The sun., 1907-08-11

TO rest In the west, a great disc, crimson
and sharp edged now. that was settling into
the banks OF smoke which shrouded Man
haitian and both rivers and the bay.
When the dawn came half hearted there
followed hours so crowded with big things
that a boy could have worn the number Of
his favorite fire company right out on the
front Of his jacket without interruption II
he had cared to. Grownups who delayed
their start toward tho burning district
found the streets jammed solidly north
ward from the blazing area for mile.
grownup couldn't make much prog
ress toward the centre OF interest. there
fore. but small boy by squirming betwee n
legs could get much closer. When you
couldn't possibly squeeze nearer TO the
flames you could enter any door in sight
and climb through the house TO the roof
for better view without meeting anybody
In a single room to stop you.
BY half past O'Clock that Saturday
morning every building in the region Of
Broad street, Exchange place, Beaver
street and Broadway was either aglow or
in ashes. Up the eastern side Of Broad
way as far as the Waverley House that
stood at SO. just two doors below the old
Globe Hotel. the street was a twisting
red. All that side Of Broadway from the
Globe Hotel south to Bowling Green and
down three houses in Whitehall street was
gone.
The flames jumred across Broadway
during the morning just about the time
that little Marty Reese had decided TO work
around the fire by scrambling through the
streets of the lower western part Of the
city. Marty cast anchor i'm the Battery
just in time to see the big porch OF Mr..
Rays splendid blue granite house in
Bowling Green catch fire. The Rays we're
in Europe that summer. and when they
sailed back on packet many weeks later
only black ruins stood where once had
been one of the most elaborate mansions
of the day.
The Schermerhorn family TOO. who
lived at 81 Broadway. were away for the
summer, and they also came home to find
only ruins A good friend had seen that
all the Schermerhorn furniture was moved
TO house nearer the Battery early in the
fire. but the fire in its own good time reached
the resting place Of the furniture and de-
stroyed It.
1t was Saturday afternoon before the
great fire began to behave. fortunate
shift of the wind toward the south had
saved the upper Manhattan of that day.
Almost all the many boarding houses
with which lower Broadway and the vicinity
Of Bowling Green teemed had been de-
stroyed and the bosrders were hard pressed
for sleeping quarters that night.
Bob Coleman and his partner, Chsrley
Stetson. took in all the homeless that the
AasAr uonaa mould hol ooI
two men worked like beavers throughout
the fire carrying hot coffee and sandwiches
to the fremen. Soldiers from Governors
Island, the local police and militia that
night and on Sunday guarded the piles Of
bedding. silverware. portraits and furniture
that stood higher than ones head along the
sidewalks Of Broadway and other streets.
Perhaps 800 buildings had been destroyed
in part Of the town that held many resi-
dences at that time and the streets were
filed with the homeless. All day Sunday
the Battery green was cluttered with. multi
colored piles of household goods that had
been snatched from the paths Of the fire.
and men and women sat listlessly beside
their belongings and tried to soothe their
weeping children and wondered where they
were 10 find shelter.
But the crowd OF gay amusement seekers
focked to Castle Garden on Monday night
TO be charmed by the much herslded Signor
Pico, and at Niblo's one Of the largest audi
ences the building ever held spplauded
rapturously the Lucy Ashton Of Mrs. Mowatt
in her Benefit performance of the Bride OF
Lammermoor"-for even then New York
was New York.
Throughout that day and for many weary
days after little Marty Reese trailed sorrow-
fully behind the grimy searching parties
who worked their way through the ruins
When word flew around that another
charred body-fortunately there weren't
many to be uncovered-had been found
Marty asked the tired searchers eagerly
whether II was the body Of the brave Fire
man Cowdrey Of 70 Engine. Marty was the
small boy of the ~ Engine gang who in the
heat Of passion had said that Fireman
Cowdrey was fraidy cat, and he knew now
it wasn't true and be was sorry.