The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-04-04

New York, April 4-The liveliest
kind OF a fre, feeding on the paper
stock stored in is and rs BeekInan
street. yesterday afternoon. combined
with much water and more arndiluted
axcifemef1t held up business in the
block bounded by Spruce, William.
Beekman and Nassau streets, drew an
audience = headed by about every
known city official and gave the ire
men hard job.
Though mastered early the fire. was
not subdued by any means. and at
10 o'clock last night the hrenen Were
compelled to go after spurts Of nam e:
Fire in closely packed paper IS almost
a. hard to extinguish, as a cotton Dale
IRE, and it was this that caused the
trouble. Everything in the two build
ings will have to be thrown out be
fore all the danger is over
80 far as the two buildings are
coucerned the FIRE went through them
from the roof to the ground floor.
leaving only hollow shells. There
IT did the bulk OF the $4,000 dam
age It ernptied the Nassau-B Beck
man building at 40 Nassau street,
sending about 1900 persons to the
streets while it burned the woodwork
in offices on the fifth and sixth floors.
Incidentally It gave the elevator men
4 chance to show their presence Of
mind in getting the young women
down water drenched elevator shafts
with nothing worse than one ease OF
fainting.
Il cracked the windows OF the
building at III, Is and Is Beekman
street and drove everybody there in
to the street. 1t filled UP the Potter
building and the old Times building.
stopping all work there, and then
swung over into the Sun building. at
Nassau and Spruce streets, which
speedily became suffocatingly full of
smoke from press room to roof. giving
the windows on the south side the test
or their lives. 1t made everybody
quit in Spruce street whose buildings
backed on the fire and, finally it sent
q river of water into the new subway
man down to William street.
Insurance Men In Charge
with it all, so far as any one. could
learn, no life was lost, and except for
minor scratches and bruises received
as a matter Of course by the dremen,
no one was injured.
The old fashioned brownstone FIVE
story buildings at Is and ls Beeknan
street are owned respectively by Alice
are In the heart Of the wholesale paper
district. No. 16 was occupied on the
ground floor and Easements by the
Bishop Paper Co. The second floor
was occupied by the Luncheon Hour,
a MONDAY restaurant. while the third,
fourth and fifth floors were at one
time used by Lasaer & Lathrop. paper
dealers The same firm occupied all
of NO. "a.
Fire on the night of March went
through Nos. 6 and 1s pretty thor
oughly- The insurance people took
charge thereafter and were in charge
yesterday when the fire began. For
ana saIvaging what stock they could
and about all of any value had, been
taken out. At the same time repair
men were at work, glaciers and
plumbers were kept busy about the
place and carpenters were active get
ting the Luncheon Hour ready for
business again.
Spencer Lathrop, president of
Lasher & Lathrop, who are now at
104 Duane street, said he understood
that the fire began around the second
Hoor, near the lunch room. Fire Chief
KenIon and Fire Marshal Brophy said
they understood it began on the third
door. From the windows Of The Sun
Art Department, three minutes after
the first cry of fire, it looked as
though the blaze was all on the fourth
and hfth floors Of No. 16.
Wherever it began it was one of
the fastest fires that old time firemen
evr seaw. Beginning almost on the
stroke Of 2 o'clock, five minutes after
ward, 1t was seethfng furnace ON the
fourth and fifth floors. It appeared
to be climbing down and up, front and
back BiI1ows of the fire shot over
the 20-foot area between the rear OF
the buildings and licked at The Sun
building. They seemed to drive
through the walls or fire door into
No. i 8, and within 10 minutes were
rolling up the aide of the old Nassau
Beeknnan building.
Alarm Given to Tenants.
Just about that time Thomas J. Fox,
superintendent of that building, be-
came exceedingly busy. Under his or
ders, his four elevator men gave the
alarm for the tenants to leave while
Fox tried to close the iron shutters
on the windows overlooking the burn
ing building. He got them closed all
right on the seventh floor, and mostly
on che sixth n0ors uutfa he came 10 one