New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-29
FLAMES FROM MUNICIPAL
BUILDING LIGHT CITY
Firemen Get Water to 2Eth Floor
After Some Delay. Smothering
Highest Blaze on Record.
ALARM FROM MANY SOURCES
Confusion Follows, but Burning
Lumber Pile Causes Little
Loss, Though Thrilling
to the Spectators.

Excitement too, possession of Park
Row. Centre street and nearby thorough
fares last night at : o'clock. when the
new Municipal Buildings jealousy Of the
Statue of Liberty nared forth without
warning in premature effort to en-
tighten the world. The effort produced
tho highest blaze ever fought by the Fire
Derartment of New York CITY. cnCen-
dered in the piles Of lumber gathered mp
under the roof on the twenty-fourth floor
Of the building. 10 he used in bracinG the
concrete forms along the UPPER floors and
i'm the cupola.
The fire was seen from many parts
Of the city before the engines finally
found the elusive flames and smothered
them with water The hrst notice OF
their existence came to Fire Headquar-
ters through a telephone message from
the freboat New Yorker. lying down IN
the East River. near the Battery. N"rd
was Immediately flashed 10 Engine - I'm
William street. which lost no time IN
hitching up and racing to the spot indi-
Gated In the mean time some one Wh"
had caught sight of the flames from
Brooklyn Bridge warned Watchman
bartholomew H. Clancy. stationed on the
Centre street side of the building. who in
turn reported to the chief night watch
man. William Duval.
When Duval went Up i'm tho elevato-
10 the twcnty-hrst floor. As far rs the
elevator would go he had with him Ser
gcant Stapleton and PatrOlman KENNEDY.
Of the Elizabeth street station. they
forgot To take water with thcm. now
ever. and came down again. Before they
r. ached the bottom FIVE engines, two
hose companies. two trucks and the now
automobile water tower were stirring
the neighborhood 10 a frenzy with their
wild bells. seeking i'm vain for the fire 10
which some du,iful citizen had summoned
them. The dutiful citizen had rung In
an alarm AT Box 1O2. AZ New chambers
street and New Bowery. ave blocks
away.
Acting DEPUTY chief Thomas Hayes.
battalion chief Walsh. twoscore OF
fremen and six lengths II two and ore
half inch hose finally reached inc TOP
floor Of the skeleton skyscraper some
by the workmen's elevator 10 'he twen
ty-frst floor. thence by stars and =
few venturesome spirits al the way ur
on foot They found the flames eating
along the piles Of lumber in the south
wing of the building 5ri beginning 70
crawl M into the Cupola. almost direct
ly above II was n lonS tim. before the
water came. In the mea. time the men
did what they could 10 beat ont The
sparks that fell about them in the dark
and prevent the flames from spreading
upward or downward.
At last the end of 2 standpipe was
located on the twentieth floor nj the
northern end of the building and an at
tachment made But when Engine 10
WAS connected down below and began 10
pump go pounds of pressure into the
pipe. something else went wrong. Bat
talron chief Worth was sent down 90 in
vestigate He found two places iu the
standpipe where tho caps had been left
off he said permitting the precious
water to escape. He plugged them up
with pieces Of wood Then the fires
term Of life was short
1T WAS tough job" said Deputy
('biof JTaycs "'TIoro Vcrc holes oycrv-
where. and it was dark as pitch. Tho
word was Follow the man with the Ian
tom,