New-York tribune., 1922-07-19
2 Dead, Scores
Hurt as Blasts
Fire W arellouse
foont'huod from page ono,

cials who watched the fire. After a
preliminary investigation Commits.
sioner brennan issued this statement:
mere a:e no records in the Fire
Department showing any permission
for the presence Of chemicals in the
building, and if there were any stored
there they were stored illegally"
The Mayor, wading across the street
talked with Chief Martin Chief Mar
tin saiG
Martin Called 1t His Worst Fire
"Mr Mayor, this is the hest fire
and the worst fire I've seen In Ill nv
career in the department"
The Mayor walked close to the burn.
ing building and made a personal sur
vey. After the survey the Mayor is.
sued the orders for the various in.
vestigations, and samples Of water
were gathered by firemen and turned
over to the Police Department for an
analysis intended to reveal the pres.
ence of chemicals.
concern, declined to say what mate.
rials were stored in the building when
Gegan, Of Police Hcaduuarters Fl,
would only say that it was a miscella
neous lot.
The heavy toll among the firemer
was caused by smoke, falling bricks
glass and packing cases blown from
the upper floors almost immediately
after the fremen arrived. There were
rumblings from inside the structure
and clouds of smoke forced their wa,
between the tightly closed windows
and showed the rush of air or gasse.
within. Then came the heavier detona
So1
bricks and stones from the walls ane
carrying with it packing cases which
were piled high in the building.
Part of tAe Roof Blown OFF
A portion Of the roof was lifted off
the west wall along the upper floors
was blown out, the wall of the tene
ment house adjoining tumbled and thu
windows in houses facing Jane Stree
were blown in. Every one within
radius of two and half blocks wa
ordered from dwellings.
Lieutenant Schoppmeyer, with Fire
man Lynt, of Engine 8, and Firemel
Corkery and Williamson, of Engine SO
started into the building through tn,
Twelfth Street entrance. The explo
sion drove them back to the street int
the hail of falling debris. Lieutenan
Schoppmeyer WAS struck by heav,
section of the coping. DR.. Feather
stone, one Of four surgeons sent from
st. Vincent's Hospital, rushed to tn
man. There was nothing he could d.
but stand aside while Monsignor 10
seph Smith and Father Delaney, of 81
Bernard's Roman Catholic Church, il
West Fourteenth Street, administered
the last rites of the Church. The othe
firemen escaped with cuts and bruises.
With few exceptions every fireman
working on the fire in Twelfth and il
Jane streets at the time of the explo
sion suffered from cuts or bruise
from the falling debris. Chief Martin
while directing the operations in Jan
Street, was with the men of Engine /
when the explosion all but blew tn
men and the apparatus from in from
OF the building. Chief Martin was Gu
about the hands and legs.
Mother and Baby Rescued
Some one told Patrolman Coleman
of the Charles Street station, who wa
among the first tc arrive, that a woman
and her baby were in the basement O
8 Jane Street. Coleman rushed int
the building and led the panic -stricke,
mother and child to the street. H
/ succeeded in getting them into tn
safety zone just before the explosion
IN SO oolng ne was cut about tn,
hands.
Temporary quarters were established
for refugees by the New York Count,
Chapter of the American Red Cross
which aided in checking up missing
children and restoring them to theil
parents. The Red Cross also estab
lished temporary hospital in a ga
rage at Twelfth Street and Greenwich
Avenue. Volunteer nurses were SEN
into the fire lines, and emergency sta
tions were established on practicall,
every other doorstep on Jane Street
and Twelfth Street in the vicinity Of
the blaze. Ambulance surgeons from
st. Vincent's Hospital, Bellevue ane
other institutions devoted their serv
ices to the more seriously injured. The
Red Cross workers bought large guam