The New York herald., 1922-07-21
JANE ST. FIRE FOILS
THREE DAYS ATTACK
Crumbling Warehouse Walls
Menace Neighborhood With
Further Destruction.

0TeeuNlcu Village volcano, the
burning storage warehouse in Jane
persistently all last night. blue smoke
oozing through gaping windows and
breaches made by fallen sections of wall
from little nests Of fire which it has
seemed impossible for the firemen to
reach
After seventy-two hours of attack
Smoky Joe Martins lads were still un-
able to conquer the remarkable enemy
because no. way had been devised to get
water to all Of the fire nests deep within
the accumulation Of Photographs and
rice and print paper and children's toys.
so tightly was the building stored with
material. Hour after hour, defeating all
stratagems, the slow blaze fed into the
heart of all this sodden junk, sending
its smoke bannerets over the excited
village to advertise its unconquerable-
ness.
Hour by hour it became a greater
menace as the walls crumbled in rotten
patches. sending terrific showers Of
brick into Jane or Twelfth street. rais-
ing clouds OF dust here and there or
sending accumulated water spouting up
like geysers. The roar of such down
falls was heard for blocks several times
yesterday and in the quiet of Wednes-
day night, greatly alarming nervous
villagers.
Cataracts of Bricks.
ever a question as to whether a grand
collapse. likely on the Jane street side,
wouldn't follow series of small out
falls. Smoky Joe shook his head last
night over the condition of both the east
and west walls, now bulging under the
swelling pressure of water soaked print
paper and pine packing boxes. He kept
his firemen back at safe distance,
rule broken only once. That was when
1t became necessary for fireman to
sprint into the death trap to overtake
and yank out an adventurous citizen.
Chief Martin was speculating last
night as to whether it would be prudent
to use dynamite apd make an attempt
to collapse the building within its re-
tanning walls so that he could finally
get full streams of water straight into
the heart of, the junk pile and so that
a possible collapse outward to the east
or west to the consequent demolition
Of adjoining houses or of houses across
the street, might be forestalled. But
there was no reasonable certainty that
the kind of collapse desired could be
broght about. and so at midnight the
| firemen were wrestling with a problem
soluble only by time. apparently Steam
! ing hot bricks continued to fall. varied
with the cataract like rush of many
bricks The roof Of an adjoining tene-
ment in Jane street has been ruined
and the house itself Is in danger of be-
ing smashed.
The families evicted from the neigh
borhood of the warehouse are still home
less. Twenty of them. belonging at 16
and Is Jane street, the two buildings
Immediately to the west of the ware
house and which have been condemned,
have been well cared for at st. Bernard's
parochial school in West Thirteenth
street Richard ]. Delaney of 100
| Greenwich avenue gave shelter to
! thirty. furnishing cots and blankets and
procuring food as WELL The Red Cross
and Salvation Army workers continued
to be active and helpful. and coffee and
sandwiches were served all day and
night to the firemen.
Banton Traces Chemical.
Throughout yesterday there were from
sixty to one hundred firemen on duty
at various times, while fifty watched
through the night and kept a dozen big
streams pouring into the queer mess.
Visitors until late last night were more
numerous than ever coming from dis
tant parts of the city. now that the stub
born fire of Jane street has been well
advertised. Lines of police kept the
crowd backed away from the neighbor-
hood. The streets were Uttered with
junk fallen from the neutrality-suspicious.
graphs in all stages OF condition. pack
ing boxes, chldren's toys. The cutters
ran full and people complained OF
flooded cellars.
District Attorney Banton continued
his inquiry which was begun to fix the
responsibility for the explosion which
caused the fire and led to the death of
two men and the injury of many. He
said last night that he was not vet ready
to submit the facts to the Grand Jury.
He ascertained from the city chemist
that the chemical which exploded aetu-
ally was magnesium and that II was
being removed from the storehouse to
be tested in Long Island City to meet
the standards required by the United
States Navy which was to use II in the
making of ammunition. He again stated
that no permit had been obtained by
any one for the storing of this ex-
plosive.
George J. Price. formerly employed
by weisenthal & Co. which concern was
removing the magnesium, told the Dis
trct Attorney that he had never stated
to the storage warehouse people that
the stuff was face powder material and
| NON -axnfoafye