The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-07-22
ALL DAY FIRE
EN- NEW YORK
5Fremen Have the Hardest
IN Memory of Fire Chief
Martin

aX&Stf t2H
New York, July is tBy the AS
seciated Press A stubborn, puz-
bling warehouse FIRE IN the Green
Hieh Village section Of the city
broke out about s o'clock this
ruerning, burned through the day
and was still blazing tonight after
nearly 4, GOO 900 gallons of water
had; been played on the flames by
80 lines OF hose
ct he toughest fire I've ever en-
countered,' was the way Smoky
joe Martin, acting Are chief, put
it TO Mayor Hylan when he re-
turned to direct his men after
naylng been blown out 9of, a door
way by one of a series Of eyplo-
slons which rocked the lower West
Side. SO.
With thesf flames checked, but not
conquered, Investigation showed
that two frenen had been killed,
three more were missing, about I 5
persons had been taken TO hos
nitals seriously injured and more
thar llzz5 had received first aid
treatment at three emergency sta
tions opened by the Red Cross.
In addition, about 500 families
we're driven from their homes in
the Bohemian quarter and tonight
were barred from returning by
police lest the warehouse walls
should collapse. .5s7sS
The outstanding feature of the
fire was the pungent, black smoke
that rolled out OF the building,
soon after the first of the blasts.
Fire Commissioner brennan,
who declared that no permit had
been issued to store explosives or
chemicals in the warehouse, work
ed feyerishly to ascertain what
indeed was housed within the four
baazing walls. Finally policemen
were sent through the milling
thousands who had gathered to
watch the blaze, paging officials of
sthe Manufacturers Transit COM
pany, operating the six story
warehouse.
Isate- District Attorney Banten,
following a. conference with, fire
department officials, said an explo-
sion OF a casesof magnesium pow
der caused the fire. He said that
33S cases of magneaiums had been
taken into the building since
March 5 and that some of them
were being taken out by way of
the elesator when gnes was drop
ped and exploded.
The heat he declared, ignited
the other cases, and then followed
a great explosion as flames began
: ta seep through, into the powder
Although the property damage
could not be accurately estimat-
cd dM- -yhout a check; OF the contents,
said to include newsprint,. rubber,
rice and epson salts it was evi-
dent that it would run into the
hundreds os Thousands of dollars.
The names of fremen and police
men appeared most frequently on
the list of injured About score
were struck by the building ma
terra blasted from the warehouse
Ny hesexpiesion, or by falling
bricks Ger tisnbers, 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 for further treatment.
The whole quarter was thrown
INTO a panic with the first blast,
which broke windows ia st. Vim
cent hospitaf, at Seventh avenue
and Thirteenth street.
After the first terror OF the ex-
plssions had subsided, the vii
Layers began cooperating with the
authorities in relief work. the ar
lists throwing open their studios
to. exhausted dremen.
It isa a saying of New York's
Latin quarter that every one runs
a tearoom to feed some other yil-
lager and today the tea. rooms did
valiant work. Painters and poets,
with their .smocks and eternal
cigarettes. pressed close to the
fremen The lemonade they Of
fered on the sweltering day was
eagerly drained by the weary fire.
men, who thankfully accepted ci-
garettes. from the men and women
OF the quarter. Many .canteens
also soon were established.