New-York tribune., 1909-03-17
PRISONERS FIGHT
HART'S ISLAND FIRE
DESTROYS SHOE FACTORY
IN SHORT THE.
Great Excitement Among 1900 IN
mates Locked an Cells When
FLAMES Burst Forth.

Fire which broke out in the big frame bulio-
ing used as a shoe manufacturing plant on
Harris Island shortly before o'clock last night
destroyed the building and its contents. with
loss of about $4,000 The blaze. caused by de-
fective insulation of an electric hsht "He'
spread rapidly beyond control.
The main feed pipe, leading from the Sounu
to the stand pumps provided for fire emer-
gencies. haa become chOked with sand. and the
l5eepers. aided by forty TRUSTEES resorted TO
.bucket brigades' in fighting the fire Help
summoned from City Island, the nearest iaIu'
and from this city failed to reach the scene IN
time TO be of assistance.
Fifteen hundred prisoners are confined on the
island all Of them serving short terms, ana
great excitement prevailed during the fire Inc
alarm was given by "trusty' just as the prls-
oners were leaving the dining rooms. in build
ire, about one hundred feet from the shoe shop.
Tho nrisoners were hurriedly locked in their
cells and a general alarm was sounded. which
summoned all the keeps the island TO thelr
emergency posts. Armed guards were stationed
at all the boat landings. with instructions 10
shoot to Iu' should any prisoner attempt 10
escape.
There are on Harts Island branch OF the
RIackweITs Island WorkhOuse, the New 10TH
CITY Reformatory for Misdemeanants' ana the
Potter's Field. which is kept up by reIracOoiS
prisoners. many of them sent from the Black
1,,s rs1erd Ivorl<house The workhouse pris-
oners are all serving sentences of from ten ua!S
to six months.
Five hundred Of the prisoners on the lsiana
are women. their building being the furthest
from the scene Of the fire. The Reformatory TOT
Misdemeanants Is for prisoners sentenced aS
first offenders for not less than three months
nor more than three years. Frederick Bartell
the head keeper directed the frefghters
Tho alarm had been sent to City Island and
To this city before the condition Of the feed pipe
WAS discovered. and the hreboat George b Nc
| CleTan and nine policemen and thirteen hre-
men from city Island had been sent to the fire
| The men from City Island had 20 cross in row
| boats in a choppy sea. and did not reach the
! eoera until the blaze was beyond control Of the
bucket brigades. Police reserves were also sent
| from the East 104th. the East 126th, and the
| Alexander avenue stations.
| Work in the shoe shop stopped at o'clock.
nearly an hour before the fire was discovered
! the building being unoccupied at the time. II
was impossible TO communicate with outside
poInte hv telephone. as the wires, which passed
| directly over the burning building had been
melted. a keeper was sent in rowboat to CITY
Island. and from there the alarm was sent out
| While waiting for the arrival Of help. the
bucket brlgades passed water along from the
/ restaurant about one hundred feet away. When
/ the flames m the shoe shop swept beyond con
troll they turned their attention to drenchinS
| the nearest buildings
| The shoe shop frame building OF one
story and basement. ~ feet wide and 13o feet
long More than one hundred prisoners were
employed in the building. Several thousand
pairs of completed shoes. we'll as a quantity
| Of costly machinery were destroyed
| Patrick Cranna. Of. the City Island fremen
probably prevented an explosion in the shoe
shop by rolling two barrels Of naphtha from
| the building into the waters Of the Sound. only
once was one Of the nearby buildings threat
| ened. 4 burning brand was blown across the
| Intervening space and lodged under the caves
| Of the restaurant. The men on the roof had
some difficulty in reaching the small blaze hut
managed 10 quench it in a few minutes.
! Ninety BOYS In the Reformatory for Misde-
| mcanants one hundred feet away, were put 70
| work drenching the roof of their building with
buckets of water passed up to them by long
lines OF their fellows. Fifteen patients in the
hospital building. one hundred and fifty feet
| away know nothing OF the fire. as the nurses
placed heavy shades before all the windows and
shut out the glare that lighted up the whole
| island.
! Terror seized the prisoners in the mems build
! ing who were locked in their cells short dis
tance to the south of the shoe shop There
| were frenzied cries of Let us out! Wen be
roasted But not until the fire was nearly ex-
tngushed were the keepers able to turn their
attention to the frightened men and reassure
them
| The last ftfu flames from the dying embers
were put out by the fireboat George b. Nc
Clelan, which ran out four lines of hose as soon
| as it arrived. Captain Short, of the fire de
| partment at Port Washington, Long Island. went
over to Harts Island with several of his men
| in launch. but arrived after the blaze was out