The sun., 1909-01-04
HIGH PRESSURE'S TOUGH JOB
TiCkLEs ITS FEERCEST FIRE
YET AND CONOUERS.
Three Alarms Necessary to Get Enough
Wen. but None OF the Fourteen En-
gInes Did stroke. Flames Drowned
out by 600 900 Gallons OF water.

bnt ny OOO,OOO Gallons OF water
Although the new high pressure waite
system again proved its effectiveness
At fire that gutted the five story build
ing at 3s7 and $50 West Broadway yester
day, the blaze was going at such ter
rife rate by the time the first engine rolleC
up that Deputy Chief Joe Martin, wht
was boss Of the department in the absence
Of Chief Croker, found it necessary t.
tap in three alarms in order to get enough
men to man the lines.
It was the worst and the toughest Ar,
IN the high pressure zone since the system
was installed and gave the firemen as hare
fight as they have had in many a day
Under old conditions five alarms would
have been sent in, While the blaze was a
hummer from the very start the fourteen
engines that responded weren't called
uron to pump drop Of water into the
burning building.
Six hundred thousand gallons Of water
pumped from the Oliver street high
lressure station drowned out the flames
and sixteen lines Of hose, including one
from the deck pipe OF the high pressure
tender No. 20, and water tower No. /
did the job. The system worked admir-
ably from the moment the iircmeu made
connections with the high pressure hy-
drants and got the tower and the tender
working. but the fire was so fierce that it
was nearly an hour and u half before
the flames were conquered.
The building runs back Two hundred
feet 10 70 and rs Wooster street, and its
depth and the fact that the fire started
in the centre Of it are other reasons why
three alarms were sent in. The fremen
were unable to get at it from a good
oint Of vantage.
The fire was seen first by Policeman
Roger Mccoy Of the Aiacdougd! street
station. He saw smoke triCkliug through
the windows on the fourth floor, which
was occupied by :. n. Beck 4 Co., manu-
facturers of ladies' undergarments, whose
workroom was on the Gl;h. Mccoy
pulled the box al West Broadway and
Broome street and when Deputy Chief
Martin dashed up the flames had "A big
start and had eaten up to the fifth floor.
The high pressure tender was stationed
on the West Broadway side and the water
tower unlimbered in front Of the Wooster
street side and both got into action with
a pressure two hundred pounds TO the
square inch. Chief Martin soon saw,
however. that the fire was gaining head
way. and after he had watched the battle
seven minutes he tapped in a second alarm
and had street lines stretched in.
An engine company crew mounted the
fire escapes on the West Broadway side %
get high pressure steam PLAYING into the
building, but it was so smoky and hot
on the fourth floor that they had to back
down. Time and again with the deck
pipe from the tender shooting water over
their heads they climbed the iron ladders.
and Chief Martin sent in a third alarm
SO he could have enough men To work in
relays in their attempts to stretch in
the street lines.
There was water enough, but it takes
four or five men TO handle high pressure
nozzle and the fire was going with such
intensity that il required lot of lines
Sixteen OF them, all high pressure. were
going full tilt at 2:23 o'clock. twenty-five
minutes after the first alarm vas tapped
in.
sheets of flame and dense clouds of
black smoke were gushing from the win
dows on the fourth and fifth floors and
the air was filed with sparks and blazing
brands
Chief Martin after while thought he
lad the fire down, but suddenly there was
a rumble and then a terrific report.
IN the centre of the building was wide
shat: and over it glass skylight. This
came down with a crash, and a few seconds
later the fourth and fifth floors, weaken
ing under the weight of the tons of water,
collapsed.
Thousands of tons Of debris and goods
on the lower floors stored near the shaft
crashed down to the ground floor,
where fifteen men of Fire, Patrol No. /
were covering goods with tarpaulins. |
They heard the rumblng noise before !
the crash came and made a bee line for !
the street. Six Of them we're at work |
at the bottom OF the shaft and Just got |
o't Of the way in the nick of time. One
of the fire patrollmen, James Cooley.
wa, struck by a beam and bowled over
but escaped with a wrenched kneecap
He was attended by Ambulance Surgeon
Roberts Of the Hudson street hospital /
and removed to his home. Up TO that /
tim" the fire had not eaten down TO the .
lover floors and was principally confined /
10 the fourth and fifth. hut the shower
4 Nlaaing goods that dropped through .
The shaft set fire 10 everything below.
The tiremen stretched in lines on the
ground floor while others got into action
on thu fire escapes and an hour later
Chl"i Martin saw that he had won. 1t
va, the first big fire at which the engines
We're silent. There was no footing of
whistles for fuel, no engines pumping.
no Give us more water Thirty-three,"
or shut down, Twenty-four." The high
pressure proved its efficiency, but yes
ter!ay's fire showed that while it has
revoIutionzed fire fighting the depart
W'ht sull has to have as many men as Of
yor" With pressure Of from 100 TO 200
pounds nozzle kicks more'n a mule,
a'1 where two men can handle an engine
'r" D. takes four or five TO direct u high
rr"N.lre pipe,
Deputy Fire Commissioner Whitney
ana Deputy Police Commissioner Bugher,
VIII ""re on the scene, said the high pres
sH' worried wonders. Policeman Nc
'F "stlnated tine damage at s50,0OO, but
WNlfduun men on the lob said 5000 900