Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-04
STUCK TO HIS POST WARNER STOPS VOTE
Fireman Badly Hurt Trying to Accused of Improper Methods
Tell Chief About Fire. in Michigan Contest.
FLAMES ALL ABOUT HIM WILL WAIT ONE WEEK l
Chief Sloan and Waterman Blown No Caucus Until the Serious
Through Window Investigated.
WHERE DUFFY PHON1NG CANDIDATE FOR AIGERS SEAT /
Big Warehouse
a Amount Comb Arthur
ManyT and
FLAMES ALL ABOUT HIM
Chief Sloan and Waterman Blown
Through Window.
WHERE DUFFY WAS 'PHONING
Big Warehouse is Burned-Prisoners
in a Panic-Loss Amounts to
Many Thousands.

NEW YORK, January A. Quick!
6-4-0. Plaza; Chief Croker's Office"
John Duffy, driver for Battalion Chief
Sloan jumped to the nearest telephone to
OBEY the rule that the first man on the
Job at a fire shall telephone headquarters
what it amounts to. Chief Sloan was get
ting a rapid survey of the situation. The
cellar of the big wholesale furniture store
OF Cowperthwait G. Sons, at 121st street
and I'd avenue, fairly seethed with a fire
as hot as stacks upon stacks of vanished
woodwork could make it.
Lively, Central" begged Duffy at the
telephone. He was on the first floor Of
the Cowperthwait building, near one of the
121st street show windows, and Duffy's
Feet were getting warmer with every sec
Ond he waited.
A Waterman employed by the firm and
the battalion chief were standing at Duff
fys elbow waiting for the connection
when suddenly the fire tore it's way with a
roar through the floor, and filing the
place with great heat sent a column Of
smoke, flame and cinders sweeping toward
the show window. Chief Sloan and the
hurled through the stuff in the show Win
dow through the plate glass and into the
street.
Duffy chung to his telephone The
tinkle of telephone bell chimed in with
exasperating feebleness with the clnk Of
falling glass. There was no answer to
the ring. Again Sentrd1 call thrilled On
the bell. But Duffy, standing beside the
telephone, had slid down to the floor un-
conscious
Duffy in Bad Shape.
Chief Sloan was taken away, his face
and head showing bruises and cuts and
his hands burns, when he called out that
Duffy was at the telephone inside. Fire
man Weiss of engine company IA, reversed
his helmet, tucked his coat about his ears,
company, dashed into the smoke and
flames. They came out with Duffy,
dropped him in the street, and sat down
suddenly for lack of wind. They had not
dared breathe while cropping for the man
they were after, although there was the
steady g-r-r-r-r g-r-r-r. g-r-r-r, g-r-r-r OF
telephone with its receiver low-dangling
to remind them that they were on earth
and not in hadeS.
Duffy was found in pretty bad shape.
and he had not recovered consciousness
when an ambulance took him away to the
Harlem Hospital. His feet and hands
were burned, his hair was singed, and
from the way he breathed it was feared
that he had inhaled some of the flame.
His clothes were afre when he was
brought out.
Much Damage Done.
In the meantime the firemen got head
quarters on another phone, and a second
alarm was sent in. The Cowperthwait
building was five stories high and COW
cred six plots. 1t was one of the largest
of the stores of the Cowperthwaits, and it
was estimated last night by ]. H. Cow
perthwait that the value of the stock was
100000, while the building, not owned by
the firm was worth about 100000.
Second third, and fourth alarms were
sent in. the man sending them having only
to look oyer his shoulder to see lat the es-
tablshment was doomed and that there
would be a fight to save the DOCK Inc
great towers of smoke and pillars of flame
that shot high in the air when the roof
fell in soon spread out under the wind,
and the motormen of the Sd avenue ele-
waited trains were almost overcome in their
vestibules as they took their trains past
the fire at full speed. Deputy Chief Blnns
finally stopped the elevated traffic alto
gether, for the wooden cars were being
blistered and there was danger of the
walls falling. Third avenue surface traffic
was also stopped, and the thousands of per-
sons who focked to watch the fire were Kept
we'll out of harms way by the police.
In an hour-so fierce was the blaZe-the
building had been destroyed and only the
walls, the window spaces still glowing with
the reflection of the great pile of whtte-hot
cnders below, remained to mark where the
great warehouse had stood.
Fear Among Prisoners.
Soon the 121st street wall began to waver
at the top. ACROSS the StIeet 10 lLe 11di :
lem police station, court and prison. orty-
eight men and ten women were in cells
there, and many of them saw the fire.
There was much fear among them when
the fire started. The women became hys-
terical. The prisoners were finally released
from their cells, and were kept under
guard in the large corridors on the ground
floor of the building. Policemen were sent
for to serve an escort should 1t be nee
essary to move them from the building.
The walls of the burning building suddenly
came down with crash, but did reach
across the street
James j. Brannan. employed by the Cow
perthwaits who lives at 1891 Lexington
avenue said last night that he was at work
on his books soon after o'clock, when
Robert Evans, the shipping clerk. ran up
to him and told him that the place was
af1re Evans then ran to the street to send
in an alarm. Patrick Flanagan, a meSsen-
ger employed in the house, remembered
that there were two scrubwomen on the
third floor All lie no employees, most of
them young women, had left the building
promptly at g. Flanagan saved the two
scrubwomen with Httle difficulty. Miss Min
ME Morris of I'D Sd avenue was found
in a dazed condition near one of the Sd
avenue doors soon after the fire started.
She was partly overcome by smoke and
was sent home. 1t is believed that she was
the last woman to leave the store.