The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-28
CHEMICAL SHOREHOUSE FIRE
4 NOISY AND SPECTACULAR
BLAZE IN BROOkLYN.
Flremen Rave . Five Hours Contest to
subdue FIames IN the Plant &C v. y.
sauibb a sons High Pressure Bucks
Two Firrmen injured ~ a Result

auulbb q SONS High Pressure BuE-ks
Two FiFemen Injured ~ a Result
The Ave story brick building at 20
Doughty street. Brooklyn. which was
used for storage purposes by the firm of
L. X. Squibb 4 sons. manufacturing
chemists. was Quilted nv a ire that started
yesterday morning soon after 10 O'Clock
In the boiler room in the basement % the
place. IL Was found necessary to turn
in three alarms before the fire was check -
after . p. VI. water tower. two fire
boats and eighteen lines of high pressure
hose were used in the fight. The damage
h roughly estimated at between $1,000
and 800. 90
When the first hremen arrived in answer
to q still alarm the flames we're roaring
out OF the second story windows and IN"
neiRhboring tenements were emptyin
Utth a rush. In some way the blaze had
jumped from the boiler room 10 the sec
oOd floor. where IL laid hold ~ canistsrs
of magnesium and turned the quiet ~
SUNDAY into the cTackle and roar oG an
lDdependence Dav. The metal ~ used
for the making OF fa-hlight photographs
and II went on with flare and hang
There were hundI eds Of small explosions
and FIVE larger ones that kept the fir~Ten
In . nervous condition and sent spectators
scattering back without aid % the police
The main plant. which rms from -
TO 20 Doughty street. and extends through
tho block To Vine. was not arect~d 10y
the fire but considerable damage was
done by water that found it, way into
tho place through tho connecting dOors
I9 81 u. a. ~
fremen did IN cir most eh"ctiV" work
Dragging lines II ho~e up IN" winding
stairways they stationed themselves
among chemicals and IN laboratories
and poured water into the building
next door. That too extends through
the block and Il Was choked with fire
from end Co end.
Almost under the feet Of the rremen
were vaults ~ alcohol and ether. The-"
places are practically hr-proof. but the
fr-m"n didn't know thar and they didn
know whether th" BOTTLES. re'orts and
cans about them were tlled with taIcuTn
powder or explosives
Just az the magnesium and tho ~ her
combustibl-@ were doing m err beat 20
drown the roar ~ the hame- a couple
Of the high pressure lines went rad.
Stones had clogR'.d the nozzl"s and It
was ueces-ary t. heat ha-ty retreat
take "a the nozzl''s and remove tn. ob-
strtlCuonE IL looked then as though
the whole plant might 20 because thu.
flames we're roaring out II the windows
and Il was almost impossible To- train
the lines except tho-4' attached To IA.
water tower
A back draught hared out into the faces
~ crew who were training a high pres
sure line the line began to buck and
Lieut. William DENIM Of Engine CUmpany
iuT WAS thrown ~ the ladder. He suz-
flined a fractured rib. Frederick Koch
Ter who was Just above him, Was burned
about the face and neck. Both men
were attended by Ambulance Surgeon
Searle Of the Cumberland street Hospital
and removed Ia their homes. Three
other fremen were injured slightly 10y
flying glass
The place where the fire occurred was
between the main liant where most ~
The manufacturing j. done and a storage
warehouse. IN ia. cellar e which Wsr.
highly Vpnhus'Inl" and explosive chem.-
Cals II ne fire had eaten into this nest
the Whul" tuiidlng would have Rou" up
undouht' dly with probable lu-- ~ lat"
for many - IA" firrmen Were working
right over This pla1a
Deputy Pre- Chief- Ahearn ~ Manha'-
tan and l.allv of BROOKLYN were ~ artIye
charge q the fight Deputy Fire Com
missioner Arthur J O'Keefe Deputy
Police Commissioner Reynolds and Police
Inspectors HolahaH Dillon and sweeney
were on hand soon after the third alarm
had been turned ~ The SC,.u- uf the
fire n near the Fulton ferry and tratfic
over that rOut" " a. held up for tim"
10 accommodate" the frebOatE that drew
INTO the slip and ran olIt their lines from
there
The fire was due 20 a bad blower m tho
boiler room. II was discovered by III"
engineer who sent ia still alarm The
blazc could be- seen from the Brooklyn
Bridge and from Columbia Heights and
was viewed bv thousand- q spectators.