Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-06-06
TWO F|REMEN DIE,
SCORE HURT, At
WAREHOUSE BLAZE
Big New York Building Burns,
and Noxious Fumes from Chem
icals Cause Loss OF Lives.
CHIEF CROKER DEPLORES
CIVIL SERVICE EXACTIONS
Says Men Nowadays Are Not
Fire-fighters So Much as
Historians and Scholars.

NEW YORK, June 6.-Two firemen
were killed and more than a score wera
overcome by sitting fumes In lighting
a stubborn fire near the North riveH
front today.
Ten of the firemen overcome were
caught In a back draught on the fourth
floor OF the building. Two men who
managed to avoid the worst of the
burst of flame : and dense smoke
screamed from a window for help
Ladders were raised and the uncon-
scious men carried down.
Fireman Timothy Cotter died on the
sidewalk after having been carried
from an upper floor, where he had lain
unconscious for more than an hour IN
pool of water Fireman William
Healy was taken out of the building
dead Three of the injured f1remen
are still in hospital In a serious con-
dition.
The fire was in the five-story building
at HOLLIS Washington street, occupied
by the Free Storage Bonded Wars
house. The loss is estimated at $4,000.
Adjoining tenement buildings were Shur-
riedly emptied, as the fire assumed
dangerous look, but the flames were
confined to the warehouse structurA
Fire boats gave material aid In hghte
ing the blaze.
FInmes Were Dangerous.
The dangerous character Of tAe 3.
| became apparent when. the h5zf ean
of firemen entered It with Id
large part Of the contents of the ~ -
house consisted of liquors, -aniliuQ<< <IFels
and twine. and the noxiouscfumelSzsunu
these burning substances causo4 the
| fire-fghters to drop by thes sdo1en- "a
was only by heroic work that thein
companions succeededstn savfngteeueku1
of the unconscious men, Fire 0h1ee
Croker personally directeds <he<wuslIru
rescue.
Lieutenant CampbaII was. overcome
while at the head OF asrescufng party.
He was missed when the party re-
turned to the street., and another de-
tachment had te enter the building at
great risk and save him. He was re-
vived, with the many others, over
whom big force OF ambulance sur
geons worked like beavers.on the side-
walks nearby.
-Searchers going through the build
| ing after the flames were under con-
troll stumbled over the bodies of sew
eral firemen who had dropped in their
tracks Most of them were revived,
but Edward Donevill may die as a re-
| suit of inhalation of smoke and flame.
| There were similar fears at first for
| Lieutenant George Tighe, but 1t Is now
| believed he will recover.
The three-story building of the Union
Distillery Company, adjoining the
burning structure was in danger for
some time. but determined work by the
! firemen saved 1t.
Chief Henrt-BroIsen.
Chief Croker, who with Deputy Chief
I John Binns and Battalion Chief Gro
gen. stayed in the building until tho
fire was extinguished, paid a high
| tribute to the two men who were killed.
Croker and the two subordinates d.
rected the fighting of the fire and yir-
tually took out all the men who were
overcome. The chief was broken-heart-
ed over the deaths of the men. He said:
"They died as heroes. Unfortunately
we are not getting the same kind OF
men for the fire department as we had
in the old days. The civil service rules
provide for men who know history.
geography and the like, but they have
not the ability to fight fires. have
been fighting all along against appoints
ing men for their mental ability alone
"What we want are men with good.
strong stitutions-motormen or
truckmen If necessary. These are the
mon who make smol1e-eaters. A man
does not need to know the capital of
Turkey to be a good fireman. Most OF
the men knocked out at the fire today
are civil service men, If men could be
appointed for physical and not mental
ability the department would be much
| better off,"