New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-02-12
BIG BROOKLYN STORE
DESTROYED BY FIRE
Police Fear Lives Are Lost in
Burden & Co.'s Place in
Williamsburg. =
RUINS TOO HOT TO TOUCH
Actress Quells Panic in Adjoining
Theatre-Girl Telephone
Operator Heroine of
the Night.

ing place. The Dulldlng was cOmpletely
destroyed, only the walls remaining. The
fremen and police thought last night
that some lives might have been lost
either by the fire or by the terrific
trampling which was caused by the
panic among the women and children
The fire spread with frightful rapidity
and the flames consumed the dry tim
bers Of the two story frame structure
as though 1t had been so much kindling
wood.
A high wind famed the flames until
sparks were blown TO the roof of NOV
ing picture theatre next door 10 the
store. and in a moment that building
was a pillar of fire. More than three
hundred persons We're in the theatre at
the time, and when they found that the
place was ablaze they rose in their seats
and were on the verge Of panic. Here,
however, there were plenty of exits t.
the streets, and the ushers threw them
open and yelled TO the audience to make
their escape in an orderly manner 1t is
not believed that anybody was killed in
this building.
At the Gotham Theatre, Alabama ave-
nue. and Fulton street, fully half mile
from the fire. a panic was caused among
an audience of more than twelve hun
dred persons when they heard the clang
Of the bells of the fire engines as they
dashed on their way to the fire. y
woman was the first to hear the noise of
the gongs and she at once arose in her
seat and made for an exit.
Actress Gains the Tumult.
Her example was quickly followed. and
in a moment the entire audience was
seized with alarm and started a wild
rush for the doors. The persons on the
stage saw what was the matter and AZ
once the leading woman ran to the front
and begged those in the audience 70
leave their seats quietly.
Her actions calmed the frightened
crowd and as soon as the ushers threw
open the exits the people filed out into
the street. where they found that thei.
alarm was unwarranted.
II is not known who first discovered
the fire in Burden & CO.'S store. The
crowds Of women and children gathered
about the counters on the second floor.
where many thousand rolls Of oilcloth
and linOleum were on sale as the result
of fire in this same store last week.
were suddenly startled by a woman
screaming that the store was on fire. In
stantly a panic started among the shop
pers. and everybody made desperate ei-
forts 10 reach places of safety.
There were only two narrow stairways
that served as exits from the second floor
TO the street level and q wild struggle TO
be the first to reach these Joints set in.
The stronger trampled down the weaker.
Little children. separated from their
parents, were ruthlessly sacrificed in the
struggle for safety
The employees in the store, to the num-
Der Of about one hundred, tried in vain
to quell the stampede. They might rs
well have tried to stop the flow Of Nj
agara. In an instant they We're swept
off their feet and were themselves fight
ing for their lives.
Floor Beams Cave In.
The entire building which extended
for 10 feet in Broadway and $50 feet in
Rockaway avenue, was raging mass of
flames within fifteen minutes after the
first cry Of Fire" had been raised. By
/ L.
walls caved in and next the heavy iron
beams which held the floors gave way
and 1t is feared that many were carried
! down with them into the cellar
More than a score of engines and hook
and ladder companies responded TO thf
three alarms which were turned in. TIL
| nremen were greatly hampered In their
V ork by the Broadway elevated railroad
which runs within a few feet of the
building. 1t was not until fifteen min
utes after the first alarm that the powe,
was shut off from the third rail. Tn,
fremen had 10 string their lines OF hose
across The tracks and fight the flames
| from that point. All traffic on elevated
and surface lines was blocked for sev-
eral hours.
A row OF small houses in Cooper street
block away from the Burden building
was set afre by the sparks and Nos. II
and l2 bla2ed up like torches. In th'
house at No. 10 Mrs Henrietta Kay
sixty-hve years old and an invalid, was
living helpless in her bed. She would
have perished had ii not been for the
DARING Of hremen who dashed through
the flames and carried her 10 the street.
From the house next door at No. y
Mrs. Nellie Kuhn, year younger anC
also an invalid, was rescued in a simlal
manner Both women were cared for by
friends I'm the neighbOrhood
| The news of the fire spread RAPIDLY
| and people VINO had friends or relatives
| ,p the store crowded TO the scene, i'm
nloring the police and fircmcn to rescue
their mothers, fathers and children
Although the fire was under control az
midnight and the building PRACTICAL,
razed 10 the ground, il was impossibl,
for the fremen TO enter the ruins be-
! cause Of the intense heat If any per.
sons did perish I'm the flames and thcii
bodies fell into the cellar. as is feared
IL will rot be until some time to-da,
that search can bc made for them Th.
police say that nobody has been re-
ported missing.
one feature Of the fire which showed
the heroism Of an unknown telephon,
operator was made known by the DO.
lice. The switchboard operator I'm Bur.
! den's building stuck TO her post until tn,
last possible moment, and she left 4
only when part Of the roof threatene,
10 fall. During the time she was at tn.
] hnard she summoned al the umhuIunnr,