broadway and Rector-st which
brought the first engines Before they got TO
the burning building though. q group of clerks
on the third tuor Of the Adams comparv's
building became alarmed The staIryvays and
halls were full Of smoke. which shut CT the
view from the windows To the windows they
rushed. one with a small rope He fastened il
and threw 1t out. Up from the ground came a
cheer Down the rope. hand over hand. went
the six mem. Cavanagh. T. Edgar. H. Haas
G. Claire. J. Schedules and a. ]. wilson
Meantime the engines we're trying to get SUI
fcient water. The streams wouldn't reach the
points at which they were aimed first. Act
ting Chief Binns sent in a second alarm a third
= fourth, a fifth. Broadway as far as the eye
could see choked with hurryIng engines;