The sun., 1919-02-18
80 FTREMEN GASSED
IN NARCOTIC BLAZE
Fumes Of Jute and Sulphu,
Make a Deadly Menace at
East Side Fire.
NOT BIG BUT OBSTINATE
Chief Kenlon Finds a Hard job
Trying to stop Burning of
U. s. Warehouse.

The white fumes Of jute, as innocent
looking as puffs Of steam. and the vel.
low fumes OF sulphur. more wicked In
appearance yet actually less deadly
combined yesterday TO menace flremen
working on a blaze in a Government,
warehouse on Forty-eighth street front.
ing on the East River. During the day
at least thirty fremen were overcome,
several being rushed to Bellevue FOR
special treatment
DIR. Harry Archer, volunteer phys.
clan of the Fire Department. said that
the fumes which overcame the firem.n
ish an East Indian narcotic which (,
produced by 'he burning OF jute. hemp
or other CJrous plants of the same
family 6r. Archer said also that on.
Of the peculiar features of the FIRE was
the fact that the f1remer were overcom.
by the fumes Of sulphur instead Of
teinp violently nauseated, which is usu.
ally the manner In which men are AZ.
fected by them. 1t is likely that thi,
was caused by the combination OF III.
two gases.
Chief Kenlon, standing IN the hose
strewn street in front OF the warehou-
watching small flames lick out of second
story windows after the firemen had
been on the job eight hours. admitted
that the fire was a tough proposition.
1t was not big as big fires in New York
city go, nor was It spectacular, for ths
sight of a fireman here and there drop.
ping quietly to the street or being ca.
ried limp from the building was no.
spectacular-but those fumes. the c-j'
said, were the "damnedest combuotou
he had ever been up against.
Respirator Fails to Save Him.
James Smith OF Rescue COMPANY g.
stricken while fighting the fire from w.
side the building. wearing the most r..
genious respiratory apparatus man has
yet devised. probably would nave agreed
with him IL he had not been unconscious
while on his way to Bellevue Hospita
The first floor OF the five story ware
house was piled within a few inches NJ
the ceiling with bales OF jute nh
Spontaneous combustion in the oily tors
had started a fire which was discoverei
about in the morning. The fire a'e
it's way unnoticed through the bales, and
the heat that arose. strong as the hea
Of a furnace. melted and ignited gres,
quantities of sulphur on the floor abocr
That was the situation which confronteN
the firemen.
1t was impossible to drench the hales
for they were piled almost to the ceiling
and as long as the heat from these bales
arose no amount of water would ke"
the tons of sulphur from blazing. A.
the fumes OF both dropped the f7em,a
who ventured too near.
Capt. Joseph c. Donovan OF Engine \
the first company to the fire. led his me-
up ladder on the river side Of 'h'
building to open heavy metal shutter
Before he reached the second floor
explosion of chemicals obligingly h'ev
them open for him. The rush Of gas H
stantly rendered them all unconscioas
and they fell heller SHELTER down Tie
ladder into a heap at the bottom. TU
of the most affected, John J. Burns AM
Andrew A. Sharp, were sent to Believe
while DR.. Archer attended the Others
Later two other members Of Engine {
were overcome on the second floor and
call was sent for Rescue Company ]. BE
fore the rescuers arrived with their res.
pirators the other men OF tho engine
company somehow had got their o~r
men out.
Hard Fire to Conquer.
Chief Kenlon endea vored during nor
ing and early afternoon to fight the hr'
from the inside, the rescue company men
In their apparatus staying for hours m
the second floor trying TO food out t''
blazing sulphur while below men walked
into the fume filled building. tore away
armfuls OF jute fibre and threw It 'N'o
| the street.
They worked in five minute RELAYS ~
no man could stand more. but despite
this the fire. which at first seemed trivia
| increased in violence On the river SD
the freboat Cornelius w lAwrerr'
poured tons Of water into the hul'di0-
! TO aid the rescue men and keep then
, from shrivellng up In the intense hea'
Among the men stricken and revived
was young Joseph Martin Of Hook an
| Ladder ., son of smoky Joe Nari'
/ and also a fire fighter OF great courage
AS the day wore on Chief Kenlon Va'
| compelled TO call for thirty new mon IN
replace the worn and gassed hr"ns
Another flreboat replaced the Lawrence
after she had been on the job e'gH
hours. The streams OF water ou.'nue'
to pour into the building during me
night hut the fumes kept drift.rE oH'
as menacing and deadly az ever TN'
damage is not known. BEFORE hc'"i
taken over by the Government to store
supplies OF chemicals and jute tine \''
York city Milling Company own''