The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-04-14
Predicted Disaster Follows
Two Defeats Of the
Giants.
COVERED SrAN0T0TAL LOSS
The Bleachers Only Scorched
IA Elevated Railroad
Cars Destroyed.


where McGraws National League Giants
we're beaten yesterday and Wednesday.
was burned early this morning. The
bleachers were ecorched for a distance Of
100 feet both ways and an Interborough
trestle with its burden Of fourteen cars
was destroyed.
Secretary Gray Of the New York Base
ball Club said early this morning that there
would be no game to-day.
A policeman was the first to see the
flicker of the flames. He was James
McCann of the West 152d street police
station. He called Policemen Thomas
Moran and Edward Heifron and the three
set to work to stifie the flames. They saw
in an instant that the wooden stands were
being licked up more swiftly than the
feeble streams Of fire extinguishers wer"
able to put them out. Two alarms went
in for the firemcn. one on top Of the other
The flames appeared to start under
the grand stand near the western end OF
the big south stand. By / o'clock. half
an hour after the fire started, the upper
story of the grand stand fell in. The
flames had eaten north and east with
great swiftness. licking up the hnmsy
woodwork.
The fremen made an effort to keep the
fire within the covered structure. They
were fairly successful as the flames
only scorohed hundred feet or SO Of the
bleachers. in the east stand and also in
the one Immediately to the north OF the
point where the fire started. The Office
building was saved.
John j. Murphy. keeper Of the grounds,
had his hands full getting out kennel OF
English settlers The dogs and two horses
were housed within the danger area.
When he had done his JOB and saw that the
firemen were doing their best TO save the
stands Murphy sat down and told what
he believed the loss to have been. He
said he thought it would be covered by
s2S, 600. provided receipts to ball games
weren't greatly interfered with. The
stands had recently been put in shape at
a cost Of about $4,000 Other estimates
made the total loss $3.50. 900, including that
of the Interborough company.
John J. McGraw. manager Of the
Giants. got to the Polo Grounds forty
minutes or so after the fire started He
watched the fire go through the stand.
The great flare Of the burning stands
spread over the sky. " was visible
from the downtown bridges. The citi-
zens of Harlem, seeing the flicker OF the
flames on their bedroom windows, got
up and started for l55th street and Eighth
avenue. the nearest station Of the ele-
waited. to see what was happening.
Some Of them who took fifteen minutes
to get into their clothes were stalled on
the elevated, however. in case they tried
70 get there by the Interborough. The
need of fighting the fire from the lSSth
street platform and the consequent
danger TO the firemen in case the third
rail were alive demanded that the power
be shut of, and above l2oth street the
elevated railroad was dead.
The crowd at o'clock was scattered
lover the whole hillside above the grounds
and reached in every direction for many
blocks. Taxicabs and private autos
brought more people every minute,
Coogan's Bluff WAS a sea OF eager faces, lit
up by the flames:
The Interborough storage trestle to
the north of tbs stands was in the path
J OF the flames. spreading in both directions
from the starting point in the western
part Of the grand stand. There were
! thirty cars laid up there. These were
. all destroyed,
Commissioner William j. Wright wa:
, one of the first on the scene. He looked
around TO see what he could save. Our
, beyond the reach of the hottest OF tn,
flames was second base. A brand or two
, picked I'D by the draft from the furnace
landed on the bag and set the canva,
t Pickering dimly. The Commissioner ra,
3 out on the field, stamped out the hane'
and picked up the charred bag Tuckini
it under his arm he walked away.
The water pressure didn't seem to bt
at its best. Some Of the bystanders at
tributed this deficiency TO the fact tina
the High Bridge pumping station ha'
been partly shut down for repairs. An
: other unlucky thing was that the Inter
=, borough, which has lately put stee
: tank on Coogsn's Bluff to hold water TO
= the protection of it's yards hadn't go
), the thing filed. and there it stood through
!, y out the fire, doing no good to anybody
u There were four alarms altogether.
,. The tenants Of apartment houses in tn
y reiShborhood Of the grounds were rouse
= by their janitors as soon as the fire gre'
~ TO considerable proportions. SPARKS wer
!" Aging through the air in the direction
these buildings and 1t seemed neoessar
TO have the families up and ready to leav
at short notice. In most cases person
!. living in the neghborhood were alread
y AT the windows or in the street on the
way TO the fire
The destruction Of the stands an
the long wooden approach from tn
Z. .,avated station at l55th street has bee