Evening star., 1909-04-14
FIRE Loss $5O0,0O0.
Rochester in a Panic as Gale
Famed Flames.
FIFTY RESIDENCES BURNED
Three Churches and Several Business
Houses Destroyed.
MILITIAMEN GUARD PROPERTY
Engines Sent From Buffalo and syra-
cuse Arrive Too Late to Be
Of Any Service.
FIFTY RESIDENCES BURNED
MILITIAMEN GUARD PROPERTY

ROCHESTER, N. Y, April 14.-Roches-
ter was visited yesterday by the worst
confiagration 1t has seen since the retail
district Of Main street east was swept by
flames In 1903. Hundreds Of homeless
families are camping out in the streets.
Thieving has set in and Mayor Edgerton
called out the National Guard to patrol
the. devastated district.
Estimates Of the loss put 1t at 100000.
Temple Berth Kodesh, one of the most
handsome churches in Rochester, valued
at $4,000. Is a total loss. The Palmer
building is a smoldering ruin and the loss
to owners and tenants is about 5000
and the First Reformed Church. a small
structure, lies in ruins. with a loss of
$1,000. Other buildings destroyed were
the Ward apartments on Grove street, the
First German Lutheran Zion Church. and
fifty houses In the Jewish settlement.
: st. Peters Presbyterian. Church was
badly damaged. as were half hundred
small houses. There was loss also in
the Palmer lumber yards and to several
small firms on Main street east, adjoin-
ing the main Palmer building
Started by Defective Wires.
\ Defective wires attached to an electric
motor In vacant room In the Palmer
building at Main street east and Grove
street are said to have caused the fire.
On the second floor of the Palmer build
ing was the Eiectro-Surgical Instrument
Company. Randall. Green & Baker.
cravat manufacturers. had one-half of
the third floor. and the other half was va
cant. On the. top floor Them & Erch-
mann. die manufacturers, had rooms.
The cravat company and instrument
c0mnQnv en1nl0vad a large number
girls. Their escape was shut off on the
stairways. and the elevator shaft was
raging furnace. The girls came down the
fire escapes in good order and passed on
to safety.
BY the time fire hose had been laid
the flames had jumped across the street
and on to the roof Of st. Peters Presby-
terian Church. At the same time fire
appeared in the belfry of Berth Kodesh
Temple. occupying the opposite corner.
Firemen Flee for Lives.
One entire fire company came close to
being annihilated. A long ladder against
the temple had caught fire. and eight or
ten men started to pull it away A shout
from a bystander caused the workers to
take to their heels. Instantly the great
south stone wall Of the Palmer building
crashed into the street. Then the tower
OF the temple rocked and fell. crushing
uHOcT lIS WOISul d HOUSE dUJOullAS. 11lC
firemen had barely time to reach place
of safety.
. Directly back Of the Palmer building,
and In the path of the flames, Is Grove
firemen were driven back from this posi-
tion. and the Ward apartments, valued at
100000. and owned by Alderman Frank
A. Ward and H. L. Ward. took fire and
burned rapidly.
l. Across the street the flames swept. but
here the firemen made a stand and saved
the houses. Sweeping down Grove street
from the temple. the flames attacked the
First German Lutheran Zion Church. and
It was question for two hours whether
this. building could be saved. While the
bremen were busy there the fire rushed
on to Stillson street, and from Grove
street northward damaged every house
for two blocks on Stiilson street.
the northeasterp part Of the city that
companies could not be dispatched to all
Of them. Volunteer brigades were FORM
ed and helped in holding down the fire
loss.
Famed. by gale blowing twenty-six
miles an hour. sparks from the Palmer
building were carried to the First Re-
formed Church OF America, a frame
a mile distant. This fire destroyed the
church. then leaped the elevated tracks
of the New York Central and swept
northward through the small frame
dwelling houses In the Jewish settle
ment- ~
In the absence Of definite information
as to the seriousness Of the blaze and
the urgency Of the fire in the downtown
thoroughfares. only one company was
dispatched to the new scene Of trouble.
Singfe-handed 1t was unable to cope with
the blaze, which had gained. remarkable
headway before the firemen arrived
Other Independent fires also were start
ed by flying cinders..
Ask Aid Of Other Cities.
Chatham, Kelly and. Nassau streets
and Hudson avenue were dotted with
flames. When the seriousness OF this
situation was realized Fire Chief Little
held a conference with members Of the
board Of fire underwriters at which It
was decided to. appeal to Buffalo and
Syracuse for aid. :
Residents Of this section. were terror
stricken. Many ran about aimIessly.
Still others seized armfuls Of goods
from the houses and rushed with them
into the streets or into other houses,
where advancing fire later drove them
out. Mary Kirschnamsky. living on Kelly
street, went violently insane and was
taken away In an ambulance. man in
the houses cut the arteries Of his right
leg:
The total number Of houses burned IL
about nifty. in addition to which several
times as many more have been dam
aged.
-cuse arrived later In the afternoon, but
were not needed They remained here.
however. on reserve,