The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-16
No Time TO Save Anything as
Gibson Building Burns
Like MatchwooN.
c. n. ALDRICH SAVES SISTER
Stanford White Among Those
Who Have Had Studios
In the Building.

FIRE that ruined the old Gibson studios
at 1<2 East Thirty-third street, near Lex
ington avenue. at IL 80 o'clock this morn
ing, very nearly cost the lives OF Chester
Holmes Aldrich. the architect his sister.
Amy. and other artist tenants OF the
building.
The building was afre shortly after
midnight and went like a box OF matches
There was an explosion. 80 passersby
told the police and then furious uprush
and outburst OF flame which made a torrh
Of the old building In Ten minutes
Mr.. Aldrich and his sister were asleep
in their apartments oil the second floor
Aldrich was awakened by shouts and by
the crash OF policemen's clubs against
his apartment door. He got to his feet
cropping in the smoke. made his way to
his sisters room. dragged her from bed
and staggered with her TO the hallway.
where a policeman assisted them TO the
street. They had had no time TO get
clothing and they ned into the street In
bare feet and nisht clothes. They found
! shelter in the home OF Mrs. Rober; r.
Putnam. who lives across the street at
~ East Thirty-third street
minute afterward tenants Of the
| building who lived on the third and fourth
floors were helped to the street
chief Orders Men Ous.
Chief kenlon. arriving in red motor
| car that skiddsi and slowed down Lex
ington avenue as it hit icy rails and snow
bumps was yelling for his fremen to
back out OF the roaring furnace
paniss II6 and ~ who had charged into
the building with their hose lines on the
first alarm. Kenlon saw the hous. was
as dangerous as powder magazine and
that his men were within seconds of
dessh. His orders plucked them out
Just In time to prevent them from being
| crushed In the collapse OF floors.
For ten minutes the chief and his aids
! fsared that several Of the tenants might
have been trapped and killed. Among
those who were known to have studios
there besides Mr. Afdrich were Mrs. r.
A. fcazer. Mrs. A. Clark and Ihpbert
Reed. but II developed that they were not
In the building when the fire started
Ordinarily on Sunday nights there are
Gay parties In the old studio building
Last night. as IT happened there was no
party and few people were there
On Saturday night Lillian Russell was
| the hostess for a company Of artists and
stage folk In the rooms of the Gamut CLUB
and the feature OF the entertainment was
the cutting OF gift cake which contained
! jewelled ornaments for the women. ami
| diamond scarfpins for the men.
Hotel Guests See BIasr.
Patrons of the two nearest big hotels
| the Vanderbilt and the Park Avenue, at
Park avenue and Thirty fourth street.
were aware OF the fire almost as quickly
| as Chief kenlons force. From the win
dows Of these hotels people saw great
burst of fame a block to the east and
| south and observed that almost at once
| the fire spurted nifty feet above the roof
| tops.
In few minutes the hotels were emptied
! of patrons and most OF their working
| staff Most OF these were in evening
| dress, having been at supper or dancing,
| but they stood In the cold and snow for
more than an hour watching the men of
twenty engine and hose companies fight
ing not only FIRE but the difficulties of icy.
| snow heaped streets.
A second alarm was followed swiftly by
third and fourth, which brought most
Of the available fire force from south OF
Fifty ninth street. The heavy apparatus
was almost Interchangeable in the slippery
hummocked streets Horses fell to their
| knees. Motor trucks skidded to the curbs
Accidents Caused Delay.
These accidents caused delays, but they
| made no real difference so far AS the
| studio building was concerned. II was
faring from cellar to garnet in twenty
minutes and In forty 1t was a red ruin
floors fallen In, back wall collapsed.
After Kenlon had snatched his two
| companies from death he gave most OF his
attention to the adjoining buildings. The
principal one was the Astor Stables on
the southeast corner OF Lexington avenue
and Thirty-thir street. Although the
studio building had frontage OF only
twenty five feet on Thirty-t street it
extended back OF the Aston Stables for
100 feet.
| James Notorin. proprietor OF the stables.
| with his employees labored until he had
! got seventy-hve horses into the street
| Many OF these were nervous md hard to
manage, and the stable crew had to mufie
their heads. Notorin was able to remove
also twenty automobiles and vehicles
| from his stables.
| In the apartment houses adjoining the
studio building tenants were IN read dan
ger for. a quarter Of an hour. A family