Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-03-28
FIRE FIEND'S WORK.
Big Blaze in New York Express
Company Building.
Many Other Structures Were at One
Time Threatened.
Firemen Have Severe Experience-The
Loss, 100000.

.vritiug scenes at a fire which broke
,ut in No. 81 Broadway, a fOur-story
L,ilding. shortly before 11.30 o'clock,
.his morning. The building is occupied
hv the Morris European American
Fxuress Co. on the street floor, Brasch
e Eothcnstein on the second floor and
~ L. Dixon. accountant, on the third
floor
Tine flames started in the basement of
NJ. G1. A great deal of smoke filed the
,,.iai,Iorhood and six alarms were
efnrdily sent out. Broadway, Rector
etr.rt and the adjoining thoroughfares
icing blocked with al aratus. 1t was
tb.ught we'll to take very precautiOn.
Tcxt door. as No. 63, is the Wells
E.rpu Express. and at No. 65 is the
American Express. The skyscraping
r,rnt,ir.. building of y stories is at Nos.
60 to 81 To the south of No. 81, at No.
.. is the Adams Express co. and at
No. n is a detective agency. Then
comes Exchange alley.
The SIX alarms seEt in summoned to
the nre all the apparatus from Stone
street. to West 18th street, consisting
of 20 engines. six hook and ladder
trucks ana two water towers. The
fighting force with this mass of appa-
,.,tus is six battalion chiefs and 2G0
fircm"n.
it l14J o'clock the fire had extend
,d 10 the roof of the building and
flames burst through and scared up
unri The Empire building at that
hour seemed To be in danger. The
smoke WAS rolling against the building.
hut at that hour the flames had not
Al, hull - a
tim Was practically doomed. Deputy
Chief Kruger, who was first on the
scene, said tht about $50 persons were
in the building. and he thought they all
got out in safety. life nets, ropes and
ladder, having been used to bring them
to the ground.
The smoke became so dense that the
fir-mcn in the street, to say nothing of
spectators, were for Il time unable to
see the buildings at all. Surrounding
streets, as we'll as Offices We're filled
with the binding choking fumes. The
crowd became immense, and Broadway
was blocked completely, as we'll as all
IN" surrounding streets. Calls for re-
serves We're sent to Elizabeth. Oak,
Charles and Leonard streets stations. !.
About $1,000 in cash in the offices of
the " clls-F Fargo office was dumped in
to bags hy the assistant cashier and
g"yeTu assistants. and, unprotected.
they went through the crowds in the
streets and deposited the money safely
in the * knickcrbocker Trust Company
a safe was pulled out on the sidewalk
by clerks or the American Express Co.
At first the occupants of the big En-
pire building which OverlOoks the fire
from the north. enjoyed their vantage
point. ana the windows on the south
side We're packed. But as the flames
gained Roadway clouds of smoke and
heated air drove them away and many
of the tenants of this and adjoining
buildings were forced to leave their
offices.
For more than an hour after the first
alarm engines and other apparatus
continued to sweep down broadway
the two nine" alarms calling out com
Ianics from as far north as Harlem
TN" horses blown from their eight mile
run. For the first time in years the
spectators saw some of the old
fashioned two-whccl hose reels that
We're pressed into service to bring eX-
tn pipe.
Soon fire apparatus was packed from
the scene Of the fire back up broadway
t" Cortland street. a distance of fly,
blocks. there being then about so com
pInrS ON the scene.
Trinity Church is just north Of thu
fire. and as the crowds began to fill tn
street they oVrrflowcd into the historic
old churchyard with it's ancient grave
and monuments. An attempt was mad
I" clear them out and lock the gates
hut without much success.
~ the beginning the firemen wer
h1mr"rci by Il very low water pressure
IN" hyGirant almost in front of the fire
dih not t"w at all for Il or 20 minutes
ana Il water tower. hurriedly put int
~, ,tion, sent So weak Il stream that
hardly reached the building.
The Last engine to reach the seen
mad" pretty near long distance rec
ord. 1t came from far IN in Harler
and the three big blacks that drew
W"r" White with lather, but made
gam" rum. never tagging rs they swer
through the crowded streets and too
position.
rs many engines as could he place
Wcr" Put into action on Church stree
III w" rear OF the fire. and Il good figl
was made from there. AS the groun
slopes rapidly from that part Of Broad
way. the rear rooms of the building
have been converted into deliver
rooms on the street level of the allie
into which the express company
wagons are drawn to load. As II
blaze was we'll in the front portion
the structure. this afforded GOO
hack-iichting ground and more than
dozen streams were got to work aft
force of men had smashed in windoy
and metal castings to afford them a
cess to the blaze in front.
Meantime the fire escapes on I,
back of the buildings We're alive wi
employees loaded down with books. n
rers ana bags. and now and then W
man employee was helped down I
rre"arious structure.
Al 12.l5 Nos 50 and 81 Rroadw
had been fairly gutted by flames n
walter Great chunks of burning wo
We're dropping on the crowd in Rroa
way north and south of Exchan
place.
The fire is said to have started in