The New York herald., 1921-03-19
FIREMAN, CRUSHED
IN BURNING DEBRIS,
DIRECTS RESCUERS
Keeps Courage for More
Than Hour, Refusing to
Take a Drink.
COMRADE BADLY HURT
Brooklyn Brewery Walls
Crash to Ground, Burying
Two Under Beams.
TENEMENTS IN DANGER
Many Families Are Driven to
Street Before Flames Burst
Out on Roof.
COMRADE BADLY HURT
TENEMENTS IN DANGER

Firemen John Bendy and William
Walsh of Truck Company lac were
buried beneath pile of burning wreck
age late last night when the roof of
the old Congress Brewery at 15s to 16s
Meserole street, Brooklyn, fell in dur
ing a four alarm fire that destroyed
the structure and damaged the top
floor of large tenement house in 21o
Scholes street, driving twenty-nine
families into the streets.
The work of digging Walsh out from
under the ruins proceeded for some time
by the light of the burning building.
which housed cooperage works and an
automobile storage house and a mass of
inflamnable material that made the fire
one OF the most spectacular Brooklyn
las seen in a long time. But finally
the big building was entirely gone and
the fire that had threatened to destroy
the Scholes street tenement was under
control And when there was not suffi-
Client light for the firemen TO carry on
their work of removing the layers OF
planlss and timbers and beams that COW
erede Nyalsh's body the searchlights Of
the engines and water towers were put
to work.
The fire, with its great columns of
black smoke and the glare that leaped
hundreds OF feet into the air. caused
tremendous excitement in the Williams
burg and Greenpoint districts of Brook
lyn, and was seen in all parts OF the
borough. Several thousand persons Wis
tied the scene while the fremen were
working. and they crowded so close to
the apparatus that police reserves had
10 ha 70 ri fbaYY ha oh
The fire started originally In the plant
of the Williamsburg Cooperage Works.
which occupied that part OF the old
brewery building running from 163 70
fo9 Meserole street, and spread quickly
Into the automobile storage house of
Ohm Wallack, in 159 and 161 Meserole
street.
Only a short time after the fire
started the Fire Department and the
police ordered the tenants of 210 Schores
street. directly in the rear of the brewery
building, TO leave their homes. They fled
In their night clothing down fire escapes
and stairways, and the last OF them had
hardly left before the top floor burst
into flames. The firemen had been
watching for this. however. and were
able TO extinguish the flames quickly.
Many OF the tenants, however. were cut
and burned in their efforts to get out
quickly. and a few OF those who fingered
on the top floor in the hope OF saving
their belongings were slightly burned.
They were attended by surgeons from
the St. Catharine's. Greenpoint and
Williamsburg hospitals and by drug
clerks In the nelghborhood.
Bendy and Walsh were In a detail
Of SIX firemen who carried their lines
hose close to the walls Of the burning
uilding and threw the water upward
-lfnost perpendicularly. Other fremen
saw the roof buckling and cracking. and
they shouted an alarm. Four of the
men leaped backward to safety, but
Bendy and Walsh were caught. They
went down underneath the pile of wreck
age that plunged downward from the
walls and roofs. About IL o'clock other
fremen dragged Fireman Bendy from
the wreckage, but he was unconscious
his clothing had been burned and ripped
almost from his body, and he had been
30 badly hurt that he was hurried at
once to st. GATHERINGS Hospital. where
physicians said ne had a possible frac-
ture OF the skull. fracture OF both legs
and probably internal injuries. He Is
mot expected to recover.
Fireman Walsh, however. was pinned
underneath the wreckage for more thar
an hour and was not rescued until after
midnight. The danger OF dropping huge
beams and timbers down upon him was
Sc great that the firemen OF the rescue
squad and others detailed from truck
and engine companies TO help In the
work literally had to remove the wreck
age piece by piece and layer by layer
Each small BIT OF timber had to be
lifted separately from the great pile oi
Emoldering and burning wreckage.
But during all the time that walsh
was pinned underneath the nile he re.
mained conscious and directed the work
OF his rcscuers. telling them at what
points they could hurry with their wora
and at what points they had best A.
slowly because OF tho danger OF crushing
him.
Il don't think am hurt much" Walsh
told his comrades. as one OF them
dropped 20 his knees and shouted 10
him. But you had better be careful.
There are a lot OF very heavy timbers
just above my head. and II they are
dislodged / am done for"
IL was a long hour that Walsh re-
manned underneath the wreckage. and
Il was a very painful hour for him. be-
cause one OF his legs had been injured
and he was suffering terribly from in
ternai injuries But through all OF the
torture Of the timbers pressing against
his body and the sufrocating smoke tina,
rolled under the wrecHage from the
watersoaked and smouldering beams
Walsh retained his courage At one
time during the work. after the rescue
had progressed to the point where the
nleam OF walsh's helmet was visible in
the rays OF the lights. a physician asked
him IL he wanted a drink
II never took a drink in my life," hs
said. This ie no time TO begin III
- Htx~kr asff ~.