The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-12
FIRE TN CHURCH
OF THE MESSIAH
HALTS FUNERAL
Rites for Horace Traubel
Interrupted at "Com-
munity" Edifice.
FIREMAN CUT BY GLASS
Ceiling Falls, Wrecking In
terror, Including $4,000
Organ.

Just as the body of Horace Traubel
poet, editor and Walt Whltman's biog-
rapher. was about to be carried into
John Haynes Holiness Community
Church. formerly the Church of the
Messiah, Thirty-fourth street and
Park avenue, for the funeral services,
which were to start at $3.50 O'Clock
yesterday, fire was discovered i'll the
organ loft. 1t caused damage esti-
mated at $4,000 and the injury of one
fireman.
About fifty friends and relatives OF
Mr. Traubel we're gathered In the
chapel at the rear of the church for
the ceremony when an usher yelled
1.-THE church is afire!" They made
their Way to the street in an orderly
manner and the hearse was moved to
the corner of Thirty-fifth street.
Five minutes later Deputy Chief
George L. Ross was on the scene with
fire apparatus. Smoke curled from the
corners of the rose window high up on
the front Of the building and facing
Thirty-fourth street. Presently the glass
broke and the flames leaped out. Ross
sent in second alarm.
The fire spread along the ceiling
through the cockloft from one end of the
building to the other. There was nc
way for the firemen to get at the blaze
but through the rose window. Streams
were thrown through this aperture and
the flames died. to be followe6 by clouds
OF black smoke. F'iremen climbed TO
the roofs of adjoining buildings. and TO
the roof of the church on the Park ave-
nue. side. where they tried to batter a
hole to permit of some exit for the gases
forming in the cockloft.
100000 Organ Wrecked.
With the second alarm came Smoky
Joe Martin, assistant fire chief Later
he told of how he went into the church
with his men and the fire burning in
side the hanging ceiling. and how he
knew that the ceiling was due to drop.
81 was pretty certain" he said, that
there was no way for that smoke and
gas to get out, and II was only a ques-
tion OF time till the ceiling dropped. 4"
So he ordered his men out. They were
no sooner out than the ceiling fell,
wrecking the organ which had been put
In three years ago at cost of $4,000.
Smoke crept from the windows and
doors of the church. The roof began to
crack and smoke began to come through
In increasing quantities. Smoky Joe
sent in a third alarm.
All this time the fire had been fought
with the low pressure water system. The
engines were working loudly and hard
and giving. q as much smoke as the fire
From down Fourth avenue 1t looked as
II 1t was the Hotel Vanderbilt on the
opposite corner that was afire, and
many persons raced there.
Sparks from one OF the engines set
the top Of the Eighth Battalion fire
chiefs flivver on fire, but this blaze was
quickly beaten into submission by three
or four flremen with their coats
Smoky" Joe tried to get at the fire
from the roof. but the smoke began
to increase in volume. 1t mounted to
the sky in cloud of black and dirty
yellow, forcing the firemen down.
A lick OF flame spuTted from the roof
at the end OF the building on the Park
avenue side. 1t grew. Smoke fell abou,
the church and hid it from view. A
water tower began to shoot a stream
1t the growing flame.
Firemen Attack Windows.
1t was then that fremen attacked
the windows on the Park avenue side
with twenty foot hooks, pulling out the
panes to give the fire a chance to get
out. George Lowson OF Truck "a was
one of those doing this work. He pulled
at chunk of the heavy plate glass, and
It came away suddenly and struck him
on the right leg. He was carried
bleeding badly. to a waiting ambulance,
where he was attended by DR.. John
son and taken to Bellevue Hospital
One of the arteries had been severed.
Flames seemed to burst through the
roof from many parts simultaneously
IN great licking tongues. The sound
OF working engines ceased. The high
power water system which runs from
enc side of the city to the other at
Thirty fourth street had gone 10 work
on the fire.
Meanwhile the body OF Horace Trau-
bel had been taken to the People e
House. East Fifteenth street. The
Rev. Harvey Bee Brown, assistant pas
tor. was to have offlciated at the funeral.
Traffic was held up more than three
hours across Thirty-fourth street. Madi-
son avenue and Park avenue were
blocked from Thirty-third street to
Thirty-fifth street. The crowds neces-
STATED calling out the reserves from
the East Thirty-fifth street, West Thir-
ty-seventh street, West Thirtieth street
and East Twenty-second street stations,
under control of Capt. William Bailey
from the West Thirtieth street station
house.
The Community Church. better known
as the Church of the Messiah. has been
on that corner OF Thirty-fourth street
for ffty-five years, Several years ago
$l,25O.O 600 was offered for the prop
erty on which it stands, Last
year $4,000 was spent in tearing down,
showing back and remodelling the front
of the church where the fire started
yesterday. 1t is now a wreck, Gaping
holes mar the roof. The body OF the
church, although not burned. was
damaged by water and falling debris.
The Rev. John Haynes Holmes. pastor
AnVERTIGEMEGT