The New York herald., 1922-09-06

roof on the Twenty-sixth street side.
They stuck to this point for several
fours. keeping a continual stream of
water playing on the roof. and at no
time was the hospital II. danger Of
catching fire
The Fire Department went through
the blaze with no casualties, except
that lieutenant and three firemen OF
Engine Company 65 were overcome by
gas and smoke while working on the
fourth floor of the burning building.
They are Lieut.. George Foster and fire.
men Edward J. Quinn. Henry Hegerich
and Arthur Hunter. They were han
ding hose line when the smoke
caught them. They were carried to the
street by other firemen, treated by Fire
Department surgeons and were able to
return to work within a short time.
Clerk Discovered Fire.
The fire was discovered about 3
O'Clock by Richard Sullivan. a soda
water cler.i at 445 First avenue. on the
corner of Twenty-sixth street. He was
not busy and happered to look out the
window. He saw the whole street lighted
up by a fiickerins glare. Running out
side, he saw flames and smoke pouring
from the windows In the top floor OF
the Selwyn Building.
Ee went across the street and pulled
fire alarm box and then went imme-
diately to the offices of Bellevue Hos
pital and notified the attendants there.
The assistant superintendents We're
called at once. and put into motion the
plans that prevented a panic and prob
ably saved the lives of many OF the
hospitals patients.
The first alarm brought John King.
Deputy Chief. and several engine and
hook and ladder companies Because
OF the headway the first had gained and
It's proximity to The hospital. Chief King
sent in second and third alarms, which
brought Chief Kenlon. just returned to
duty after his vacation, three fireboat>
and the searchlight engines from Brook
lyn The third alarm also brought tnr
police reserves from Ave precincts, under
command OF John O'Brien, acting Chief
INSPECTOR Capt Ward of the East
Thirty-ifth street station and Capt
Mason of the East Twenty-second street
station.
The fire was one of the most spec
tacular the lower East Side has seen
in many months. and within half an
hour a crowd estimated at 10000 per-
sons were jamming and milling along
First avenue and the side streets In
an effort to see the huge clouds OF
smoke and the bursting Jets of flame
that flared upward from the burning
building Rumors spread that the hos
pital was on fire, and the police had
some little difficulty In keeping the
crowd back.
Detectives and uniformed men went
through the crowds. however. and told
the people what was burning. and that
the hospital was in no danger. After
that the crowds were quieter. Police
lines were established several blocks
from the fire. but the police needed every
available uniformed man and detective
to maintain them.
The police boats John Purroy Mitchell
the William II. Strong and the George
B. Mcclellan anchored off Twenty
sixth street and ran hose lines up to the
fire from the river. The firemen went
to tenement houses that adjoined the
burning structure on either side. In
First avenue and in Twenty-sixth street
and Twenty-seventh street, and or
dered the tenants to move. Then
from the roofs of these buildings a
score or more Of streams of water were
poured from high pressure hydrants
onto the flames. The searchlight en-
gines took up positions and sent the
beams of their lights through the heavy
smoke. greatly aiding the firemen in
their work.
After about two hours of work Chief
kenlon said that the fire was under
control and that the department would
be able to confine 1t to the third fol-,h
and fifth floors OF the Selwyn building.
None of the other structures near by
caught fire, although a few were dam
rr.x1 t.xr t1.<. 80
the smoke.
Shortly before midnight the flames Lad
been practically extingished and the ter
ants of the apartment houses were Al
lowed to return to their homes. The Fire
Department estimated the damage at te-
tween $4,000 and 100000.