New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-09
MANY IN PERIL AS
VARN|SH PLANT BURNS
Fire Starting in Columbia
Paper Bag Co. Sweeps L. ].
CITY Warehouse District.
DAMAGE IS S360,000
Explosion Uncovers Tank Con-
tanning $50 Barrels of Tur-
pentine-Railroad Tied
Up for Hours.

! More than 100000 worth OF factory
| buildings. with their plants. clustered to
| eether i'm 4 triangle IN the Hunters Point
section OF Long Island CITY, narrowly es-
capped destruction by a blaze that started
| In the factory OF the Columbia Paper Bag
/ factory about as o'clock yesterday morn
/ InC The ere swept from one building 10
another. causing a total loss conserVa-
! lively estimated al $4,000
/ I'm addition to the special building
alarm, Deputy Chief Martin. who Is I'm
command Of that district, sent in four
additional alarms which brought fire
companies from Queens, Greenpoint and
williamsburg. while the fireboats Body,
! Mills and Mcclellan steamed into the
/ Nowtown Creek and took up positions
about two blocks away from the blaze
] and hose was stretched from the boats to
/ the burning buildings.
| More than five thousand persons viewed
( the flames and the fire fighters from po-
sitions OF vantage formed by the recent
new high viaducts erected by the Long
Island Railroad
Explosion in Turpentine Tank.
/ me UftneD INVADED the Dulluln6 bA'h-
/ pied by the American Druggists Syndi-
cate when section Of the building was
! on fire and where there was instant dan
ger Of an explosion OF inhammable stunts
/ or the danger ~ being overcome by the
| fumes from dangerous drugs.
When a tank containing go barrels Of
turpentine at the Pratt & Lambert Var
nish Works caught fire and the cover blow
on. the men simply halted a moment 10
see the eftec, OF the explosion. and facing
death in the event Of the turpentine tank
blowing up completely, continued pouring
/ in streams OF water on the flaming, boil
! ing mass.
Going back TO try 10 turn in an alarm
after the fire started r. a McCreedy, OF
| No l9i Oakland street Brooklyn, day
Waterman in the Columbia Paper Bag
concern. had his face severely scorched.
lie walked TO St johns Hospital and
had his injuries dressed. and then went
home.
4 number Of horses overlooked in the
stable belonging to the paper bag con-
Germ were released by Policemen Boehm.
Duncan and MckeOn at the risk Of their
lives
Robert y. Bell a tmekecper employed
by the American Druggists Syndicate.
was the first 10 discover flames pouriuA
! out Of the Columbia paper concern, just
across the street The fire had started
from an unknown source. and. owing 10
the inlammahle nature ~ the stock Il
| spread with rapidly.
Leaving desolation in its wake. the
flames hurried on through Sd street, burn
ing two box freight cars on a siding Of
the Long Island Railroad. and attacked
/ I'm the rear the varnish works OF Pratt n
Lambert. Hero the flames found con
genial spoil iu what is known as the ket-
tie or boiling room. IN the rear or the
factory Here was al/ the tank contain
iug the % barrels OF turpentine.
During the early part Of the blaze traf-
'c on the north shore division Of the Long
Island Railroad was stopped. both by the
flames from the paper bag concern and
also from the LAYING ~ lines of hose
across the tracks.
Many Costly Rug. Ruined.
The seventh floor ~ the Blanchard
Building I'm which rs located the Amerl-
can DRUGGISTS syndicate, lS occupied ~
the Kashan Rug Renovatins Company
and they estimate their loss az about SO
600 caused by water and smoke running
many OF tho costly rugs on which they
were working
H. Winslow White. president ~ tho Co
Iumbia Paper Bag Company. estimated
the loss Of hls firm ar S25o.ooo. This
concern had more than 100000 worth or
finished products waiting shipment Dc
stroyod.
The American Druggists SYNDICATE 80
Inmates its loss at about 500 and
when the 500 employees OF that concern
put In an appearance this morning they
will be nut 10 work clearing out tn.
water-loggcd stock
Pratt y Lambert ,arnish works, est
mate their loss at about $4,000 II e.
said all the concerns were insured Or
carried their own insurance.
BY noon the hre was under control, but
engine companies were kept all the re-
mainder OF the day and last night playing
streams OF water on the ruins.