The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-07-19
FIREMEN FIGHT
STUBBON BLAZE

New York, July 1S (By the Asso-
ciated Press).-A stubborn, puzzling
warehouse fire in the Greenwich Viii
lage section of the city broke out
about o'clock this morning, burned
through the day and was still blazing
tonight afker nearly 10000 gallons
of water had been played on the
flames by 40 lines of hose.
"The toughest fire I've ever en-
countered," was the way Smoky
Martin, acting fire chief, put it 70
Mayor Hylan when he returned to
direct his men after having been
blown out of a doorway by one of a
series of explosions which rocked tn,
lower West Side.
With the flames checked, but not
conquered, 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 ITS had re-
ceived first aid treatment at three
emergency stations opened by the
Red Cross.
In addition, about 500 families
were driven from their homes in the
Bohemian quarter and tonight were
barred from returning by the police
lest the warehouse walls should COL
lapse.
The outstanding feature of the fire
no -
rolled out of the building, soon after
the first of the blasts.
Fire Commissioner brennan, who
declared that no permit had been is
sued to store explosives or chemicals
in the warehouse, worked feverishly
to ascertain what indeed was housed
within the four blazing walls. Final
ly policemen were sent through the
milling thousands who had gathered
to watch the blaze, paging officials of
the Manufacturers Transit company,
operating the six story warehouse.
Later District Attorney Banton,
following a conference with fire de-
partment officials, said an explosion
of q case of magnesium powder caus-
ed the fire. He said that 38 cases of
magnesium had been taken into the
building since March and that some
Of them were being taken out by way
of the elevator when one was drop
ped-a and exploded. -7ssA'z t..+zAs -ssss->-as
The heat, he declared, ignited the
other cases, and then followed n
great explosion as flames began to
seep through into the powder. AL
though the property damage could
pot be accurately estimated without
check of the content, said to include
newsprint, rubber, rice and EPSON
salts, it was evident that it would
run into the hundreds of thousands
of dollars.
men appeared most frequently on the
list of injured. About score were
struck by the building material blast
ed from the warehouse by the ex-
plosion, or by falling bricks or tim
bers, but most of those treated at the
emergency station had been overcome
by the thick smoke. Many retm
ed to their duties after having been
nearly suffocated, only to report
again for further treatment.
The whole quarter was thrown into
panic with the first blast, which
broke windows in st. Vincent's hos
pital at Seventh avenue and Thirteen.
tn street.
After the first terror of the explo.
, sion had subsidized, the Villagers" be.
gan cooperating with the authori.
ties in relief work, the artists throw
ing open their studios to exhausted
firemen.
1t is saying of New York's Latin
quarter that every one runs tea,
room to feed some other villager anC
today the tea rooms did valiant work
Painters and poets, with their smocks
and eternal cigarettes, pressed close
to the firemen. The lemonade they
offered on the sweltering day was
eagerly drained by the weary firemen
who thankfully accepted cigarettes
from the men and women of the quar-.
ter. Many canteens also soon were
established.