New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-18
Men Fall FromExhaustion
and Smoke i'm 3-Hour
Battle in Flaming Pit
Under 18th Street Store
4 Alarms Sounded:
Crowds Look On
Engineman, Lost an Hour,
Dragged Out by Mates;
Expires i'm Priests Arms

One fireman was killed, fifty were
overcome by smoke and large number
among them two battalion chiefs, were
! cut and bruised last night in fighting q
four alarm fire which spread through
the fourstory brick building at 1880
West Fourteenth Street Twenty of
the fifty fell unconscious to the nooy
IN the sitting heat in the cellar. They
were dragged out by comrades.
The fireman who died was lost in
the cellar for fifteen minutes and
succumbed when finally brought to
the sidewalk. The blaze started at
500 and was under control at q
o'clock.
The dead man is Dennis Donovan, of
Engine Company No 20. He was one
of the first to plunge into the cellar
through a demolished grating on the
sidewalk
The fire was described by Smoky
Joe" Martin, acting fire chief, as one
Of the worst cellar CONGREGATIONS New
York has ever known. 1t was wit
messed by a crowd that jammed Four
teenth Street and surced so close to
the building that the iircmen were
handicapped.
The ground floor of the building is
occupied by the +. & R. Grand s 10
and 70 Cent Store. The cellar is used
as stock room. There was a large
amount of celluloid stored there.
AT 6:20 o'clock some one passing
the store front noticed wisps of smoke
curling upward from the sidewalk
grating. An alarm was turned in and
battalion Chief Quinn, of the Sd Bat
talon, responded. When the firemcn
arrived smoke was streaming from the
grating, with fame behind it. The
blaze threatened to spread to the en-
tire building.
Inc grating was smashed and down
through the narrow opening the fire
men plunged, some equipped with axes,
out only a few having gas masks and
oxygen tanks. One by one they dropped
to the cellar and began the task Of
fghtlng blaze that was spreading to
All corners of the basement So dense
was the smoke several of the fremen
scrambled back to the sidewalk and
notified tho battalion chief that more
men were needed The second alarm,
was turned in, and few minutes later
the third and then the fourth
Twenty Fall Exhausted
BY the time the members of the en-
gine companies responding to the third
alarm reached the scene, twenty mem
bers of Engine Company 90 had been
battling the terrific heat for at least
half an hour. They were exhausted
one by one they began to crumplc in
face OF the spreading smoke and flame
and were dragged to safety by fresh
tremen. But in the confusion and the
haste required in carrying the cx-
h1uCtOH M 70 hn IL
Donovan was overlooked. When the
members Of the company were counted
on the sidewalk it was found that Den
mis- was missing.
"Somebody will have to get Denny,
boys!" yelled a battalion chief.
Leave that to us!" cried Fircmen
Charles Costello and Frank McGrath,
of Truck No. -. The two firemen
plunged once more into the flame
swept pit and five minutes later they
emerged through the grating with
Donovan But an hour in the burn
ing cellar had been too much He died
IN ten minutes, just after Father
Boylan had administered the last rites.
van that the priest had to almost fight
his way through the scrowd to reach
his side
The fremcn were greatly aided by
an emergency crew of civilians from
the Edison Company. They Illuminated
the outside walls of the burning build
ing with seven large searchlights.
Among the members of the emergency
crew was George D. Martin, son Of
the Acting Fire Chief. Young Martin
did able work with a pulmotor in re-
viving some of the frcmen. MANY of
the tiremen who were overcome in the
cellar were suffering not only from
smoke but from escaping illuminate
ing gas.
Doctor Does Heroic Work
AS the fire ragged in the cellar and
fireman after fireman was lifted to
the sidewalk through the grating after
having been overcome by smoke Dr.
Harry Archer, honorary deputy fire
chief, coatless and hatless, stood be-
side the sidewalk opening and gave
mad Aua\