The evening world., 1917-10-13
ELEVATOR IS FIRED
BY BOMB EXPLOSION;
SHIPS PUT IN PERIL
tConunusd frun first PogoJ


debris was cut out by hls men. many
~ whom suffsrd burns and bruises
Ths Captain was carried along tho
root 10 the end tower. known ~ NJ
8. and then To the street. lie ~ss
taken by Dr. Daily 60 the Long Island
Hospital. suffering from broken
hight ankle. n cut head. Eash In
his neck and many bruises.
Tho three towers were Numbered
two, Ave and eight. No. was over
stores. or compartments Nos. 1. .. ~
No. took care Of stores Nos. T. b
No. 3 10 OF brick and the others OF
wood, covered with metal.
On one side OF the burning struc..
ture, at Pier No. %. are the slips OF
the sicuia-American Steamship Com
pany whose men responded 10
the first alarm and fought the flames
until tho firemen arrived. To tho
south, Pier No. - 10 occupied by tho
Trinidad steamship Company. and a
steamer was alongside. The com
panys men kept this vessel wet down
with their own IRE apparatus.
Fivu feet OF the Pacific Street wall
]
past ~ o'clock BY this time there
VIZ c on the roof. In charge Of Bat
talicn Chief Honernan, Engine Com
panies Nos. 2O2. 2o7. 22s and 22i, the
latter returning 10 the night AFTER
their rescue OF Capt. Manning. sud
denly the fire sprang Al Them from
new angles, and Il looked ns " the
four companies were caught In trap.
Chief Kenlon hastily gave orders
for the irsmen 90 withdraw All
co o.npanies lashed their hose, 80 that
four streams were playing right down
into the flames. and then got safely
away I'm the direction OF Tower No. ..
TIE fre turned out one of the most
stubborn ever fought by the Depart
ment. A. / o'clock this afternoon the
flames reached the middle tower, No
| s, whic.. sealed tho fate of that part
OF. II not the entire elevator.
About the same time store No. 2
fell In. The burning grain in the
upper floors fell through the flooring
10 tho store below. and came In such
quantities as 10 bulge both side walls
The latter went out with a roar like
an oxplosltion Of dynamite. carrying
away thirty feet Of the pier. smash
ing piles and sending Burning TIM
ber into the river near the nghting
nre tugs.
The freboats New Yorker and
william strong were imperilled. but
managed 20 get out OF reach, keeping
their streams going feebly against
the strong wind.
store No. . followed soon after and
twenty .firemen, under Battalion
Chief Hefrernan. narrowly escaped
being caught on the roof. They were
warned and jumped TO the roof OF
store No. I. owen Ward. one OF
them, was struck by nying timbsrs
and his left HIP was fractured and
one Of his eyes cut. DIR. DAILY retired
him from the work.
stores No. and were quickly
destroyed. the hreboat New Yorker
narrowly escaping destruction for the
second time whom the walls OF the
former fell Into the river, consider
ab.o OF the debris landing on the
boat which was forced 90 move
away from the fire.
Realizing tho building was past
saving. tho iiremen turned their at
tention 10 protecting the surrounding u
property. The dock OF the Sicula-
, Americana Steamship Company
caught fre several times
Supt. Tomkins and two employees
+, James Skidmore and Joseph Benson
were summoned 10 Fire Department
headquarters IN the Municipa
Building this afternoon to give theil
. versions Of the origin Of the fire e
Deputy Commissioner Laimbeer o
, Brooklyn. Two customs officials whC
were IN the building when the fir'
started say they heard explosions.