Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1882 — FIRES. [ARTICLE]

FIRES.

Destruction of a Number of Newspaper Offices in New York. Narrow Escape of Many of the Occupants from a Frightful Death. s' Flour Mills Burned at Lock port, New York. One Fireman Killed, and Several Others Injured. Hotels and Other Buildings Cpnsumed at Oxford, lowa O. S. Baldwin, the Newark Bank Robber Goes Up for Fifteen Years. A $1,000,000 Fire. January 31. 8:30 a. |m—The New York Times building is burning. The flames are raging fiercely, and no doubt the building will be a total loss. 10:30 a. fire reported as breaking out in the Times office originated in the building formerly occupied by the New York World, with the Times building, but separated from 'it by intervening buildings. Strenuous efforts are making to save the Times, but the firejs spreading rapidly and it is feared cannot be controlled short of the corner where the Times office is located. There is an unconfirmed rumor of the loss of several lives. Ambulances" are on the spot. There is a slight snow falling, but the air is dry and crisp, with a light breeze from the north, which increases the difficulty of controlling the fire. The block in which the fire is burning is an irregular-shaped gore, with the building formerly occupied by the World on its southeast corner, and Times building occupying the entire northern angle of the gore. The Tribune office is diagonally across Nassau street from the Times building, and the Sun office is on the upper corner of the same block with the Tribune. The Observer office was at 37 Park row, in the old World building. There were a large number of offices, stores and advertising agencies in that and adjoining houses. In one of those offices there were a number of women ■employed, and it is reliably asserted that one woman fell or leaped fiom the roof over Pettingill’s advertising offices, and was killed.

There are rumors of another woman being burned in one of the offices, but these cannot yet be verified. The pecuniary loss will be very heavy both on the buildings and the atock in the stores, including wholesale supplies of rubber, machinery, etc. 11 a. m.—The southern end of the Sere is a mass of ruins, but it is now thought that the Times office will be saved, though the danger is not entirely over. 11:30 a. m.—The Times building is saved, but considerably damaged. The flames are confined to the Beekman street and Park row corner of the block. Only one life was lost, that of the woman already referred to as tailing from the roof of Petting ill’s office. 12:15 p. m.—lt is stated that four bodies were recovered in Nassau street of persons killed by jumping from win-

dowfl. It is /eared that the loss of life will be heavier than at first believed. The building was crowded with employes, and very few could have escaped by the stairway. An old gray-haired woman was seen the fourth story cf the World build--png appealing for help. Her lips were seen to move fcut her voice could not be heard. All who saw her were hor-ror-stricken. The flames raged about her person, igniting her hair and clothing. She fell back into the flames, ;and was no -doubt burned o death. A young girl, wearing a blue dress, who was cui off from the stairs, ran to *the fourth-story window on the Park How side, and stood hesitatingly, ■while the flames and smoke encircled her. “Jump, jump,” shouted the .•spectators. Casting a frightened look behind, she threw herself out aud fell •on the stone pavement, When picked up life was extinct, her head being •crushed beyond recognition. A few minutes lates a negro woman appeared at the third-story window of the World office, on the Park Eow side, and also jumped to the sidewalk. JShe was badly injured, and taken to the Chambers Street Hospital. Several men and women saved themselves by leaping from the windows in Nassau street. When the woman who was killed jumped from the window there were two ,men hanging from the window-sills by their Anger ends. The ladders were too short to

'reach them, and they were saved by firemen mounting on one another’s shoulders, and the men let themselves down with their aid.! A bootblack on the corner of Beckman street and Park row, seeing some men entangled in the telegraph wires adjoining the burning premises, climbed a pole and cut the wires, releasing them from a critical position. Several people descended from the burning building on the Nassau street side | by reaching the telegraph pole. One boy leaped from the fifth story and would doubtless have been killed but f&r the wires breaking his fall. He was hurt but not dangerously. An express wagon with a heavy canvas covering drew up under the windows, and several men, who were about to leap to the ground, were told by the driver to jump on the wagon, which they did, and escaped any hurt. One young woman stood upoir the window-sill of the fourth-story until the firemen arranged a large piece of canvas which they held at enas and side. When all was Yeady she threw her hands straight over her head and jumped. She fell upon the outstretched canvas, aDd escaped injury. A woman and two men are said to have been seen at a window on Nassau street, and then to disappear in the flames. A man who gained the roof and escaped by way of the Times building, shouted to his rescuers that other human beings were perishing there. Three men appeared in the fouruhstory window imploring aid with outstretched arms. None was possible from without,but a quick-witted negro, a bootblack in Park Row, named Charles Wright, climbed a large telegraph pole in front of the Evening Mail office and cut the wires, enabling the men to slide down them and escape.

Competeut judges sum up the total loss on all property, including the building, at over $1,000,000. The number of losers is prodigious. It is estimated that in the innumerable offices in the building fully 500 men, women and boys found employment. A number of girls were employed in the two upper stones of the building, in which there were many small printing offices and book-bind-eries. New York,J|Feb. 1, —The ruins of yesterday’s great fire are still to hot to admit of search for bodies. No more missing have been reported to the police. The dead are known to be Ellen Bull, Bichard S. Davey and an unknown woman, whom many people saw fall back into a window full of flames. . Inquires have been made at the police station for fifteen sersons. AT LOCKPORT, N. Y. Lockport, February I.—The flour mills of Thornton & Chester, Arnold & Little and Oliver Gibson, burned last night. Assistant Chief Engineer Geo. Woods, was cut off by the fire, and compelled, as a last hope, to jump from the sixth story. He was killed instantly. Several firemen were badly hurt. Loss, SIOO,OOO. IN JOHNSON COUNTY, lOWA. lova City, lowa, February I.—A fire at Oxford village, sixteen ‘miles west of lowa City, destroyed the Central Hotel and Dinwiddie House and the Douglass building, occupied by James Hannon, grocer, at an early hour this morning. Insurance unknown. The property was entirely destroyed.