The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-08

Ing Desperate Effort to ESCAPE -Four
Alarms In Quick Succession bring
Twenty Companies to Greenwich. Hud-
son and Thirteenth streets Triangle
Restaurant Turned Into Hospital.
Four fremen were fatally burned and nine
teen hurt and overcome by smoke fighting
fierce blaze last night at a seven story
building in the triangle formed by Green
wich, Hudson and Thirteenth streets
The four that may die were trapped with
their mates of Truck 3 on the fifth floor
by back draft that drove wall Of fams
between them and the only available exit.
a stairway that led to Hudson street The
others were burned or overcome few at a
time while handling hose inside the build
ing or on ladders.
Flames leaped from the corner Of the
roof at Hudson and Thirteenth streets at
$50 O'Clock, she oting suddenly high in
the air An automatic alarm went In in
stantlv to Fire Headquarters Three
policemen Of the Charles street station
were in Hudson street near by and saw
the first flames,
McCreve and Roland turned in second
alarm at once, and by the time they got
back to the building the whole top floor
was roaring. Two minutes after a tongue
of flame shot from the roof the upper part
of the big brick building was blazing high
Deputy Chief Duane got there with
Engine Company IS and Truck 5. He didn't
waste ten seconds in turning in a third
and fourth alarms. That brought twenty
engine companies, two water towers and
five trucks.
Inspector Hogan hustled up in an auto
mobile and summoned the reserves from
seven police stations, Charles street, Mercer,
West Twentieth, Leonard West Seventeenth.
Macdougal and the Tenderoin. BY the
time the fremen were at work in full forcs
Hogan had 100 cops busy keeping back
the crowd, guarding the street car lines
and giving aid to the fremen,
Under orders from Duane seven men
of Truck s ran into the Hadson street en-
trance OF the building with hose lines.
They got to the fifth floor. burst in a ware
room door and were making for the siIth
when two sheets of fame shot across the
room, driven by strong back draft. The
intense heat had broken the windows on
the Greenwich street side, and the air car
ried the fire straight through the building.
The men couldn't 60 forward "A nd the flames
shut them off from the stairway. They
couldn't stay, and there was nothing to
do but ma ke dash through the wall of Are
at their back.
Lieut.. Ernest knoth of the company
yelled encouragement to them, The smoke
was so thick he couldn't see man of his
truck We've got to go through it, boys
he yelled. IT'S do or die"
Knoth and his men ducked their heads
and plunged through the flames. Three,
Finley. Johnson and Lehman, fell and
were dragged out 10y Lieut.. Knoth and
Robert Johnson. When they got to the
street their faces were black and not
man of the company had more than + "
patches Of clothing left.
They were carried 10 the Hudson Res
taurant, across the street. at % Hudson
street, and ambulances and doctors from
81 Iincents Hospital were sent for They
found that John Finley. Robert Johnson
and Frank Lehman were the worst int ured.
They had inhaled flames and their faces and
the upper part of their bodies were
scorched Their clothes were burned fro0
their backs. They were sent to the hoss-
apita and the doctors think they i'll die.
Lieut., hnOtn WIS Ddlly burned. DUI no
went pluckiy back to work. The other
member OF the company who was seriously
burned was Lawrence Easey. He was
sent to st. Vincents Hospital with the
others
A few minutes afterward the RESTAURANT
floor was covered with injured men and
half dozen doctors were working over
them. Neil Donahue of Engine rs, fighting
from the top of a ladder at the sixth floor,
inhaled flames, A tongue of fire licked out
of window and scorched his face. He
was caught by comrade or he would have
fallen sixty feet to the street. Donahue is
the fourth who may die, He was taken to
the New York Hospital.
Within the next hour and half seven
teen men were burned or overcome by
smoke. They are: John B. McManus of
Engine 10, John Mealey OF Engine l. George
Gunther of Insurance Patrol 3, John Moore
of Engine 3, Ralph Tanning of Engine 3,
John Connolly of Engine 3. William Nc
Mahon OF Engine D. Thomas Gillen OF
Engine 3, Edward Maskel Of Engine 20,
Maurice Spilane OF Engine 20, Jamei
Adrian of Engine 20, William Irving of
Engine 10, James Burns of Engine IS,
Frank Kramer of Engine 20, Herbert Whit
comb of Engine 28 John Hogan of Engine
8 and Fred Werner Of Truck 5, None of
the Sc is seriously hurt
On the first floor Of the building is Branch
c OF the Post Office Clerks were sorting
mail when the fire broke out, Wi h the
assistance of the policemen they hustled
out the registered packages first and then
had time to get out the rest of the mail
and the books. No mail matter was ost./
What caused the fire is not known but
II is supposed to have started from an ex
ploeion of chemicals in rooms occupied
by the Frier Bergfeld Photo Com
pany on the sixth floor. The two floors
below are occupied by the Dale COM
pany. electrical fixtures. The Wing Piano
Companys salasrooms occupy the fourth,
goth Century Hours-ChtcAso.