The evening world., 1911-01-06
.F|REMEN INJURED
WHENWALLFALLS
a." IS BLOCKED
Power Cut Of While Flames
Are Fought in West Broad
way Building.
FOLLOWS AN EXPLOSION
Deadly Back Draught Showers
Croker'S Men with Bricks
and Glass.
FOLLOWS AN EXPLOSION

inc new slp-etory nrc-pTOOI bull1-
Ing extending from Nos. Ga-7i Wooster
street 10 Nos. sss-ss5 West Broadway
vas reduced TO a shell OF ruin by fire
In the rush hour to-day. While Chief
Croker directed a three-alarm force of
iremen IN q two-hour bnttie with tn.
flames the power On the Sixth avenue
Il" had 10 he cut out below Eighth
street. ~crippllng nj transit below Fifty
eighth street.
a few moments before the IRE night
Ing force began TO arrive there was q
tremendous back draught explosion that
practically wrecked the building. show
ering fifteen bremen with broken glass
and debris. splitting the roof and bucx-
ling the wills on the Wooster street
side. And an hour after the fire wac
under control the buckled Wooster
street wall came down WITH crash on
a dozen OF the already seal led smoke
eaters, iniuring some Of them seriously.
No One In Building.
There was no one In the building when
the fire started. Policeman Corcoran OF
the Macdougal street station. passing
''fe 'N''ft SNiNtN NJ Tow, upNlEtu u
red glare at the third story windows.
This floor Is occupied Jointly by the
Union Gas a. Fixture Company and the
Britannia Art Glass Company. The
ground noor Is occupied by NJ. ID.
Barnes e. Co. manufacturers OF woolens.
The second floor Is vacant. The
Oriental shirtwaist Company couples
the fourth floor loft. and the NTH and
sixth floors house the cap and hat fac
tory OF Berg Bros.
Policeman Corcoran d,rted TO tho
nearest call box and pulled the lever
Three minutes later the apparatus of
Engine Company No. ~ dashed up, 10.
lowed by Battalion Chief Worth. Chief
croker's old horse Dick pulled worth's
glE. driven by Fireman John S;ap.etoa.
AZ the horse settled down on his
launches before the Wooster street en-
tranc 10 the building ana Worth and
Stapleton jumped down. stapleton cried
nut:
Il don like the smell here, Chief.
You better look on; FOR taos, men N,
the docr while I get ; . horse our OF
the way. Stapleton started his horse ON
sHV ss''p ~ NlstttiDU OF SET,NE
street. tossing the reins w. the AMI
ma. ! head.
Fifteen oarsiy Saved.
A later the explosion came.
Chief Worth had stopped the nftesn
men at the front door barely In time.
As It was. the doors blew on, and
hurled them to the pavement. As they
scrameied up "a back ~ayains: the walk
for the shelter OF the caves a great
shower of bricks and broken glass and
shattered window sashes came down.
All Of the frenen got some OF this
shower and were cut and scratched.
their labors.
Power on 81" Cut on.
When Chief Croker arrived the entire
structure a see,hing. Sheets of
lame were licking out over the IVES;
Broadway L structure. Cookers nrst
order was 10 his driver. Capt. Ross.
Telephone the u people," he cried,
TO shu. on the power. We've got to
re, our l.nes up or the l. or this fire
II get away from ms"
At 80 the power WAS cut or on the
T. and 1t was not cut In again I'M
III g25.
In the big building on the north a, Nos.
Ss1 $50 West Broadway all the metal
ceilings had come down At the shock
y; tho explosion. ono OF this buildings
air Hight shafts was showered with ed
hot embers. hut tho bremen doused
these before they did any appreclablc
damage.
AS soon as the work Of drenchlng the
Are through the roof was we'll organized
Chief Croker felt that he had the blaze
under control. He concentrated all his
efforts on conhning the blaze and sue
ceeded beyond his first hopes. When
he was aisle to take n breath OF relic
he said:
1T looked for a hit as /: tina h,as,
was going to get away from me. 4
was as hot a Are az Wa ever mad q
tackle on the jump. II mus, have nee.
smouidering inside for several hour
to have produced all that gas. It's
wonder to me that the walls didn't biov
out"
Croker ..eads a Rescue.
When the blazing ruin inside tn
building had begun to cool OFF Chic
Croier sent A dozen men Of Engin,
Company Ma IS inside to wet down tn,
emtsrs. They had been inside only
few minutes whru there was a rumble
followed by a crash.
The rumble was warning enouEh 2,
a majority OF the mea. who rushed oa
with bricks and s'acl girders rainin
down on every side. Chief Croker an
Battalion Chief Worth were iust on.
side. aud when they saw tnat IN
cracked wall>was AL down they led a.
men back TIN, ugh the mounds o, smoS
ing debris.
As Croker started In ahead OF HI
men he heard a cry.
who n it7" he asked.
John Read OF 49," came the murlo
answer Croker traced the cry to
thngle OF Flrders heapesi over wit
erumbled bricks and blackened timber
Both Croker and Worth seized CROW
bars ana prisd on the girders until N
ireman's head appeared. He was r,
loased In a few minutes. stlll consciou
Two ambuisnces had been summone
and hs was taken Ia 81. Vincent