New-York tribune., 1907-08-06
THOUSANDS SEE FIRE.
RIG RRO4DWIT BLAZE.
FuIfoa Street PANT Establishment
Goes Up IN Flames.

p .,.r.-.,- downtown had a fire yesterday af-
..,- rt.r made more trouble for the dremen
and -.aIice than any since the great blaze that
- ,,1gr the express companies opposite Wall
s-r.s- Al noon one saturday few years ago.
,-.s-ar,lax's fire started with a fash in the
,-.....-- of T .. Pierce & Co.'S painting estab-
5:.r.--s-.- II 10. l7o Fulton street. Two min
..-g- 5ster -here was merry blaze, and the
4~st erauen or the scene turned in second and
,,-f~5 alarms the moment they saw the char
ssr.r -f tha fire
Tho building Was an old five story brick
structure flIl 81 paint and gasolene in the three
lower floors and with d printing shop, where
--7,rh Iauer l. stored. above. On the east was
-ta Mail ana Express Building and on the
west fortunately. lot. vacant except for the
. ruins Of old building torn down 10 make
NAY far The New York Law School Next TO the
frrg..-y lot is fireworks factory. next 10 that
another paint shop and next 10 that 2 chemical
Behind the burning building. running back
along Tey street from the main building Is lhe
annex e the Western Union Telegraph BulIdlng
In This annex three hundred girls are kept busy
and All civ and Long Island wires centre IN IL
These wires out % business for haIf an
hour or SO. because the flames ieaping OUTSIDE
the windows and the dense smoke that poured
IN drove the girls 10 the street in panic
stricken rush and they We're not allowed TO so
hack until there Vas absolutely no dah-
IN the rush . waitress in the Western
TN
l-,.rkel down Three of her ribs were crushed
ans sic v-as taken 20 = drug store and thence 10
.5a <ev- York Hospital.
MANY OFFICIALS AT THE FIRE.
All sorts = officials saw the fire. ComInis-
sf,7s- I.anrry Of the Fire Department was
,s-Iv OF the scene. and Chief Croker's great red
au4o-aobl.e dashed through the crowds on the
second alarm. Deputy Commissioner Hanson
MS Oh hand Jo see how INSPECTOR Russell and
hie hundred and ffty policemen handled the
thousands OF spectators He could have had
-roril-rc EXCEPT praise for the little inspector.
who had ricid and wei kept lines . every point
within q feU minutes after the start Of the
haze a. I.11 ,. m St Paul's ChuTchyard
which was right opposite the fire. was filed
early hu- the police soon cleared II and drove
the broadway crowd back Of Ann street Broad
-ay cars ran south as far as Murray street dur
ir- The ire Below CorJlandJ street not a
moved Al the cars got moving again al $50
o'clock
The crowds gave the police plenty 70 do Down
R-aa5vvay 70 Pine street, north Murray
street they stretched. Most Of those attracted
bv the smoke and noise didn't know where the
fire was. The smoke from the engines came from
81 many quarters that i was hard 70 place the
f-e Office buildings were lined with curious
ones whose heads We're poked out OF the win
5ows Probably not less than thirty thousand
persons watched the fire from al points.
THE MAIL HAS HOT TINE
tirne during the first half-hoUr Of the blaze.
is Offices are on the top floors cf the building,
and the smoke poured in. 10 the intense discom-
for 0@ every one 4 nose was attached 10 the
s1an5pipe in the corridor. and the staff,
much Of II as was not busy writing about the
fire. started head The blaze of from the
walls of the building, three stories below. Every
one was ordered out. but one paid any at
tencion 70 the orders. and the trouble
over
Down in the pressroorns Of The Evening
Nal" things were worse. One big press was
soaked by the water that poured in from the
street. and for time there seemed little
chance Of saving any Of the other presses 10
get OH an edition AL the evening newspapers
offered the use Of their presses 70 The Evening
Mai" aut quick work on The part OF the engi-
nee-s saved the other presses, and the final
delay or the Wall Street edition only few
minutes.
R T. Eammerschlag is president Of the print
ing concern that occupied the upper floors Of
the burned building He was sitting on the
third foor reading letters when he happened TO
lock ol- or the window. on the opposite side Of
the street n saw half dozen men waving Wild
ly 10 him. He leaped 10 the stairs. saw the fire
below and gave the alarm 10 the men and
women working on the next floor All got out
IL safety
" L HAS WARM TINE
The Western Unicn Building had q narrow
escape There was only twelve-foOt court be
tween the building and the furnace in Fulton
street. and the standpipes that were quickly
manned had q lot 10 do with the saving OF the
building The fremcn took TO the roof Of the
annex and did good work from this point OF
varLas=
Etlce boys q The New York City News Asso-
ciatan had streams playing on the fire before
tn 4rst engine arrived, and stuck 10 their hose
In4nful-y.
Th- lrenlen escaped serious injury, though &
doe ~ them took grave chances when they
c-aggeL as many cans Of gasolene from the
heart Of the FIRE and rolled them out Of danger.
a few were singed . moment after this exploit
when they broke oIen blazing closet with
their axes. The closet contained turpen-
tine and other inaammable material, and a
great fame poured out over the men as the
sparks reached the interior Of the closet. Com
missioner IsIltry with chief Croker and Inspector
Russell. saw the explosion and rushed over 10
drag the srraErIiug fremcn TO safety Croker
era.gsG ore man back. but the others were
driyea back Russell nearly met his fate when
score of big OH cans dropped from the next
floor, but he got away Just IN time, as they fell
where h had been standing.
BUILDING a TOTAL LOSS.
J. A Srooner. secretary Of the Pierce COM
pam. said the stock was q total loss, but could
not escinla-e The damage. Chief Croker's esti-
mate the building was $4,000. Mr.. Spooner
was oUr % tho building when the fire started
and had left his coat there, going 10 luncheon IN
an Office coat. In his coat he had left several
hundred dollars in cash and some valuable
papers
A.E>S