Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-10
.SCORCAED BIG STORE
New York Fire Does $780, 900
Worth of Damage.
MENACED SlEGEL-C0OPER
Score of People Hurt by Falling
Glass.
FIRE CAPTAINS CLOSE CALL
Cut by Big Plate Window and Al
most Bleeds to Death-Caused
by Back Draft.
MENACED SIEGEL-C0OPER
FIRE CAPTAINS CLOSE CALL

| Special Dispatch to The Star.
| NEW YORK, March 10.-For a time
grave fears were felt for the safety of the
big Siegel & Cooper store during the
progress of a fire which broke out early
this morning in the five-story building at
3s West 18th street. Chief Croker esti-
mates the loss at $25OOO0. Several of his
men were injured by falling glass sent
forth in showers from the burning build
ing by a back draught.
| A captain nearly lost his life while
climbing a fire escape later, huge chunk
of glass severing an artery in his arm. A
toHrniquet hastily made kept him from
bleeding to death until he could be re-
moved in an ambulance to hospital.
| Heroic measures were taken to prevent
the flooding Of the McAdoo tunnel which
would have resulted in great damage. The
water supply was inadequate at first, and
the fire hose. about which there was SO
much investigation only recently, handi-
capped the firemen by bursting here and
there. Some reports had it that seven
teen lengths of hose burst: others said
| n.
about it.
Wiped Out Windows.
| The back draft which shivered all the
windows in the burning building smashed
| all those in that portion of Sicsel e.
Coopers store east of the 18th street en-
trance as high as the fifth floor. The
| window sills caught fire, and thirty en-
pIoyes under Night Supt. Collins were
kept busy, together with the fire patrol
men outside. in extinguishing the flames.
The estimated window damage to the big
store is 81, 500. Such good work was done
| by the employees however, that only the
windows were affected.
Many Firemen Hurt.
A score of fremen were injured several
of them seriously hundreds of persons
were driven from their homes and many
buildings were threatened.
A shower of broken glass was RESPONSE
BILE for the injuries Of so many tiremen.
Some of the men were so severely cut
by the fying glass that they are in seri-
| Gus condition. With the free draft fur
nished by open windows the flames spread
rapidly through the building and within
| a few minutes several nearby buildings
were threatened. several peTSOHS III d
| four story boarding house adjoining the
| burning building escaped with consider
| able difficulty after the house had become
| filed with smoke.
Eight Houses Burned.
PITTSBURG, March 1O.-Eight firemen
were cut and bruised and eight business
| houses damaged to the extent of S125.UO
today by a fire which for time threat
Of
kinsburg, an adjoining suburb.
Originating in the Wallace building, a
three-story building on Wood street, the
| fire spread rapidly and assistance was
| sent from this city. Upon the arrival OF
the additional apparatus the blaze was
quickly controlled.
| The firemen were injured when large
| plate glass windows broke The cause of
| the fire is not known.
Schoolhouse Fire.
| TOLEDO. Ohio. March 1O.-NapoIeon' S
| Union School, the largest building of the
kind I'm the state. which was completely
| remodeled only last April and had cost
the county $4,000 altogether was de-
stroyed by fire this morning 4 repet-
| ton of the Collinwood horror was pos
| siby averted by only a quarter of an
| hour in the time of the starting of the
| fire, as the children were on their way
| 10 SCHOOL, ana some were Playing IN the
yard when 1t was discovered. AT s. o'clock
when the school pupils should have been
! in their seats the main part Of the build
| ing was a mass of flames.
! Supt. Bemer and Principal White were
| the only persons in the building when
the fire broke out. the other teachers not
having arrived. The two men ran to
| the stairway leading to the attic and
| were driven back by shower of sparks
and a great volume of smoke. The fire
had evidently caught from a defective
| fue of the furnace chimney where it ran
! up through the attic.
| Before the fire department could get a
| stream on the building the flames had
gutted the attic. dropped to the floor be-
low, attacked the east wing and were roar
\ ing up the big central tower. The bell
| fell inside of fifteen minutes. The build
| ing is a total loss.
Eight hundred pupils were enrolled in
the school. The big building had fifty
| four rooms including two large play
rooms and two engine rooms. 1t was
| recently rebuilt and was formally opened
| last April.