The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-03
100000 LOSS IN y
FIRE AT SO. FERRY
Many Have Narrow Escapes as
Flames Sweep Old Wood
Terminal.
SEVERAL FIREMEN HURT
New Structure Must Be Blaze
Proof, Says Whalen-Five
Cars Burned

The rickety old wooden terminal sta
ton of elevated trains ut South Ferry
was destroyed by fire early yesterday
afternoon. The terminal was not built
Of freproof material, but should have
been in the opinion OF Grover A. 'Wha-
len, Commissioner of Plants and Struc-
lures. The new one will have to De- ne
said.
The total damage is estimated at more
than 100000. The front of the Staten
Island municipal ferry house adjoining
the IL" station was damaged to the ex-
tent of $4,000.
A train of five wooden cars, the type
the Public Service Commission has tried
to have abolished. were completely
wiped out by the flames within half
hour after the blaze was discovered.
The terminal was not crowded and at
the alarm eighty passengers succeeded
in running down the stairway to the
street without injury. Only few
women became hysterical and were car
r,ed down by police and coast guards
who were stationed near by.
The heat Of the burning structure and
clouds of smoke that poured into the
Battery. combined with the intense
warmth OF the day. made the fire fight
ing exceedingly difficult
The injured
McINERSEY Fireman Hugh. Engine Com
pany s; struck by falling rafters,
GUsTAVINo. Fireman Thomas, Engine
, Co,npsn, 81; overcome by ; smoke Joke. ,,,
der Company 15; fell down the burning
stairway and broke his ankle.
HInpEP R. Joseph ,rsokT ssnrs .,
while assisting passengers from the plat
PREHMys NAT $40 sixty-seventh street.
Brooklgr. a deckhand at the ferry
house: injured while assisting nremen.
MITCHELL, A. f.. superintendent Y. s.
at barge Office; slightly injured while
escaping from building,
Street amSulancs: Slightly injured bring
ing down injured fireman from IL plat
THOMPSON. Edward. park employee. .ai
East Ninety fourth street: seriously tn
sued In fall from tree while watching
ballard, Ralph, n seaman of Pitts
burg. attached TO Coast Guard at Bat
terry: struck by falling timber. internal
injuries.
Sailors story of Injury.
Hallard's story. told by him while he
ray in the Broad street ambulance be-
fore going to the hospital, follows:
IL was going into my barracks to get
my clothes out OF the fire when a
thicksef>eop asked me II had nerve.
said that ! had. and he told me TO go
into the station and see II there was
anybody In there. Just as I started
something struck my back and was
unconscious"
The police deny the story.
Had the IL" structure been an oil
tank it would not have burned quicker.
The rapidity with which the old wooden
pianks and cars were swallowed In
flames after n tiny squirt Of fire was
seen licking the platform from one of the
end cars made the escape of the passen-
gers the more remarkable.
Third avenue train had Just pulled
into the station and was taking on pas
sengers when Frank p. Tuttle. ticket
agent, saw the fire and tried to telephone
the power station from ibis booth. Be
fore he could open the door OF his booth
the flames had eaten their way up to
that side, and he had to crawl through
the window TO escape. Fifty employees
in the Office OF S. D. Smith. Manhattan
district superintendent of the 1. r. T..
above the station. had to crawl along the
roof TO the ferry house to escape. Rob-
ert E DAILY of 100 West Fourteenth
street. Hoboken, another ticket agent, on
the Sixth avenue side of the station
safely reached the ground after he had
been cut off by FIRE. by climbing through
the ferry house.
The origin of the fire is unknown. The
investigation showed It might have been
caused by 4 hot box on one of the 81"
cars, a short circuit, or due to a spark
from a tar oven that was burning in the
street below. The entire train was so
wrecked by the fire that It was impossi-
bic to ascertain the origin.
Approximately 10000 people from
No 70 Ilotf
when the third alarm was sent in by the
police, bringing all the fire apparatus in
that part of the city. Police reserves
and soldiers helped the mounted police
and traffic men hold the crowd outside
the lines. Several times the mounted
cops charged the crowd up on the side
walks Of whitehall street
Ferry Crowds Add TO Jam.
The incoming ferry boats shunted into
the Thirty-ninth street ferry slip adjoin-
ing the Atlantic avenue dock, discharged
hundreds OF more people TO add to the
confusion. Craft of all sorts cluttered
the water outside the ferryhouse. The
hreboats were ready to lend assistance
from that side OF the building. The
feTies Montauk and Bronx narrowly
avoided collision in the mass of boats
that jammed near the slips. IL" trains
we're run as far as Rector street and
Hanover square, and surface cars oper-
ated as far Battery place.
Only the skeleton steel superstructure
OF the terminal remains. The old oil
lanterns that lighted the station long be-
Zorro electric bulbs came into the life OF
the marlborough curiously enough were
not damaged.
II would suggest modern structure
be erected TO replace this fiimsy one that
was used" was the statement OF Fire
Chief Kenlon after the fire was under
control. Commissioner Whelan said he
would not permit any but an absolutely
nreproof terminal to be built.
When the flames were finally smoth-
cred In the high-powered streams OF
water that were played on the structure
for more than an hour. 1t occurred to
the press agent OF the police reserves
that It might be a good bit of advertis-
ins for the police field day II a couple
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