New-York tribune., 1922-06-17
Cigarette Stub
Is Blamed for
Arverne Fire
Twenty Witnesses Declare
Painter Dropped Burning
Tobacco Into Infiammable
Debris and Started Blaze
loss Fixed at SI,5OO,O 900
Retarding Walls Are Urged
a. Only Means of Stop
ming Like Losses in Future

ming Like Losses in Future
John ?. Prial. deputy fire marshal.
,rsn,,ied n preliminary report on
thursday nights FIRE IN Arverne,
Queens. 70 Thomas J. brennan. Fire
commissioner, yesterday.
Evidence so FAR obtained by the fire
-rshal tends TO show that the dis
.,.,ous frc was caused by the careless
-" OF painter at work on the
y,,,ilus Hotel. Painters employed
,s,,e vigorously denied this, however.
Complete reports from the devastated
a.,r;et showed that no lives were lost.
"a in spite Of the swift spread OF the
,,,ascration and the resultant panic
g.. ere was seriously hurt.
Rspresentatiyes Of fire insurance
,.~psnics estimated the damage at
q 500 600. About $50 dwellings were
s,,,royed. FIVE blocks being wiped out.
yightv.ihrce permanent residences,
sstv.,hree bungalows and ten hotels
,,s boarding houses are definitely
,rown 70 have been destroyed.
vayor Hylan and representatives Of
,-..raree companies asserted that in
,4eonate water pressure was largely
.e.-.-sible for the spread OF the FIRE
r,remen denied this. Acting Chief
as-~okv Joe" Martin said he had ample
..,er nressurc al all times. He denied
,l.o .tat leaky hose hampered the FIRE
seo only fifty feet Of hose had to
5, vorlaced curing tho FIRE. he said,
.',boggb $4,000 feet Of hose was in
use
ioo.ers. being accused Of preying upon
,,fsgees whose belongings were heaped
ro on the beach or prowling IN tenn
rorarily abandoned houses in search
, Of plumber
Witnesses Blame Painter
A. least twenty witnesses who testi-
f,l before Fire Marshal Prial sup
,sr,ed the theory that the Ere was due
"a the carclcssness Of a painter on the
.oof Of the Nautilus Hotel, on Beach
sY.setb Street 40 the ocean front. The
vor.men admitted that they had been
smoking. but denied unanimously that
they had dropped cigarette butts IN
.he ireammab.e debris below them.
One man declared that every time ne
finished o cigarette he carefully threw
the butt into the Atlantic Ocean. All
said that they had not smoked for an
tolr before the discovery OF the hre:
T.s. the ire started on the roof OF
'ho hotel is an undisputed fact. One
a. the workmen testified 90 hnding
shingles ablaze on the porch roof ana
striving in vain TO eNtnguish the
famcs vith buckets Of water.
Chief Martin declared that no engine
company reported any lack OF water.
Every stream playing on the fire was
strong enough, he said, 10 20 over the
roof Of any building in the burning
area. Il was true. he said, that three
engines were coupled onto one line OF
hose. but this was done simply to OBJ
tain p high pressure line. The device
vls remarkably effective, he said.
q was here In the Office" said Chiei
Martin. "when the third alarm was
sent in from Station 962, which IN
e'udcs Rockaway Beach. Commissioner
brennan was also here. Nhen the
laird alarm sounded | told him was
going 90 Rockaway. and he said he was
going, too. We made the run IRON
New York 90 Arverne. distance y.
about thirty-twO miles, IN less 'hai
twenty-five minutes. / guess we wen
200 fast at times. but the driver knew ~
tia. f we hit anything he woulu es
be- frst and he sure did 'step Oh ~
an the way out
Called for Aid
"When we arrived we we're con
fronted by an awful scene fIV"
fifty-nfth Street 10 SiXty-seeon'
Street and from the Atlantic Ocean u
Jamaica Bay was mass oi names
After sizing I'd the situation / decided
shat il was q fire that called FOR unn'
usual precautions and precautions SCI,
dom taken for city fires. calico
Governors Island and asked the COM
mander there 20 send a corps OF sap
pers and miners. They were sent. l
then called ten more land companies
ard four FIRE boats
Owing 20 the terrific heat il was
impossible 10 fight the fire from an
angle that would do the most good.
We bad 20 fght IL from each end. |
viii say that ! think we had some
mighty good streams playing on the
blaze. although we had 10 relay the
water from one engine TO another be
.'Ie the proper pressure was obtained.
Chief Martin declared that the men
o. the Fire Department who were
called 20 fight the blaze were to be
eomplimcnted on the way they went
about their task. About 500 Of the
ctys frc-fghtsrs were called on.
Many Of them were just being relieved
from duty when the ROckaway alarm
sounded and were called on 20 do an
extra period Of duty.
Praises Local STAFF
Much greater damage would have
resulted had the Fire Department OF
nat locality not been brought 10 us
present high point Of efficiency ne
SAD. The entire apparatus there is
rotor driven and OF the latest model"
Asked whether he would make any
iseomnendations for Improvements in
ne Roekaways. Commissioner brennan
'aia he believed that fire retarding
Tals ought 20 be built there and in
every other colony outside the fire
..ni's. The fire hazard, he added, viii
oe materially lessened when the new
iosd from Ozone Park is completed.
Mayor Hyian. Commissioner Whalen
ana Commissioner David Hirshheld
were early on the scene yesterday
morning. A committee Of local civic
workers was appointed 20 meet them
.hd demand that a freboat be per
.rsnently stationed in Jamaica and that
sequaie water pressure be provided.
.syor Hylan gave out the following
tsiement:
=. According TO information received,
ns FIRE Department was greatly handi-
sfed IN fighting the fro because OF