New-York tribune., 1919-09-12
Community Church, Long
Known as the Messiah,
Suffers $4,000 Damage;
Firemen Narrowly Escape
Police Reserves Called
Services for Walt Whitman
Biograpller III alte d as
Windows Emit Flames

Fire which destroyed a large part
of the interior Of the Community
Church, formerly known as the Church
of the Messiah, Park Avenue and
Thirty-fourth Street, started yester-
day afternoon at $3.50 o'clock just as
the body Of Horace Traubel, literary
executor and biographcr of Walt Whit
man, vas about to be taken into the
=. edifice FOR the funeral services. Fifty
persons. mostly women, were in the
chapcl when one Of the ushers shouted.
"Thc church is on frei" The funeral
party made an orderly exit. and the
services were transferred to the Pco-
pies House : East Fifteenth Street
The fire, said to have been caused by
defective wiring, started in the organ
loft. in the front of the church, which
faces on Thirty-fourth Street, and gain
ing rapid Roadway burst the great rose
stained glass window above the en-
trance. The glass fell and the flames
leaped Gu. SO that great clouds Of
smoke caused SPECTATORS on Fourth
Avenue below the Hotel Nanderbilts
which is opposite the church, to be-
hcve that the hotel was burning.
Four Alarms Sent In
Patrolman Dennis Cahill, of Traffic
B. who was on duty at Thirty-fourth
Street ard Park Avenue, turned in the
alurm. After fighting the flames for
half an hour Deputy Fire Chief Ross
sent in second alarm. which brought
Deputy Fire Ckief "Smoky joe Mar
tin. and subsequently two more alarms
were sent in. The flames crept to the
roof, and then Martin ordered the fire
men not to enter the building. A water
tower was set up on the Park Avenue
side, and 1t played a stream while
other lines of hose operated from ad-
joining structures.
While working near the memorial
windows on the Park Avenue side Fire
man George Lowson, Of Engine Com
pany 81, was STRUCK on the right leg
below the knee by falling glass. He
suffered deep cut and punctured
artery, and was hurried to Bellevue.
Hospital.
Captain Seyfarth, of Engine Com
pany 81. and four fremen Of his COM
pany, Felix Murray, Arthur Caine
Patrick Casey and Thomas Mccoy
had a narrow escape from death in the
church, about $3.50 o'clock, when the
fire was under CONTROL when a plat
form, sixty feet above the floor col
lapsed and crashed to the ground
Two Men on Platform
Murray and Caine were on the plat
form when it dropped. Murray seized
beam and swung out into the air
Game jumped to siXtyfoot ladder,
resting on the side Of the building on
which were Seyfarth. Casey and Nc
Coy: Mccoy and Casey caught Caine
while Seyfarth balanced the ladder
which had already swayed. A rope
was then thrown to Murray, who, with
one arm, tied it around the beam and
came down safely.
The entire reserves of the Third In
specton District under Inspector Bo-
Ian and Captain Ward were called out
to check the crowds which had been
attracted to the fire. especially from
Madison, Fourth and Fifth avenues.
Traffic on the Thirty-fourth Street
surface line was halted, and police
lines were established in Thirty fourth
Street on Madison Avenue and Thirty
third Street, and at Thirty-flfth Street
and Madison Avenue.
Damage Put at $4,000
Deputy Chief Martin placed the dam
age at $4,000, which includes the loss
to the organ. which was valued at ST.
600. The organ, built about three years
ago, was considered among the best in
the city. Other damage in the interior
of the church was done to the organ
lolt ana the celllnE, Whlch Iell.
In addition to the seven stained
glass memorial windows, valued at
S 600 each, the Robert Collyer memor-
ial, in bass-relicf, and the Dr.. James
IL. Parker mosaic memorial. were the
most highly prized within the church,
These have probably been destroyed.
The Parker statue was erected by Mrs.
Parker two years ago; the Collyer
monument was erected at a cost Of
$4,000. The Rev. DR.. Collyer was the
predecessor Of the present pastor, the
Rev. Dr.. John Haynes Holmes.
The name OF the church was changed
last May at the suggestion of the Rev
DR.. Holmes, who wanted the institu-
tion placed upon q definite community
basis so that he might "preaoh a uni
Nersai humanistic religion which knows
no bounds, not even Chrstianity.'
DR. Holmes is at present in kennc-
bunkport Me. He was to have dehv-
cred his first sermon on September IS
Traubel, who died in Canada on Mon
day was buried yesterday in Camden
!