New-York tribune., 1919-11-22
Sing Sing Officials Begin In.
vestigation on Hint of Plot
to Burn Prison That Re-
suits in S25O.OOO Loss
Second Blaze in Two DAYS
Lack of Water Hinders Work
of Saving Buildings as
Guards Man All the Walls
Special Corrss pondnnce


OSSINING, n. Y. Nov. 21.-Investi-
cations were started tonight by War
den Edward V. Brophy and Superin-
tendent OF Prisons Charles NJ. Rattigan
into the fire, thourht to be incendiary
which destroyed three buildings inside
the Sing Sing prison walls to-day. The
loss is estimated at S250,O00
Added Importance is attached by of
started the fire by the fact. learned to-
night, that there was another fire
within the prison walls Yesterday 1t
was discovered in closet in the ad-
ministration building and was extin-
quished quickly.
Warden Brophy, returning tonight
from Albany. said he would start at
once to question guards and prisoners
10 try to learn the cause of the fire.
Superintendent Rattigan, who reached
the prison tonight, talked to few
of the officers, then announced that
thus far, he had uncovered no evil
dence Of a plot.
Most of the institutions 1900 pris-
one~s were in the yard near by WREN
the blaze was seen springing from the
cart and wagon building shorty after
7 O'Clock this morning.
Guards Rushed to Walls
Several short blasts of the prison
siren warned the guards and the coun-
tryside that hrefighters were needed.
1t was also the signal for q rush of
additional guards to the walls. as a
precaution against d possible jail de-
livery.
When frcmen from Ossining arrived
At the prison walls, they were not at
iirst admitted. Armed men were
rushed to The river fence and along the
raj road track, before the gates were
opened. Then it was disc .vcred that
the prisons main water supp y had been
cut off through building operations
and that the tiremen had only small
stream from the village to depend on
Famed by a brisk wind, the flames
spread to the blacksmith shop. fifty
feet away, then ieaped to the foundry,
thirty feet further on. BY the time
Jhe trcmen were admitted and had ac-
cess to an adequate water supply it was
seen that the three buildings. with
eicil SoHLtitS, we're uOOHcu. ana all
efforts were turned toward preventing
.he spread OF the fire from the prison
proper
Prison Industry Halted
AT 10 o'clocl, the fire was under CON
trol A few OF the prisoners had been
allowed to help fight II. but Tor the
most part the cOnVicts were merely in
terested spectators. Prison officials
tonight said that il Il Jail delivery was
not contemp ated the prisoners planned
10 free themselves from work by de
stroying the material used in the prison
shops.
They pointed out that the cart and
wagon structure, where the fire started.
was used as a storage warehouse for
raw materials, such as cotton. wool,
oakum, paper, wood and brush materi-
ais used III prison manufactures. It's
loss haits practically the entire prison
industry.
The cart and wagon shop was a two
story structure Of brick and wood, 15o
by 80 feet. The black ksmith shop, next
below, was 35 b. - foot one story
brick. The foundry was a frame struc-
ture, 40 by 100 feet. All three bul. d.
,ngs collapsed.
Warden Brophy rendered his resig-
nation a week ago, to take effect De-
cember 10. and it was reported then
that the prisoners were going to start
trouble, to discredit cons ervative man
agement Of the prison and cause re-
version TO the reform type of admins
tration With its special privileges, such
as were enjoyed under former WardcnS
Osborne and kircnwey.