Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-14
Grand Stands Of New
York Nationals Fire.
Swept.
INTERBOROUGH CAR
SHOPS ALSO BURN
Game With Philadelphia, Sched-
uled for Today, Called Off
by Secretary Gray.

NEW YORK. April lathe damage
to the Polo Grounds in my opinion Will
easily amount to $25o. o.o0o," said John ].
McGraw, manager of the New York
Giants, early this morning, while he
was looking over the scene of the fire
that destroyed the grand stand at the
home of New York National League
Club on the eve of I e third baseball
game of the season.
starting a half hour after midnight
this morning, the flames within fifteen
minutes were greedily devouring the
big grand stand and hope of saving it
was given up. Only the work Of the
fremen in separating into two parts
. the vast oval of seats by means of
water curtains, one on the north and
one on the south, saved the clubhouse
Of the Giants on Eighth avenue and the
bleachers1 at the easterly end of the
grounds.
Car Shops Also Burn.
The fire, after eating its way from
the south end of the grand stand to
the north end, set fire to the repair
shops on the elevated terminus of the
Interborough Railway Company, which
abuts against the fence surrounding
the grand stand. Although employees
of the railway company who were in
the repair shop when the fire gained
neadway, fought the blaze with appara-
tug stored in their rooms, seven trailer
cars valued at $1,000 each were de-
stroyed, as we'll as four electric motors
stored in the repair shops, valued at
$25.o
Shortly after o'clock this morning
all that remained of the grand stand
was a mass OF twisted girders and a
heap of smoulderlng embers. The fire.
men played the lines of hose upon the
smoking ruins until daylight.
Fire Discovered Yesterday.
Catcher Hartley, of the Giants, yes
terday afternoon discovered fire under
meath the grand stand near where this
mornings fire started
Manager McGraw said this morning
that the fire was brought to his atten-
tion and that he and a number of his
team chopped away a portion of the
grand stand and threw water on the
blaze. He thought 1t probable that
the FIRE which destroyed the grand
stand had it's origin. in sparks left from
yesterdays blaze.
Three flremen playing hose on the
north side of the grand stand stood on
a platform, which collapsed under them.
They were thrown into mass of
smouldering ennbers. They and three
other firemen, who pulled them out of
danger, were painfully burned about
the face and body
Secretary w. M. Gray, of the New
York National League club. announced
shortly before 8 o'clock this morning
that it had been decided to all today's
game off.
the Polo Grounds today said Secre-
tary Gray mo definite plans have
yet been made for the future. When
we get together later in the day some
thing will be decided upon, and then q
statement will be made"
Low water pressure, due to repair
work in progress on the water mains.
enabled the fire to do more damage
than would ordinarily have been pos
sible. A new water tank standing to
the north of the grounds and con-
structed for just such an emergency
would have been ready for service to-
morrow.
The destruction of the stands and
Continued on Second Pase.)