The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-03
AND CROKER CLASH.
TIPE CHiEF DOES BATTLE WITH
cars iND DOCTOR,

Wan WAS Dragged Out OF Ambus
lance won't stand for interference.
Fire Chirf Croker had a run in with the
rolice Of the Oak street station house and a
lsst night at a fire which started in bales Of
waste rauer hpaped on three floors Of the
Fronkl"n Bridge structure just east of the
Franklin Square station Of the Second
words and a Juggling mi Itch between the
r.,meu and the police came pretty near
turning into a free for all fig hit.
Until about a month a go three floors
Of the Brooklyn Bridg g at arch 2 were
used by a newspaper for the storing of
returned papers and 70 lis of paper, Then
the United Trucking Com pany got the
b-idge warerooms and filed them with
bales Of waste paper. The bales were
piled solidly and there were no passage
vavs between them.
The fire started in the basement. The
fret alarm was sent in at $50 o'clock.
chief Croker arrived within a few minutes.
The smoke rolled heavily up around the
bridge. getting worse and worse as water
vas thrown on the fire. The surface cars
m the bridge had to stop running. The
chief sent men into the lofts to throw
the bales into the street.
The men couldn't stand it and one by one
they we're overcome and had to be taken
out. Fireman Lipdice of Engine Company
ii was found in the third floor, half suffo-
Gated. Fireman O'Connor and Hardy OF
70 started down a latter with Lipdice.
\ rush of smoke caught them and all three
would have tumbled If some of their COM
rades hadn't got to them in the nick Of time.
Somebody went. to Croker and said that
he police wantedt to send for an ambulance.
By then a dozen men had been overcome.
No" said the chief. Il won't stand for
II. Those men don't need ambulances.
A little fresh air will bring them around all
right. Anyway, L be damned il l stand
for the police butting in where they've got
no business
Policeman APPEL Of the Oak street station
house went to the telephone and called
the ambulances from the Hudson street
hospital and from st. G~regory's in Gold
street. One ambulance came from Hud-
son street hospital and two from at. Greg
ory's. They backed up in Frankfort
street and waited.
A minute or two later Fireman John
o'Connor Of Engine Company 80 got his
lungs full Of smoke and had to be dragged
out. Some Of his comrades carried him
to O truck and laid him out. Policeman
APPEL and DR.. Williams OF the Hudson
street hospital went to the truck and carried
the mar to the ambulance. They had
barely got him inside when Croker, Capt.
Rush Of Engine Company 81 and half a
dozen men rushed up TO the ambulance.
DR.. Williams saw them coming and
planted himself squarely in front OF the
steps. APPEL was in front of him, and three
ether oops stood by them.
Quit that" shouted Croker. Get that
man out Of there"
Were going to take him to the hospital
said APPEL. Let him alone"
That's a hospital case, chief" put in
Or. Williams, Let the man alone; he
needs treatment"
Am l running my own men or am l
not?" demanded Croker. You take that
man out Of there in a hurry or III take him
out
Neither the doctor nor APPEL moved an
inch. Croker wheeled on the cop.
Arrest that man." he said to APPEL,
I%ointing to DR.. Williams.
The cop turned his back and didn't reply.
Croker turned to half a dozen OF his men
and ordered them to remove O'Connor
from the ambulance. Thu three policemen
Who at first joined forces with APPEL and
the doctor sauntered away. Croker tool
Williams by the arm. His men swept the
loliceman and the doctor aside and yanked
O'Connor out Of the ambulance. The six
fremen dragged O'Connor about ten feet
over hose lines and cobble stones before
APPEL and DR.. Williams got into action.
Reinforced by five or six bluffs" who
hutted in, they grabbed O'Connor's feet
aud ierked him away from the fremen,
getting him half the distance back to the
ambulance before Croker's lei recovered
him.
Hot words few and it looked for a minute
as il somebody would smash somebody
else. APPEL drew his night stick, but he
didn't use {. Roundsman Smith of the
Oak street station projected himself into
the rlmpus and ordered APPEL to assist in
dispensing the crowd, which broke through
fire lines and swarmed everywhere as soon
as the row started. AS soon as APPEL left
the ~officious bluffs ceased meddling and lost
themselves. DR.. Williams went back to his
ambulance. The fremen carried 0'Connor
hack to the truck.
Capt, Rush went to Croker and sug-
gested that after all it might be best to
send the man to a hospital. Croker said
be had no objection. il the man really
needed hospital attention, Rush put
O'Connor into the care of DR.. Thorn of st.
Gregory's and to st. Gregory's 0'Connor
vent. He was not in a serious condition,
DR.. Thorn said, but the experience he went
through as storm centre didn't do him
much good.
Shortly after that the Hudson street
hospital ambulance disappeared, Chief
Croker denied that he ordered it from the
fire lines. II was said that DR.. Williams
simply withdrew because he didn't want
TO have another clash with Croker. The
st. Gregory ambulances remained and the
st. Gregory doctors treated several men
who were overcome or were cut and burned
slightly.
Chief Croker, when the fire was under
control, called the reporters around him and
relieved his mind.
I'd be the last man or earth to refuse to
send a man to the hospital il he was seri-