The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-09

| uragkod IN q Tine OF hose ana sGv4o the
HOUSE, although the damage may be $500
Twombly house, adjoining. tho Webb house
With these houses savcd there. was NJ
danger to the Rockefeller house.. South
Of tho church There Is considerable spAoe
between Il and the rectory and the only
o:.a g as sorssr e e s
Tho church itself was literally . rim
menoiith pillars, i.s WONDERFUL altar mag.
nifcent ceiling and hne furniture the Arc
to the stone !tseli as II q hundred
mon had worked upon II for days. Tbs
floor. was gone. presumably having been
the thing frst to burn. and IN the great hole
below lay the wreokage OF tho root. ~.
The walls stood, but they were pitiipl
roof had torn away and heir windows
| great holes with blackened arches and
ruined cornices. Al 8 O'Clock. only little
more than an hour after the frst smoke was
seem e not an inch q all the stained glass Of
There was lots Of excitement In the neigh
borhood In the hundred minutes before
1t was seen that only the church would be
destroyed. Few OF the families who live
In the endangered houses were In the city,
town and we're, aroused BY frightened
servants themselves ready for permission
TO fee to safer precincts. The men who
live in the University Club, block TO the
north, came hurrying out to see what was
up, finding company from the &c verl ot tss
st. Regis had an excellent view Of the fire,
with no additional charge for 1t. IL
The police kept the streets clear Until
It was seen that the tower would not fall.
and for the rest Of the day were busy keep.
ing curious folk moving. Youngsters came
from both sides OF the town; the East sids
boys. whose sole garment these days isA
suit Of union overalls, and the little black
boys Of San Juan Hill, who had never seen
FIJI avenoo befoh. a.,
injured by fall from gallery In the church
and was sent to the Presby terian Hospital.
Not until last evening did the firemen dis
lodge. the last smouldering timbers at the
top Of the walls.
What caused the fire is almost beyond
by the crossing Of the electric wires used
in operating the organ. Repairing bad been
going on at the Fifth avenue side, but the
Contractors declared yesterday that their
men had used no Are and no innammable
The, fire had q tremendous headway
when the Aremen got there said Chief
Croker. -and could. Of course. have boon
fought with better chance Of success
had some Of the engines arrived earlier
Tor the s' delay. What hampered Us most
was the lack Of hydrants on Fifth avenue
We had to take water entirely from tho
side streets from hydrants attached to
small. old fashioned mains. Tho water
pressure should have been greater and
with hydrants so far apart and 90 far.
some OF them. from the scene OF the fire.
Some time ago ! wrote to the Fire Com.
missioner recommending the placing Of
one hydrant on every corner OF Fifth avenue
and one in the middle Of every block. Il
acted upon, for now. to the best Of my REQ
objection, thers are but three hydrsnts on
the whole length Of the street-one at Fifty.
fourth street, one at Seventeen street, and
the other away up, these are vent hydrants:
air accommodating IN the pipes.
An the moro are the hydrants desirable
because Fifth avenue Is the best EQUIPPED
Of all the streets Of the city with water
mains. Two 4s-ineh supply mains run
In my opinion it would not materially in
tertere with the water supply downtown
II these mains wore tapped for hvdrauts.
ST. Thomas's Church was built in 1870
When the congregation was formed IN
it held seIvces in hall At 70 Broad
and Houston street in spite Of protests
that that was too far uptown. The original
rector, DR.. Duffie. was transferred that
year aud was succeeded by the Rev: Henry
j. 'Whitehouse, afterward Bishop Of Illinois
I, the winter Of 1851 the church vas burned.
became rector when DR.. Whitehouse was
made Bishop. In 1885 the present site
was bought and temporary church was
used unit. 1870. Upjohn copsidersd the
new building his finest work The IN.
in New York, Monolith columns sup.
ported the 'cof Of the nave and the central
dome at the intersection Of nave and
trausept. The mural hangings by La
Fargo, each covering two faces OF the
pearance Of the angel to the soldiers guard
ing the tomb Of Christ and the meeting
Of the Marys and the angels after the
The reredos done by Saint Gaudens repre-
scented the adorati1n Of the eroes ~ angels
parts, for a double choir. It contained
four manuals and nearly 5000 pipes and
was the gift Of Henry H. Cook. The bells,
which were considered almost as sweet in
The Rev. Mr.. stires e assisted as rector
Of St. Thomas's by tho Rev j.: B. WATSON
and the Rev. William n. Owen, Jr.. curates;
the Rev. R. r. Claiborne, vicar Of st.
Thomass Chapel, and the Rev; Robert W.
arc George Maculloch Miller and James
G. Fargo and the vestrymen are Arson r.
Flower. Henry H. Cook Clarence m. Hyde,
Fahnestock. Alexander n: Hadden.. James
T. Woodward and d. o; Mills. The church
With Il and owns and operates eleven build
ings. Among it's pewholder. are Albert B.
Boardman, Mrs. George G. Boldt. William
A. Clark, Mrs George Croker. Mrs. Marcus
DAILY. Mrs. Robert 8. Dun. Mrs. Roswell P.
Flower. Elbridge T; Gerry. alexander M.
MADDEN, John A.. MADDEN, william Jacot,
Mrs. Pembroke Jones, D. O. Mills, Mrs.
Levi P. Morton. Charles F. Roe, Mrs. W.
Emlen Roosevelt, Arthur +. sehermerhorn.
Richard H. Soule. Albert 4. ShattuGk,
william H. Truesdale, H. NICK. Twombly,
v. sterrs Wells. James T. Woodward and
w. s. WyckoG.
o., were $l75 .s95.eo.
CANNIBALS HOLD ORGY. ~
RAJ c,rssta and NARrANN 6laln and