New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-17
BIG FIRE IN PARK PLACE
PAINS Fire5cOrks Building Threat
encd-SmOke Hides City Hall.

shortly before q o'clock last night the first
alarm Of fire was sent IN FOR "a fire I'm the build
ing az Nos. 16 and - Park Place. which swept
through the entire building and threatened 20
burn az one time the entire block. in which
there are a number Of fireworks concerns. The
fire was discovered by watchman named Nc
Mahon. shortly after q o'clock. lie at once
turr,d in the alarm of fire.
Ice I'm the streets prohibited the rapid move
rent Of the apparatus. and by the time
the department reached the fire flames
bursting across the street from every window
4 second alarm was at once sent in. and when
chief Or -er arrived he saw thar IL he
hoped 10 control the blaze with the fierce wind
blowing more apparatus we're urgently needed.
and the third alarm was sounded.
The fire could be seen for blocks. Great guam
titles OF smoke were thrown off, and mixed with
the smoke from the engines. il spread over the
greater part OF Manhattan south Of Chambers
st. In Park Row. opposite the Postofice ~ was
almost impossible 20 see across the street. City
Hall Park wns also filed with the smoke. which
was so dense there that the City Hall clock
could not be seen from the roof Of The Tribune
Building
The burned building is in the centre OF the
Park Place side Of the block bounded by Park
Place Broadway. Church-st and Barclay-st.
only one building was between the blaze and
the Pain Fireworks Company. and in the same
block are half a dozen other fireworks estab-
lishments.
The fire was spectacular at first the flames
shooting TO great height Less than an hour
after the fire had started. all the floors caved in
with terrific crash but no one was hurt In
the rear Of the burning building at No II Bar
clay-st. was St Peters Parish House. where
fifteen priests live, only half dozen feet away.
For n while IT seemed as if the Parish House
would burn The priests were somewhat
alarmed. but cooy prepared their effects for i'm
mediate removal if that proved 10 be necessary
The fire started in Nash's restaurant on the
ground floor Of Nos. Is and Is Park Place. and
rapidly worked upward. In about an hour the
last supports Of the floor We're burned away and
they fell The crews of Water Tower No. l. in
charge Of Lieutenant Mcdonald. and Engines
No. and - were at work Immediately in front
of the building. and SO dense was the smoke that
II was impossible for those only few feet away
TO see whether or not II had been the walls or
the floors which had fallen The powerful
searchght was turned for a few moments on
the lower part of the building. and the
We're seen to he at their stations unhurt. A few
moments later the rear wall of the building fell
with crash but again the fremen escaped un-
harmed. and were discovered by crew sent to
relieve them in the midst Of the dense and acrid
smoke.
The fire spread slightly beyond the building
which was destroyed. but after IL had scorched
the stock of q. H. BunneH. in the ground
floor of No. 20 Park Place. IL driven back
by the fremen and confined 10 the building
where II originated. The flames first
fought from the front. and fl until
Chief Croker had turned in the fourth alarm
that the firemen got streams il from every
hand and got II under control after a three
hours fight The buildings in the rear. facing
Barclay-st.. were only scOrChed the frames Of
the windows being the only things that caught
fire.
The first floor was occupied by Nash & Nag
ear's restaurant, and the second and third floors
ys.ere occupied by the American Sports Pub-
fishing Company, which publish all the Spald-
ing sporting publications.
Nv midnight the building entirely gutted
the are having burned itself out The front OF
the building was covered with ice huge icicles
festooning the windows and the ladders The
s11fferfngs OF the fremen were intense because.
OF the cold. and when the Coachman's Coffee
Wagon drove up 10 the fire laden with coffee.
il was the most welcome sight the hremen could
see frozen they were in many cases TO the
ladders.
when the floors crashed in part Of the rear
wall fell In running back I escape the wall
Fireman John ]. MalOney, Of Truck No. :.
stepped skylight, and fell through to the
cellar of the building landing in four feet Of
water He Immediately righted himself. and
although bruised held his head above the water
and shouted until he was rescued. The fireman
had a bad cash the right side OF his head
and his right hand was broken. lie taken
10 the Hudson Street Hospital.
chief Croker estimated the damage at S1OO.-
600 He said that the fire must have been
discovered. and in that way gained much head
way There was no freproofng in the building
and the danes spread rapidly in al directions.