The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-07-19
LATIN QUARTER
OF new YORK
FIRE SWEPT
Blaze Breaks Out In Early
Morn In Greenwich Village.
CONSERVATION ROUSED
AMONG THE LONGHAIRS
500 Families Driven From Their
Homes In The Bohemian
Quarter.
tBy Tho Associated. Press)

| NEY WORK, July 18.-A stubborn
puzzling warehouse fire in the Green
wich Village section of the city broke
out about eight o'clock this morning,
burned through the day and was still
blazing tonight after nearly 1900. 900
gallons of water had been played on the
flames by forty lines of hose.
'"The toughest fire I've ever encounter
ed was the way Acting Fire Chief
Smoky joe Martin put to Mayor Hylan
when he returned to direct his men after
having been blown out of doorway by
having been blown out of a doorway of
one of a series of explosion which rocked
the lower westside.
Two Killed
With the flames checked. but not con-
quered, investigation showed that two
firemen had been killed, three more were
missing, about Is persons had been taken
to hospitals seriously injured, and more
than It's had received first aid treat
ment at three emergency stations OPEN
ed by the Red Cross.
In addition, about 600 families were
driven from their homes in the Bohem-
ian quarter and tonight were barred by
the police from returning, lest the ware
house walls collapsed.
The outstanding feature of the fire
was the mysterious, pungent black smoke
that rolled out of the buildings soon after
the first of the blasts.
Fire Commissioner brennan, who de-
clared that no permit had been issued to
store explosives or chemicals in the ware
house, worked feverishly to ascertain
what indeed was housed within the four
blazing walls.
Magnesium ExpIodes. ..-
Later District Attorney Banton, follow
ing a conference with the fire depart
ment officials, said an explosion of a case
of magnesium powder caused the fire.
He said that thirty -eight cases of mag
nesium had been taken into the building
since March 5, and some were being taken
out by the way of the elevator. when one
was dropped and exploded.
The heat, he declared, ignited the other
cases, and then followed a great explos-
ion as flames began to seep through into
the powder.
Although the property damage could
not be accurately estimated without a
check of contents, said to include news
print rubber. rice and epson salts, 1t
was evident that it would run into the
hundreds of thousands.
Quarter In Panic.
The names of firemen and policemen
appeared most frequently on the list Of
injured. About score were struck by
the building material blasted from the
warehouse by the explosion or by falling
bricks or timbers. but most of those
treated at the emergency stations had
been overcome by the thick smoke. Many
returned to their duties after having been
nearly suffocated, only to report again
later for further treatment
The whole quarter was thrown into
panic with the first blast which broke
windows in st. Vincent's hospital, at
Seventh avenue and Thirteenth street
Open Studios.
After the first terror of the explosions
had subsided the Villagers began CO
operating with the authorities in relief
work, the artists throwing open their stu
dios to exhausted firemen.
1t is a saying of New York's Latin
quarter that every one runs q tea room
to feed some other villager and today
the tea rooms did valiant work. Painters
and poets, with their smooks and eternal
cigarettes, pressed close to the firenaen.
The lemonade they offered on the swell
tering day was eagerly drained by. the
weary firemen, who thankfully accepted
cigarettes from the men and women of
the quarter. Many canteens also soon
were established.