New-York tribune., 1908-06-23
PORT CHESTER AFLAME
TEN BUILDINGS IN. ASHES.
Fire Threatened to Wipe Ont Whole
Business Section.

The business section of Port Chester was IN
a.n,sr of being wiped out for several hours
Yesterday bv a fire which. before it was under
control had destroyed ten buildings, parity
burned half a. dozen others eaten through the
roof Of the First Baptist Church and rendered
forty families homeless. The entire FIRE De-
partment of Port Chester, aided by apparatus
from six nearby towns fought the names ana d'
:. 20 o'clock in the afternoon Chler Baker ue
c,ded thew were under control He estimated
the damage at about s350,OOO, partly covered
by insurance.
The fire started. presumably by spontaneous
combustion. in the haymow on the thlro Hool
~ R,rns.s livery stable and storage warehouse
q brick structure on the westerly side OF 'he
block which faces Railroad Square. and almost
,roe,+a the station of the New York, New
1tsyen G. Hartford Railroad. Within an hour
the entire block bounced by Railroad square
for Broad street,, Westchester avenue, FACTORY
Place and Irving avenue was in flames ana
sharks were flying across Irving avenue 10
row of six little two story cottages. Inc spec
+acIe was witnessed by hundreds on passing
trains
FIRE DRILL EMPTIES FACTORY.
THE Burns building extended through the
hIocx from the square 10 Factory Place #hlcn
separated it from the shops of the Sinons Man.
ufacturing Company, shirt makers AT z'So
o'clock the fire broke out with the abruptness
of skyrocket. through the windows opposite
the shirt factory, where seven hundred girls anu
about one hundred and fifty men were WORKING
About as soon as an alarm was turned in for
the department the girls had responded to thelr
fire drill and were marching in an orderly man
ner ou+ of the factory into the street. where
they turned in two directions to avoid blocking
the highway and kept their steady pace until
they were we'll out of danger. Meanwhile the
men employees of the shirt factory were getting
husv with their own fire drill, which consisted
in applying the new standpipes and nose con-
nections 10 wet down the side of the buildings
+o,,ard the fire. Aided by some of the regular
hremen later, they saved the factory.
In attempting to get at the haymow the first
accidents of the day occurred Hazelton Well
stood William J. O'Brien and Howard dlsney'
all local fremen, got line of hose up the STAIRS
of the Porden companys storage rooms. in the
rear OF the Burns Building. but were overcome
bv the smudge Of the hay and were carried out
unconscious While this was going on a score
Of citizens volunteered to help Burns and his
hostlers get out seventy-five horses from his
main stable and also from the stable he had be-
side his building in Factory From the
garage of Raben & Johnson in Railroad Square,
seven automobiles and many cans Of gasolene
were taken to safety.
MANY BUSY RESCUERS.
Iohn Czermak, who ran saloon and hotel on
the corner facing the station. tried to get out his
stock Alfred Penovi. who had plumbing shop
next door was also busy The greatest excite
ment. though, was along the Irving avenue side
If the block where three candy and notion
stores were situated. besides the Pixley Flats.
lone, frame tenement house. occupied by thirty
families Everybody got out in safety. and most
of the rescued stuff carted down to the
so,.ra All these places were completely de-
stroved within three hours.
chief Baker realized the danger at the outset
when he found the water pressure low He tele-
nhoned to nearby towns Chief Merritt, or
greenwich responded with an engine and hose
cart To make the three miles In record time
he got a high powered automobile to pull the
hose cart Then they began to arrive from Rye.
white plains Harrison. Milton Point. East Port
chester and Greenwich To add a touch of
ouaintness Port Chester veteran volunteers dug
nm the Harry Howard Hook and Ladder and the
Old Reliance, hand drawn relics that were
pressed into service.
CHURCH ROOF BURNED THROUGH.
Several explosions sent sparks up into the in
creasing wind. and an alarm came that the First
BAPTIST Church fire. Before the engines
could get to ft--a distance OF half a me-the
roof was burned through and the streams went
down into the church flooding the pews.
# was hardly saved when word that the
house of First Assistant Chief Lounsbury had
caught fire from sparks Il guess that's rubbin' it
in" said Chief Lounsbury he adjusted his
helmet Later he learned his men had saved the
Mace with slight damage. About ten similar
embryo blazes started at distance.
Although Chief Baker put the loss at about
s35OOO0, there were many elements that could
not be taken into account last night. One was
the value of the furniture stored in the Burns
building. Among others. James H. Hunt. ex-
president of the American Felt Company, had
placed- there all the furniture of his summer
home on Byram Shore which he sold about a
month ago.
KING TO OPEN OLYMPIC GAMES