The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
GORGEOUS BISCUIT co. FIRE.
$4,000 SPECTACLE WATCHED
FROM BROOKLYN BRIDGES.


CIeAve the smoky Air with Streams OF
water and Tunnels Of Light and the
HaZy Skies Reddcn Like the PIT.
A plant OF the National Biscuit Company
at South, Water and Montgomery streets
was burned out last night, the fire making q
gorgeous spectacle for the lower East Side.
which turned, out In thousands to see it.
Three fireboats and land engines innumer-
able kept the fire from spreading. IL was
estimated that the damage was between
$3.50, 900 and $500 900, but perhaps that Is too
high.
The old buildings. which ran about $50
feet on South and Water streets and 100 feet
on Montgomery street, covering nearly q
half acre, were seven stories on the Water
street side. On the South street end they
were two stories. In ar incredibly short
time after the fire was discovered flames
spouted from every window and through
the roof, making such a red glow on the sky
in the hazy air that it seemed as il every
thing below Fourteenth street might have
been afire. The two bridges were fine
places to see it from. From every vantage
point, from the tops Of buildings and from
the water towers, streams OF water played
at divers an giles. From South street a dozen
lines OF hose supplied by the three freb ,ats
pumped waterspouts in. Over the whole
thing and through tho smoke clouded
streets the searchlights OF the freboats
flashed.
In a jiny after the fire started the tene-
ments in the neighborhood emptied, and
from all over the panicky East Side came
the crowds to see the n~eighbors burned out.
Children carried out Christmas trees and
toys. The streets were 30 packed that the
police reserves and others who had business
at the fire had TO fight their way. All the
reserves south Of Fourteenth street were
turned out.
The plant was used for the export busi-
ness Of the company, n also bareback
and crackers were manufactured there.
About 200 men and 100 women were en-
ployed. but they quit work at s O'Clock.
1t was the intention of the company to
move on May 1, and the building was to
be used as a storage house.
1t was about 0:l5 O'Clock when the fire
began. In the building at the time we're
Michael Sheerin, the engineer, his eight
children and a Waterman. They were
all hustled out. Apparently the fire started
in the Office, which was In the corner at
South street. Som of the n~eighbors
hAAN hAAN W. ~
plosion Just before.
BY the time Sheerin and his family were
out the fire was eating its way through
to Water street and suddenly il came out
Of the roof. Acting Chief Binns had COM
mand The fireboats Abram $. Hewitt,
William L. Strong and New Yorker and
the tender Velox we're under Battalion
Chief Kenlon OF the fire navy. The
boats tied up at the New Haven Railroad
pier at the foot of Montgomery street.
The tenants OF the buildings on the north
side Of NJ ontgomery street and on the west
side of Water street were ordered out.
Margaret Sullivan was sick in bed on the
third floor Of 500 Water street and she was
carried out and sent TO Gouverneur Hos
pital. A few minutes later a wall of the
burning building fell and a few bricks hit
the tenement Mrs. Sullivan had just been
taken out Of.
Next to the burning building on the
street side ia a storage warehouse
of the Winans Company. Below that is a
storage house Of Parke, Davis q Co, drug
gists. Some damage was done to the former. J
Sparks got over to the pier of the New
Haven Railroad but did no damage. The
roof Of a house on the north side OF Henry
street was scorched. /
Fire Commissioner IAntry and Chief
who has been laid up with a broken
ankle, showed up at the fire. The Fire
Departments new coffee a was also
the job. Deputy Police Commissioners
and Inspector Nally looked after
the police.
There we're four machines for making
bareback and one for making crackers in
the burned building.
department, estimated the damage at
$500 600. He said that the export depart
ment had about IS 1000 worth OF manufac-
stock and a great quantity OF raw
including lard, flour, sugar, DC.
II did business mostly with Cuba and the