New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-01-02
BIG FIRE LEAPS STREET.
BURNS THROUGH BLOCK.
Hundred Horses Ram Wild about
Blaze IN West SD Street.

One of the hardest fought and spectacular
cleaned out the entire block in West sd street,
between Ninth and Tenth avenues. this morning.
burning many horses to death and driving half
a hundred families homeless into the street.
One fireman seriously injured and many
more slightly hurt. A water tower was smashed
by falling wall
Besides fighting the blaze. the fremen and the
police battled for half an hour with the men
who had been driven from their homes. and
scenes OF greet disorder arose. hampering the
work of the fremen and aiding in the spread Of
the flames.
The fire started withya two-alarm blaze IN the
fve-story building at No. 429 West 53d street.
The lower part of this was occupied by the Or
monde boarding stable and Beakes Dairy. OF
the hundred and fifty horses in the stable nearly
fifty died in their stalls. while the hundred pulled
and driven into the street ran wild about the
blaze, knocking over spectators and hampering
the hremen.
The upper three floors were flied with small
manufacturing establishments and the rooms
for the most part contained. light fnfan anmable
stufs. The fire swept all stairways and ele-
vator shafts. mushrooming in the upper floors.
so that by the time the firemen had got their
pipes close to the blaze the entire building was
afarne. third alarm was sent in and then a
fourth.
With all their other troubles the hrenen were
haInpered, es usual by the lack Of water pres
sure, which has caused more big fires on the
West Side than any other one thing. The two
water towers were kept In front of the heart of
the flames until one Of them disabled. but
their usual powerful streams scarcely equalled
an ordinary pipe stream.
Two fire boats were summoned hastily and
rushed to the pier al Odd street. Long lines
were run down to them and the land service
was augmented by their powerful pumps. In
spite Of this extra aid. the high northeast wind
got behind the flames and made mock Of the
efforts Of the frernen
Ae the fire spread down the north side Of SD
street the wind swept it across the street. The
flames hit the sides Of the tenement houses,
and every window snapped in the blistering
heat and went flying into the streets in a MILL
ION splinters. Through the open windows the
SPARKS were swept. and in minute the fire.
men had a score of tiny blazes in the OLD houses
TO fight. BY the hardest sort Of work they kept
.he fire within limits the south.
Fearing grave disaster, Deputy Chief Binns.
who was In command in the absence Of Chief
Croker ordered the tenement houses on either
SIDE Of the street cleared The order included
those tn S4c.a street. well. These all FIVE
story Buildings. sheltering come forty families
apiece. or fropT~seven to eight hundred persons
u q few minutes the streets were nllad with
frightened men and women and scores Of chill
dren. OF IL. lot scarcely more than troscore
-vese anywhere nearly dressed. and hundreds
rood about clad only in their night clothes.
Ehtvering fn the piercing winds.
Most of the tenements We're filed with Irish
end German families, with rpriaklinE Of Ne
ErsssA Many OF the mon sre employed in the
West EIDE slaughter noussS and orsweries. and
big. lighting. Yusnao1ous foiiowx They did
not want TO be pat out, and half hundred OF
thSn had to be fairly dubbed into submission
onos out into the street they wanted TO continue
re fight, and for half an hour the police from
thA four West Side precincts had their hands
Ssl. Ths -as,. spo,l:rs for fight. got between
tbs n>sr.-a sad the burning buildings, breaking
so tas asGce fines 5zls hindsrins their neshbors
who were trying to save some of sheir household
goods. By G vigorous use Of the locust night
saoi0 SD rush after rusn the police finally
esezred the wsy
The fzs discovered by Fireman De
xaiIiy. Of Engine Company ], VINO livss at No.
ss2, right across TIE street from the Ormonde
Stables. He ha1 a LAY off, end was spending
IL ~ horse About ! O'Clock he saw the flames
through the windows. He rushed across. and,
~reer sending in ths frs alarm, started in the
Continued on NTH ps.e.
FLORIDA REFORMATION s~nEAu.