New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-04-24


Top floor OF the tenement house when the fire.
men arrived. Tie aames were checked after a
damage Of about SEQ 900 had been done on the
way from this fire TO its quarters. Engine IS
was struck and overturned by Third avenue
Ger a. 79ih street. Captain Mcnamara and
Thomas Murphy. The engine driver were hurt so
badly tina, an ambulance took then. to the Pres
byterian Hospital
Axe that caused damage Of $500 in the
store Of Weinberg & Co. at No. G34 Broadway.
had been suppressed by the freTnen of the down
town district about l a. m when they were
called TO a fire in a picture frame factory on The
top floor Of The building No. "a Wooster street
The men Of Engine % carried a line 10 the fire
escapes and We're sending a stream through q
window while the men of Engine Is took a line
up rear stairway. Suddenly q back draft
caught both companies at work blowing half
dozen Of the men down a stairway and causing
the men on the fire escape 20 drop the hose and
cling 10 the iron railing with their backs to the
flames. Some of the men were cut and bruised
by their fall and some We're burned severely
about their heads and hands. They were sent
back to quarters for treatment while their COM
rades remained 10 fight the fire TO a finish. The
loss did not exceed $1,000.
4 loss OF over 100000 was caused by the fire
which destroyed the New York Centrals repair
shops at Melrose. The iremen had difficulty in
getting 10 the burning building. which was cut
off from 15Gth street by a network Of tracks on
which were many cars There was danger that
Of the fremen would encounter deadly
third rails in stretching long lines of hose the
building. and Deputy Chief Ahearn had the
electric power turned off from the entire yard.
There was fear also that large quantity of oil
stored near the burning building might
2lode.
In the circumstances the fremen could not
prevent the destruction of the big tWo-stoTy
frame structure containing the shops, and it
burned To the ground The best they could
do was To save from serious injury nearly fifty
passenger coaches which were on the tracks
the building.
Two Pullman coaches and three other cars.
which were in the drop table shop. We're burned
with the building. after a daring attempt 10
save Them was made by John Lppincott. eng-
neer OF a switching locomotive, and his fireman,
Edward Reynolds Lippincott ran the locomo-
tive into the building and hitched on TO the
Pullman cars TO draw them out, when the flames
licking the roof of the building. The air
brakes stuck. and Reynolds tried to pry them
of the wheels. The two men stayed at the job
until they were nearly suffOCated, and then had
to run for their lives. leaving the locomotive
with the burning cars.
Another locomotive. which was near the burn
ing building. damaged badly by the heat
that II probably will have TO go TO the scrap
heap. Paint burned off several fine cars.
including the Mineola, owned by August Bel
mont and the private car of Colonel Busch. of
ST Louis. Five of the new electric coaches were
SO blistered by the heat that they will have TO
be reprinted and have new windows
The electric power was shut of from the yard
from a. m. when the fire discovered, until
nearly noon, and il necessary 10 shift freight
trains in the yard by means Of steam locomO-
tives. Travel on the Harlem division not
left the freight yard the place guarded by
the police 10 prevent looting of freight cars