Evening star., 1908-01-11

and then to the eighth story of the blaz-
ing building. From below it seemed that
rescue was impossible until several fire
men, seiZing scaling ladders began to
swing themselves up the face of the
tottering wall. Climbing to Il window
ledge the ladder with it's great hook was
drawn up and swung to a higher ledge.
the men working heroically until their
endangered comrades were reached. Down
the smoking wall the men came slowly
until they were near enough to the ground
to drop into their comrades outstretched
arms. So narrow was the escape for.
ders themselves were burned where they
hung when the firemen dropped from
their rungs.
Search for Missing Firemen.
But even the rescue of these men was
not complete, for three who went up into
the building disappeared in the mass of
falling concrete and twisted steel beams.
1t is their bodies that comrades are
searching for among the smoking ruins
this morning. In addition to the missing.
a score or more firemen were hurt, their
injuries ranging from painful bruises to
hurts which may prove fatal.
For months the fire department has been
dreading fire in a skyscraper, and al
though the Parker building was only thir-
teen stories in height the fate of one of
the modern buildings of twice that height
is easily imagined from last nights ex-
perience. The water pressure, even when
augmented by the force of the largest en-
gines in the department.. was not sufficient
to raise the water to a point anywhere
near the top of the building. When the
new salt water high pressure mains are
completed officials say this fault will be
no longer SO prominent.
At an early hour this morning orders
were issued closing the subway which
runs near the burned building. No trains
were allowed to run in the block between
the 18th street ard the I'D street stations.
the 18th street station being opposite the
burning building. Shuttle trains were run
north of 23d street and south of 18th
street to the next station provided with
switching facilities.
A Printer Reported Missing.
Robert Boyer. printer. employed on
the fifth floor of the Parker building, was
reported missing today. He was at work
in the building when the fire started and
has not been seen since.
The fire was officially declared to be
under control soon after O'Clock. but
Deputy Chief Binns warned the police TO
keep the crowds as far as possible away
from the wrecked building. there was
still great danger that it might collapse
as a result of the contraction of the steel
girders as they cooled. This resulted in
complete te-up of the 4th avenue trolley
line, and it was not expected that any
cars would go over the 18th street cross.
ing during the day.
The through subway service, which hac
been resumed during the early rush hours,
was suspended shortly after 8 o'clock
owing to fear of the officials that the
wreck of the Parker building might col
lapse and crash through into the under
ground tube. After that hour no trains
were run between Grand Central station
at A2d street and 9Th avenue and 1ith
street.
During the forenoon it was not at al
certain when the great underground high
way would be reoDened to traffic. The
officials of the Interborough Metropolitan
Rapid Transit Company said they had
acted upon a suggestion from the fire de-
partmect.
In Progress Hour Before Discovery.
From information given byAhe occu-
pants of surrounding buildings. il is be-
lieved that the fire was in progress fully
an hour before ii WAS discovered.
Supt Fullerton of the American Lith-
ographic Company. directly across the
street from the burned building said to-
day that fully an hour before the alarm
was given he smelled smoke and had
thorough search made on every floor of
his building. An hour later the tiremen
were i'm possession of one of the upper
floors of the American Lithographic Com
pany's building turning a food of water
on the Parker building through a big pipe
fed by six lines of hose.
Deputy Chief Bnns said:
..The fact that the fire gained great
headway was due entirely to the lack of
water There arc two twelve-inch mains
on 9Th avenue fed from Central Park
reservoir There is no pressure what
ever In the side streets there are SIX
inch mains and on Broadway there is IA
thirty -siX-incb main. But the pressure
ttA prau uIxy-.ax tn, h.ln
half lost as a result of the distance from
the fire. Many OF the engines worked