The New York Herald Newspaper, December 27, 1872, Page 3

HE FIRES. shal MeSpedon’s Investigation Into the Causes and Circumstances of the Re- cent Terrible Conflagrations. BARNUM’S IRON-BOUND BANDBOX. Testimony of the Employes of the Me- nagerie, the Firemen and Others. THE CENTRE STREET CATASTROPHE. What the Printers, Pressmen and Bookbind- ers Know About the Burned Building, | THE FATAL FIRE-ESCAPES (?) eceeeersaaenereene The Scene of the Ruins Yesterday—Seven Lives Known To Be Lost—Grief of the Afflicted Relatives—Search for the Bodies | To Be Commenced To-Day. | A Fire in Franklin Street Last Night and Loss $60,000. The ruins of the Centre street fire, notwith- standing the severe snow storm, continued to burn all through the day yesterday, An engine which is stationed at the Corner of Centre and Worth streets is stuck fast in the snow, but this does not interfere with its usefulness, a line of hose attached to it playing with efficiency on the blazing débris., The block presented a singular spectacle, In the interior of the building the snow was piled up in small pyramids, the blackened elevator standing out in singular contrast with the white- ness of everything around. In the corner of the building adjoining George Middleton’s, the portion in which the unfortunate gtrls and the boy Bevins perished, nothing can be discerned bnt huge blocks of stone covered with snow, with here and there a burned raiter sticking out to indicate the nature of the disaster, In the front part of the ruined struc- ture thousands of icicles of every size cling to the remnants of the walls which are leit. Last night fome of the columns of ice fell, and through the crevices - THE FLAMES UNDERNEATH could be seen leaping up asif in mockery of the storm. The snow had fallen so thickly on every- thing around that the fremen were forced to use the most strenuous efforts to clear a passage for the hose, There were very few spectators, and two policemen from the Sixth precinct were amply sufficient to preserve order. Several fires were kept burning in the street through the day nd night. Were it not for this precaution the haif-trozen firemen would soon have perished. The great beams of which the bulldings were composed lay thickly around, and on one of them a fireman, of whom nothing cauld be seen but the Cars, was standing directing a line of hose. The NOZZLE OF THE HOSE was visible, but the rest of it wos buried iu the snow. It was feared at one time during the day- that the elevator would tumble over, as it was moving in the wind, but it uid not do so, and still continues to stand. The snow which fell yes- terday will facilitate the work to-day, as the bricks and ruins, without being cooled, would be too hot to eas The ee Be eatin an a wai ice are complete runs, thé wall ne: 8 burned buildin ‘at at fh ee d being a sf Ig to Middleton's saloon js ie ‘aresque confusion, the ents of his splendid mirrors being scattered 2 F ae ground, mingled with broken glasses and otties. ‘he loss to those who did business in the Caxton building and the surrounding ones is much more severe than was at first supposed. Dun & Bar- low, Anderson & Archer aud the New York News- paper Union are all z TRAVY LOSERS, ‘putside of their insurance. George Middleton loses from twenty-five hundred to three thousand dol. lavs.on stock and furniture. This 18 exclusive of the loss on the house he ccvupied, which does not belong to him. He is insured in the National, No. 52 Wall strect, tor the full amount of his losses. A representative of the company culled upon Mr. Middleton the day after the fire, and after some short conversation and an estimate of the loss a determination was evinced to proms settle the amount of the insurance, 80 that the business of the estabjishment could go en promptiy, This action is of great service to Mr. Middleton, and it Is stated that all the other insurance companies are equally READY TO SETTLE all fair claims, and follow the example which has been given by the National. ‘The total insurance ‘on the property destroyed is about two hundred thousand dollars, which is avout half the amount of the total loss. Those who are burned out have shown a laudable enterprise in their determina- fion to continue business, placards in front of the Ronee announcing that the business for a time as been removed to piaces which they have , - Secured for the purpose. The storm was so great yesterday that no efforts could be made to search for the bodies of those who have met with so terrible anend. Early in the morning Captain Kennedy and his men commenced to make a search, but THE BLINDING SNOW forced him to desist, as the work which was being done was unavailing. Superintendent Kelso has ae to the owners of the building, who reside at Yonkers, to take measures to have the Rearch made. It is the Guty, of the owners to do this in the first place, but if they do not imme- diately move in the matter the task will be under- taken by the police. Around the ruins the relatives of the unfortunate victims of a false economy were congregated, eagerly inquiring when the search would e made for their loved ones. They were frantic in their grief, and refused to be comiorted, weeping and lamenting the untimely and DREADFUL END O¥ THEIR FRIENDS, Half-hourly inquiries were made at the Franklin Street police station for tidings, and when none was received their grief would break out afresh. If anything was wanted to make the scene particu- larly heartrending it was afforded by the storics which the stricken fathers, brothers and sisters tell. The great Christian holiday is to our working sa dae the prighient, spot in the calendar ofthe year. It is hallowed by memories tender, golemn and sweet, to which those who are wealthy are comparative strangers, and the poor girls who worked in the jactory were longing for their working day to ag that they might hurry to the home circle. The ciock is nearing the half hour, and all is mirth and laughter, when suddenly the cry of “Fire !"’ is hea) x the place of joy and panic-stricken to the only way by which they can eacape from the buruing building, The greater number are rescued by means of the ricketty fice escape through the cxertions of the police, but the unfortunate six who perished in the flames are too te for succor. The walls give way wiih a crash, they are bal (hte in the ruins, where they now lie buried, and what should be the season of re- oi ng is changed into one of bitter mourning, e brother of Jennie Stuart, an intelligent young man, was almost mad with grief at the station house, From the ruins to the station house and from the station house to the ruins he kept going all the day, inquiring of every bystander had they seen anything of his sister Jane. He had two gisters who worked in the establishment. One of them escaped, but the flames were too fast for the other one, and they licked her up in their flery embrace. Ever since the fire the brother has not been in full possession of his senses, and he was unburdening his grief to every passer-by, He says his eister was AS GOOD A GIRL AS EVER BREATHED, She was reguiar in coming home each day after she had concluded her day's work, and she was mever happy whcu she was not with her friends. She was as pretty as she was amiable, and if she ore been spared she might have had a happy juture, ‘rhe two girls, Margaret and Mary Donoho, who are sisters, were aged respectively fourteen and sixteen years, and they gave promise of great beauty. They tad worked ut a short time in the establishment of Anderson & Archer. The oldest one, on the night of the fire, was heard to cry to One of ber companions, “For God's sake, save me |” Dut there was no help at hand and she was huried into the blazing debris, As the sisters were so de- Votedly attached to each other that one would not , SUT out Of the house without the other it is feared that they have shared a common fate. Their er did not expect them home early on Christ- mas Eve as they expected to work late, She was not alarmed When six o'clock came, but when the long hours of the evening passed Puc) and no ap- pearance of them was visible a terrible apprehen- sion filled her mind. Twelve o'clock came aud stfil there were no tidings of the absent ones. The mother became so uneasy that she did not go to bed that night, but walked the Noor until morning, half dead with anxiety and alarm. Just as she was about to go in search of thein a friend came in and informed her of the fire, and then she gave up Nope aud nerved herself for Aho worst. She sen} to the Park Hospital ixst, and NEW YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1872. luctantly foreed to re pt her Butane mM & scaffold two years ago. ria were her chief su her other children all-very ane and unable to do anything for peak in the higacet terms or the Cwo giris and the spe: in rl an deepest sympathy ts manfested for the unbappy mether in her great afiaction, It ia a strange circumstance that of the six miss- ing two should be sisters; but such is the fact, the other two being Margaret and Char- lotte Bell, who lived at 69 Avenue A, Like the Donoho girls, the Bells were devotedly attached to each other; and this probably accounts for their common destruction, as their brother states that they could not under any circumstances be eepareee from each other. ‘he search for the bodies, if the weather permits, will be commenced te A and every esfort will be made to clear away the débris, so that the fate of the uniortunates can be definitely ascertained. It will, however, be probably a day or two before the ‘uing will be suficiently cleared for the remains to e recovered. INVESTIGATIONS BY THE FIRE MARSHAL, oo The Centre Street Conflagration. The followtng testimony was taken before Fire Marshal McSpedon yesterday in the case of the Centre street fire:— James Brown being sworn, said:— I live at 92 Catharine street; lam a printer; worked for Dun, Barlow & Co., 81, 83 and 85 Centre street, third story; was in the press rooms at the time of the fire; had finished and was waiting for the boys to clean the presses; there were aX presses, and we used about a gallon of benzine in cleaning them; the gas was lighted at the back of the presses, and the two boys were behind the presses, out of my sight; the first 1 saw of the fre was a flash on the floor, and the flames spread very rap idly; there were about thirty persons on the whole floor, and | think eight in the press room; some of j.the men rap out ppmediately, and several of ug tried to smother the fire with ouf coats and other articles; over the presses were lines, being full of the sheets printed during the day; the aheets lay @ little over six feet from the floor; the fire was communicated them yery soon; I don’t think more than two minutes alter the fire started before the sheets were in a blaze all over the room; when we found we could not put out the fire we started to go down stairs; got part of the way down, d hearing no stir up stairs, and seeing no one com- ing down from there, I went back to the top of the stairs leading to the floor above us, occupied by Anderson & Archer, and gave the alarm; they heard, and we started to come down; | think about twenty-five came down by the stairs; the flames were roiling across the stairway as we came down, and we had to run through them; most of those who came down there were men; about ten or twelve girls came down there; they worked on the second floor above us; Anderson & Archer occupied all the floors above us; the rags that caught fire were lying on the fioor beside the press which the bo¥s were cleaning; they were wet with benzine, as the boys were using them in cleaning the press; the benzine was kept in acan and poured upon the rags as we wanted to use them; I don’t think it was more than four minutes after the fire started before we were obliged to leave the room; there was an elevator in the cen- tre of the building, about twenty feet from where the fire started, and adjoining the stairway; this elevator was of wood and extended from the bot- tom to the top of the building; 1 went aown to the front door and assisted some of the girls out who were fainting; I was told by a citizen that the alarm had been given, and by the time THE FIREMEN GOT THERE the second and fourtn floors were on fire, and several girls were at the windows of the fifth floor screaming; the tremen put up a ladder; there were hardly enough of men there to get it up; it was found too short, and was taken down to be lengthened; before that could be done the filth floor caught, ana they were unable to rescue anybody; I then went around to Leonard street and found the girls _ getting the fire escape; I asked down by if they were all down, and one of the girls (Mary Donovan) told me she was the last one down, and that there were five or six more there, and asked me for God’s sake to try and save them; I don’t think it was more than a minute after the last girl got down trom the fire-escape before the walls fell in; the fire-escape was on the Leonard street side of the building; I observed there were platforms under the windows; I also noticed that there was no ladder cohnecting the floor above us with our floor, or their floor with the floor below us; don’t know the condition of the ladders connecting the other Moora, _s.c49tét C223 Toe ~~PESTIMONY OF JOHN VAN LEETNAM. Sohn Van Leetham said—I am in the employ ot Dun, Barlow & Co, as compositor; 1 was at work at the time the flre commenced, putting away type; my attention was attracted by @ slight reflection near the front of the building on one of the presses; J ran forward and saw a boy lying on his stomach and the fire burning pn the floor very near him; he had scarcely time to.get up and run away from the fire; I ran back and got a board from the trough in which we wash the forms; this board was Cay, soaked with watey; with this I tried to smother the fire, but it was too far advanced; it blazed up nearly to the ing, and seemed to draw toward the elevator and stairway; several others also were trying to ex- tinguish the fire; finding we could not ci it, ran for my clothing; was unable to find them, and theu Iran for the stairs; the stairway runs up about the centre of the building, and is enclosed with a dooron the north and south sides; the south door was fastened up, and I was obliged to go | around through the composing-room to the north door to get out; as I went out of this door the flames were coming through a broken window in the opposite door; I started to go up stairs and give the alarm; got up about three steps, when I saw the fire and smoke increasing so rapidly that L retreated before doing so; Icried ¢ Yup the stairs several times, and then ran down; it was so hot as { passed one door going down that | was obliged to put my hat to my face to prevent its burning; a woman with her shawl on her arm came down directly behind me, and was crying for her daughter; I looked at the clock on the Clipper building as soon as I got down stairs; it was then | eight minutes of five, or eight minutes after five, I am not certain which: I had been down stairs more than five minutes when the firemen came; the first | saw was a truck company; at that time there were three girls at the extreme north win- dow of the upper Moor crying for help; the fire- men tried to get a ladder up to rescue them, but didn’t seem to have men enough; jon’t think there were five firemen with the ladder; some citizens helped them, and when they got the ladder up it was too short; when I got down it seemed to me that the whole building, trom our floor up, was on fire; the smoke was pouring from every window; I don't think these girls remained at the window over half a minute; 1 think the walls fell in about fifteen minutes after the fremen arrived. TESTIMONY OF LOUIS C. GARNIER. Ilive at 269 South Ninth street, Williamsburg; am in the employ of Dunn, Barlow & Co.; am a compositor; I was at my case distributing type at the time the fire occurred: heard some excite- mentin the press rooms and ran around there to see what was the matter; saw the fire burning; it was a big blaze, up nearly to the ceil- ing; 1 saw one man throw a coat on it to smother it and our foreman had @ board with which he was trying to put it out; the time was alter five o'clock ; I think about quarter past five; several of tb. men then cried “Fire!” and started to leave the build- ing; I ran and got my clothes and ran down stairs; when I got down to the street the fire was coming from the three south windows on our floor; there was no smoke nor fire coming from any other window at that time; it was fully five or six minutes after I got down stairs | before the first engine came; I saw one girl at the north window im the upper floor crying for help; she didn’t cry long; the smoke issued out of the Upper windows very soon alterwards, and I thought she was smothered. TESTIMONY OF JON P, HOPKINS. I live at 89 Fleet place, Brooklyn; am foreman Anderson, Archer & Co.; bookbinders there occu- pied the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the build- ing, Nos, 81, 83 and 85 Centre street; 1 think we haa about forty-five girls in our employ, and twenty-five men and bow they were all at work on Tuesday, I think; all the girls worked on the fifth floor and the floor above was used as a stock room; no person worked there; the binding was on the fourth floor and all the men were on that floor; I had charge of the binding at the time; | the members of the firm having gone, and some oi | the men were desirous of quitting work, while I wished to work full time (half-past five o'clock), I | Stood in the middle of the floor looking about to S$ * see that all of the men were at work, when I heard some one on the stairs cry out, “Get out, we are all afire!’ -and almost immediately I saw the | ough condition; [had a carte plumber to do what- flames rolling up outside of our front windows; I went to the stairs, and by that time all escape in that direction was cut off; | think some of our | people did escape by the stairs; they had to pass ‘hrough the flames on the landing below; I thought of “he fire escape, and called to the hands to toliow: me; by that time our floor (the fourth) was full of sinoke and the fire coming up the clevator and stairway; the girls that were on the flith Noor at the time of the fire came down to the fourth floor and got out by the fire escape; there were petween thirty and forty persons escaped in this way; the fire | escape was on the Leonard street side;1 don’t think it extended above the binding (fourth) floor; | it was out of order, and we had to jump from the third balcony to the roof of the adjoining building, a distance of about sixteen feet; in deing this there was great danger of falling through a large light in the roof directly beneath the balcony; I think there was one other fire escape on the west | end of the building, and extended from the fiith floor to the roof ofa saw planing mill, a distance of about fiteen feet; that fire escape did not com- | Municate with any floor except the fifth; 1 REMAINED ON THE BALCONY of the fire ape on the third floor until every- body had passed me and got to the roof below; some of the girls were assisted down to the roof by some meu who placed a short step-ladder there and heiped to break their fail; there are six of our giris and one boy missing; they all worked on the fifth floor; one of our men jumped from a rear window of the fourth floor to a roof below, @ dis- tance of some twenty or twenty-five feet, end my brother from @ window on the south side, about the same distance; this building has been on fire twice previously within two or three weeks; the last time waa @ Week or 80 ago; the engineer told me the place had on fire that morning; it was on some floor below us, but lam not sure which; he said that we had & very narrow escape, and ‘that thie ‘Was the second time within two or three weeks; on the same day 1 told Mr. Archer what | had Reard, and suggested that the fire escape should be put in order, but in the hurry and pressure of our business it was forgotten. TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH PAYE2, I reside at 82 Park avenue, Brooklyn; 1 am fore- man of the printing oilice of Dun, Barlow & Co.; at the time of the ffre I was in the front part of the third floor, part ‘the compositors on the north side of the floor; I went to their composing frames and as I paid them off they would prepare to leave for the ; two of the men to my knowledge had left, and the others were preparing to go away; the presses were on the east side of the room; while I was ‘ing of John Van Lac- thern @ compositor came to me and told jampea me the pressroom was on fire: J then con pay! ing, handed my money-box to the man I met, and-ran to the press room at the very spot of the fire and threw some wetting boards over it to try to extinguish it; 1 told the men to keep cool, that there shonid be no exeite- ment, that I thought we could put the fire out our- selves; at this time the floor was burning; 1 saw nothing else on fire butthe floor, aud the flames were arising from the floor; the fire wagon the south side and between the large and small press; I got burned in the face on throwing the wettin boards on the fire; Ido not know kow the fire origi- nated; we weré beginning to clean the presses and rollers, and there is more or Jess oil on the floors as usual in press rooms; there were between thirty and forty men and boys on our Moor at that time; I suppose about five minutes elapsed be- tween the time of discovery of tke fire and the time I was driven out by the fames and smoke; I noticed one of the pressmen assisting me in tPy- ing to put out the fire; others also assisted, but I did not take notice particularly what they were doing; I believe all our employés escaped; I was the last person out on that floor; it was about twenty-five minutes past five o’clock when we dis- covered the fire; there were about three or four gas burners litin our place; I belleve the burner at the Jarge press, which they were cleaning, was ligitea, Burning of Barnum’s, The following testimony was taken before Fire Marshal McSpedon, yesterday, In the case of the burning of Barnum’s Museum :— TESTIMONY OF LUCIUS FOSTER. Witness, who was the first examined yesterday, testified as follows:—I am employed at Barnum’s Museum as usher; I slept in the building on the night of the fire; Lcame about twenty minutes of two o'clock; Umsted was with me; as soon as we got into the building I sme)t something pecultar; it smelt like something scorching; we had to walk around to the west side of the building to get to our sleepi: place, which was on the east side, over the of, lace where the curiosities were: 1 noticed this smell ali along the west side to the ey cage, which was near the boiler room; I ad never beenin the boiler room, and as we passed it on our way to bed Uimsted and I went jown to see how the boiler worked; Nelson had gone down ahead of us to fix the fire; we came up and leit Nelson there ; before I said anything about the smell Nelson asked me if I smelled anythin, peouler, and I replied that I did, that it smelle like something was burning, and he said there couldn’t be any fire as he had been all about the place and everything was safe; when we got across to the east side where we slept | remarked to Ulm- sted that I couldn't sme it so plainly as on the other side; we went to hed and thought no more of it; 1 was woke up b: noise like scufiing on the other side of the build- ing (we slept about midway ofthe building, on the east side) ; when I got to the rear of the building I Baw the passage way was /ullof smoke, and could see the light oj the fire beyond it; Ithought the fire seemed more over the coal room than over the boiler room; [then went back and woke up the man who slept by me, put on my clothes, and tried to get around to the other side, but finding the fire gaining too fast we went to save the ele- phants; there was a gas jet in the boiler room and @ wire screen over it, but the beam overhead was not protected; I think the light was twelve to fif- teen inches from the peam, . TESTIMONY OF ANDREW NRLSON. Andrew Nelson said—I have heard the evidence given by Lucius Foster; there was no peculiar smell in the place at the time Foster came in; don’t remember who came in with him; I let him in; had no conversation with him about any pecu- liar smell; he saia nothing to me about anything soorohings don’t recollect his being in the boiler room with me that night; I went around to Foster's bed and held the lantern for him to fix his bedding; Foster came in somewhere between one and two o'clock, . “ ESTIMONY OF JAMES M. MACGREGOR. James M. Macgregor said:—1 am Superin- tendent of Buildings for the city and county of New York; ail plans of new buildings or for alterations to buildings are submitted to my department for examination and approval; the building lately occupica by P. T. Barnum as a museum and menagerie was erected in 1803 for James Cooke, to be used as a hippodrome; the architect was Lawrence B. Valk; the walls were of corrugated iron, twenty-two outside and twenty- four inside; the entire roof was covered | with twenty-four corrugated iron; the entire cupola, excepting columns, was, within and without, of twenty-four iron, and the ribs of the roof were also of iron; the existing laws~rel- ative to the construction of a building, passed in 1862, did not prohibit the construction ofa building of this character; on the contrary, a much more | insecure building could have been erected with a roof entirely of wood, covered on the outside with tire-proof material ; on the 11th of Se pber,1872,an | application was made to alter the building and th customary plans and specifications were submitte: it was referred to Sergeant Inspector Owens f examination, and on the 12th of September he r ported favorably thereon and recommended the application for approval; the alterations provided for were as follows:—‘Iuternally the level of the new wing will be sunk five feet below present level, the firgt tier of seats lowered and a gallery ut in all around, and a cellar for horses to be put in On northwest corner, & portion of the front wail to be built up two stories high, partly of brick and partly of corrugated iron on timber frame;” the | horses were not stabled in the cellar, ouly kept | there during the performance; this application | Was approved of by Mr. Wadoner, the Deputy Si i perintendent, on September 13, 1872, and was re- ferred to District Inspector Salmon for inspection while the alterations were being made; on Decem- ber 2, 1872, he reported that the alterations had been completed in accordance with the specifica- tions and without any violation of the laws relating thereto; on November 13, 1872, a committee from Grace church called at my office and entered a complaint against this building, believing that it endangered their church while adjoined to it on the east; this complaint was immediately referred to Inspector Salmon, who, in company with the chairman of the committee, examined the premises, and on November 14 reported that ‘nothing had been done contrary to the directions of this department. One of the company went with the superintendent of the work and myself into the examination, and the alterations as made and proposed were, after explanation, satisfactory to him, the chairman of the committce;” iny de- partment has no control over the manner of light- ing or heating buildings, nor of the combustible material which may be stored therein. ANDREW B. MOONEY’S TESTIMONY. Being sworn, said—I am an officer of the police and detatied to the office of the Fire Marshal; by order of the Fire Marshal I visited Barnum’s mu- | seum and menagerie on the 24th of November for the purpose of examining the same relative to its satety from fire; I toid Mr. Hurd that 1 came for the purpose of re-examining the piacc; he went with me about the building, saying, “I wish you would point out all the steam pipes that are in a dangerous condition, so that we can | have it all done at once;” I pointed some of them out to him, whereupon, he said, ‘I don't believe that steam pipes will set fire to wooa work; when I see it I will believe it; Mr. Hurd seemed annoyed at my visit, and, alter accompany— ing me a short distance, left me to complete my examination alone; | found the pipes in the same condition in which they were on my first visit (November 24), with the exception of @ pipe of tin being shored in between the pipe and woodwork in three or four places; I returned to the office and reported the facts to the Fire Marshal, who there- upon said it was his duty to report the case to the underwriters, that they might know how danger. ous the risk, and, possibly, the managers of the establishment would remedy the matter rather than have their policies cancelled. WILLIAM H. BULL being sworn, testitied—I reside at 53 Jane street; 1 am a carpenter and builder; after Mr. Barnum bought the building in Fourteenth street, which was in the latter part of August last, I was em- ployed to overhaul the building and put it in thor- ever | thought. was necessary; Mr. Barnum gave me the general outlines of such alterations ag he required, and told me he hardly knew himself what he wanted, but would leave it all to me, as he was going away; that he had.a big show and there was not half room enough there; that I would have to arrange it so as to get as much room as possible; I employed Baker & Smith to do the gasitting and plumbing work; they put up the steara pipes under my supervision and direction; Mr. Barnum spoke of the heatin arrangements and wanted the place heated as hig! as sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit; that was the maximum amount of heat that would be required at any time; some of his animals were from a warm climate and needed this heat; the boiler was lo. cated in the celiar and was enclosed with a twelv. inch brick wall; boiler room and coal room were aved with brick; there was a trap door in the oor of the building, with stairs leading down to the ceilar alongside the boiler; there was a wooden shaft or box, four feet square, leading from the voller room up through the roof of the buildin and used asa ventilator to carry oif the hot air: | the boiler room.was eight by ten feet in size and | about nine feet high; the distance between | THE BRICK WORK OVER THE BOILER and the beams of the oor above was about fifteen | inches, and the beams were eight inches thick, Making &@ distance of twenty-three inches irom the brickwork to the under side of the foor; the main steam pipe was about two and a half inches in diameter and tapped the brickwork at the bottom of boiler about the centre, id then ran in a northern direction about eight inches above the Avor of tig boiler: the circus was inside of the | roof of Whitney's foundr 01 fron building; there were no pes between the brickwork over the boiler and the floor above; there was @ safety valve there, and no other pij except that which led to the safety valve; when the main pipe came through the floor it came up between the beams and about six inches from them; when officer Mooney came to inspect the build- ing by direction of the Fire Marshal he found that the pipes in some places were up inst the wood work, and that they came up cloge to the up- holstering work of the seat outside of the corru- ated building; these seats were put there after ‘he pipes were constructed; advised that the steam pipes should not come in contact with the woodwork at the time of building; I afterwards cut the upholstering and woodwork wherever the pipes came in contact with them; I followed these pipes around four times at different intervals, and was instructed by Mr. Hurd to make the building safe against fire, and I cndeavored to do so; as far as 1 know, or had any chanve to see, the pipes did not come any nearer than half an inch to the woodwork in any place; the steam pipes would, by expansion and contraction; more so, that some- times they would get loose from their fastenings and come ¢lose to the woolwork. This would de- = upon the length of the pipes; a pipe ten feet long would not move perceptibly from this cause; the pipes under the seats of the circus were about THREE HUNDRED FEET IN LENGTH; the main pipe came upthrough the floor about four or five inches from the north side of the trap door; when Ofticer Mooney visited the place the first time from the Fire Marshal’s, he directed that the woodwork should be cut aw: rom the pipes 80 that the air could circulate between; he also directed the cutting away of the upholstering; he mi have been there @ secnnd time; we had a great deat to do, and it took some time to fix all the pipes; by the 14th inst. we had all the woodwork and up- holstering cut away from the pipes; this was the Jast thing we did; they kept sawdust in the monkey cage and giratfe cage, which were in the neighborhood of the place where the fire {gs said to Have originated; this sawdust was swept up over the floor two or three timesaday; it may have lodged upon the brickwork, under the floor, and thus have been brought in contact with the pipes. A FIRE IN FRANKLIN STREET. ~s a e A Large Dry Goods Store Partially Burned—The Loss Over Sixty Thousand Dollars. At five minutes past ten o’clock last night fire was discovered on the second floor of the five story iron front building No, 119 Frank- lin street. For at least an hour previous to this time the oMicers on duty in the vicinity smelled the smoke quite plainly, but were unable to trace it to its origin. Finally, how- ever, after a vast deal of hunting Oficer Regan, of the Filth precinct, discovered thick, black smoke issuing from the windows of the above building, aud without a moment's delay sent out the signal. Five engines and two hook and ladder trucks were promptly on the ground, and THE SHIVERING FIREMEN bent themselves sociale to their task. The floor on which the flames originated was occupied 7 Co. dealers in lace goods, while the first Noor and basement were occu- pled by William J. Best & Co., importers of Irish linens. The third and fourth floors were the salesrooms of B. A. Dyer, dealer in fancy Pee and the fifth floor was occupied by Danziger Son, fancy goods, Owing to the amount of time which had elapsed between the breaking out of the fire and its discovery, the devouring flames had gained great headway, and after battling with them half an hour it was found megareaty: to send out a second alarm, which at once brought three addi- tional engines and a truck, It now required but a momentary glance to convince one that to attempt to save anything above the first Noor would be a waste of time and energy, so the efforts of the fire- men, the clothes on many of whom were already FROZEN AS SOLID AS A BOARD, were directed to saving the adjolulng buildings. This work was etfectual, 80 much go that the bufld- ing Nos. 115 and 117 and its contents suffered to abe xtent only of $1,000, priucipally by water and moke, The losses are estimated as follows:—On build- ing, $10,000; Zim & Co., $25,000; Dyer & Co., $15,000; iger &'Son, $10,000, and Best & Co., $5,000 by water, and Slater, $1,000, ‘The amount of insurance and the companies by en the risks were taken could not be ascer- ained, FIRE IN FORTY-EIGHTH STREET. Four Horses Burned. At half-past one o’clock yesterday morning 8 fire broke out in the small one story frame stable, 405 East Forly-cighth street, owned by Dan- jel Gallagher, and before any action could be taken the structure, together with its contents, consisting of four horses, harness, &c.,, was entirely consumed. Mr. Gallagher says he Was not in the stable later than six o'clock the night before, aud that he dia not leave a_ light there. He ts of the opinion that some boys who live in the neighbor- hood went into the stable during the night and accidentally set fire to the straw. joss on the building amounts to about two hundred dollars, while that on the horses and harness will reach | $1,000, pcan FIRE IN SIXTY-NINTH STREET, A fire occurred in one of the frame shanties in Sixty-ninth street, between Eighth and Ninth ave- nnes, at an early honr yesterday morning, and damaged the premises to the extent of $200; in- sured for $800 in the Lennox Company, A STEAMER BURNED AT HER MOORINGS. MILLVILLE, N. Dee, 26, 1872. The steamer Helen Getty was burned to the Water's edge yesterday while ly ng at her whart, DOGBERRY ON THE OORONER’S JURY. Whitewashing the Fifth Avenue Hotel Proprictors. To THE EpItoOR OF THE HERALD :— In your paper of this day the following appears as the verdict of the jury in the case of the feariul fire at the Filth Avenue Hotel :— The jury find that Honora Ward and ten others, occu- ants of rooms SIL and 513 on servants’ corridor, located inthe attic of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, came to death on the night of December 10, 1872, by suffoca- under the following circumstances :—The dopencd on # corridor enclosed at both ends, and the means of egress were by the way of a nar- row platiorm staircase, built entirely of wood. of which the fire was burning. Small skylights opening into the root und windows opening into: ¢ rou, said windows being closed by Wire screens; and the jury further find that the proprietors of the hotel gave orders to facilitate the escape of the inmates in order to pre- serve Iffe; and we further recommend that the proper authorities be requested to immediaiely inspect every hotel in this city in order to prevent a recurrence of @ like calamity. Signed by William Johnson, Foreman, and all the jurors. Since the publication of the “Elbows of the Mincio” Ido not remember to have seen in print so extraordinary a document of incoherence and post-mortem mistiness. owners, proprietors and runners of the Fifth Avenue Hotel to cover up their negligence in bad English, or was the jury too drunk to give uny other than the disjointed sentences you have pub- lished? Please let us know what the specific orders were that the proprietors, as ‘further’ found by the jury, gave “to facilitate the escape o1’” those poor caged girls, “occupants of rooms Nos, 611 and 513 on servants’ corridor.”’ UDLEY'S NEPHEW, New York, Dec. 24, 1872, NEW YORK CITY. Dr. A. J. Ebell will give a free lecture before the Polytechnic Association this evening, on ‘I'he Mar- velsand Beauties of the Insect World,” and will ex hibit on this occasion some of the celebrated clastic models from France, Edwin D. Haiden, a man thirty-six years of age, | by occupation a clerk, who lived in Brookiyn, died yesterday in Bellevue Hospital. On the 10th inst. deceased was struck on the head by a sign board that blew down and was fatally injured, Young will hold an inquest on the body. The body of Mrs. Bonn, a German woman, who lived at 231 South Fifth avenue, was yesterday found dead in her room, Deceased was last seen alive on Tuesday evening by Mrs. Barrett, living in | the same house, to whom she complained ot leel- ing unwell. Coroner Young was notiiied to in- vestigate the case. The Comptroller is paying off the inspectors and poll clerks who served at the last election, also the claims for rent of poliing places, The Assembly districts will be paid in numericalorder. The First, Second and Third Assembly districts are ready for payment. The whole number will probably be ready for payment before “New Year's.” This is no holiday affair, as there are about three thou- sand seven hundred of them which are paid by warrant, WORKMEN BURIED ALIVE, PHILADELTHIA, Pa, Dec. 26, 1872, About eleven o'clock this morning 400 feet of the on Seventeenth and Willow streets, fell in, caused by the immense weight of snow. Work was going on as usual, and a@ number of the workmen were buried in the ruins. Michael Collins and Gilbert Kelly were res- cued, with flesh wounds caw by the falling bricks. A large crowd gathered around the place, Tt hasbeen ascertained that no workmen were bnried in the ruing of Whitney's foundry excevt the two before mentiongd as rescued, Is it the desire of the | Coroner | ’ “FIREPROOF” BUILDINGS. Superintendent Macgregor Defends and Defines His Position—The Defects of the Existing Law. To Tae EpiToR or THE HERALD:— Your reporter, in the HeRALD of Sunday last, in his interpretation of my remarks and partial quo- tation of the Building law, has given circulation to statements which are alike unjust both to the law and myself. However timely and apropos the article upon ‘“Tinder-box Buildings’ may have been, when illustrated by the eonflagrations of the Brooklyn Tabernacle and Barnum’s Hippodrome, that article might have passed without notice trom the Department but for the renewal of the subject in your issues of Wednesday and Thursday. Inspired by the fire im Centre street, your re- porter, assuming the truth of the previous article, proceeds, in a tone of attack at once so unreason- able and unjust, that, in order to avoid an impres- sion upon the public mind almost entirely false, should at once be modified. In regard to “Tinder- box Buildings’ your reporter did not represent me fully, fori notonly disapprove of the corru- gated iron buildings, filled with combustibles, but also the false economy of erecting buildings in the manner of A, T. Stewart's, on Broadway and Fourth avenue, ana the new iron building in pro- cesa of erection at the corner of Broadway and Fourteenth street, and many others which, though substantially of tron and brick, are filled with a forest of timber and combustibles and, in casc of a great fire, would be almost as dangerous as Bar- num’s Hippodrome or the Brooklyn Tabernacle; and your reporter also forgot to mention my un- equivocal opinion in regard to the economy of fire- proof buildings, while I cited as examples Mr. Stewart's hotel, the new building on Fulton, Ann and Nassau streets, the Drexel building on Wall and Broad streets, Staats Zeitung, the Metropolitan and German Savings Bank and others. Butif the De- partment is viciously opposed in executing the law, when one exists, it is dificult to imagine what would be the extent of dissatisfaction should it atcempt to interfere contrary to law. Your re- porter, therefore, places me in o false position as fearing to fight the architects and builders in the execution of law or ee ei ee of duty. Even my enemies will, if suficiently honest, bear testimony that I never shirk any duty and have not heretofore been deterred from the execution of the law by fear of any kind. In the cases cited, if aed reporter had read the law carefully he cer- tainty would not have made such statements, for he would have learned that, however much I may personally oppose or denounce the construction of such babsings, as Superintendent I have no legal wer to prohibit or prevent their erection, The following 18 the portion of section 31 of THE BUILDING LAW, quoted by your reporter :— Sc. 31. The Department of Bulldings named under this act shall have full power in passing upon any ques- tion relative to the mode, manner of construction or materials to be used in the'erection, alteration or repair of any building in the clty of New York, Adesire to make a just representation of the affair before the public should have inspired a cou- tinuation of the section, which reads thus:— Where the same is not specially provided for herein, to make the same ¢ yrm to the true intent, meaning and spirit of the several provisions hereot; and shall atso have discretionary power, upon application thevefor, to modity or vary atiy of the zeveral provisions of tis act to meet ihe requirenients of special cases where the same do not conflict with the public satety and the public good, 40 that substantial justice may be done, Here again, had your reporter stopped, 4 false impression would have remained, for the section concludes :— But no such deviation shall be permitted except a record of the same shall be kept by said Department, and a certifleate be first-ssued to the party Such certificate shall be issued applying tor the same. only upon an order first being obtained the upon & sworn peli- tion setting forth the facts, upon ication to a special term of the Supreme Court In of New York, said tl Supreme Court hereby being ‘authorized to grant such order in its discretion, Now the buildings named are “specially herein provided for” by the Building law, and inter- ference on the pare of the Department would have been denounced as a high-handed oppression by the city press as well as by architects and builders, and no paper has been more copious in that species of criticism than the HERALD. In regard to Bar- num’s Hippodrome, when it was erected in 1863 it was not only in accordance with the existing law, but really superior to the jegal requirements of that day, and so far as alterations have since been made tt has only been rendered safer. In fact, to the protection of the Hreproo! sign in front lately permitted by me the Academy of Music is indebted for its safety, No one will assume that the corrugated ‘fron covering rendered — that building or any other Jess fireproof, or the mass of hay, wood or other combustibles more liable to destruction. I have labored in my Department ten years to procure the passage of astringent law requiring safe buildings in all re- spects, but thus far have been only able to obtain itinpart, Ihave never approved of, and do not now, the erection of any but fireproof buildings in the city; but it ig time that the public should know that it is THE SHORTCOMING OF THR LAW that ig at fault, and not the neglect, iguorance and inefliciency of the Department. Your reporter also does injustice to Mr. Hep- worth’s new church when classing it with the Tabernacle or Barnum’s, It is substantialy built, even beyond the requirements of the law, being sixteen mech brick walls. The iron shell outside 19 merely ornamental, the of fues 18 excellent, arrangement and, aithough I suggested the economy and pru- dence of fireproof roois, my authority ended there, the law permitting otherwise, and, asI have before remarked, the insurance companies accepted them. ‘The assertion that corrugated iron shells, when touched by a spark, are simply blast farnaces for self-destruction and the burning of buildings in their vicinity, is a novel one, and will surprise Many who have not heretofore regarded that metal as in- flammable; yet in this connection your reporter } evidently attained a glimpse of the true state of the case when, in proposing to turn sternly toward the law for relief from the manifest evils, he ex- claimed, “Here, unfortunately, the outiook Is not very encouraging either.’”’ In this, however, lam SOMEWHAT ENCOURAGED by the effect upon the public mind produced by the Boston fire, followed up so quickly by instructive misfortunes of our own, to disagree with him. hope that the coming Rebeca will perfect the law in accordance with the experience of our own and European cities. The fire on Centre street has also drawn more or less blame upon the Depart- ment for “DEFECTIVE FIRE BSCAPES,”? a charge also unjust, as the records of the Depart- “ment show that every requirement of the law was enforced in that matter with great promptness, The case was reported January 11, 1870; the owner notitied January 13; fifteen days’ time was granted; duly inspected by a reliable oficer on January 21 @ certificate | sued on February 23 that the | law had been complied with by the “erection of fire escapes”? built by the American Fire Escape Company, with bridges from the “A{th story to the building adjoining in the rear.” HE ‘GOES FOR GREEN.’? If from any cause the legal safeguards had been permitted tu fall into negiect, I must simply observe that neither the Superintendent or Inspector of this Department are ubiquitous to watch every building in @ city like New York, and especially since the pitiful parsimony, inaugurated by sham economy, $ compelled the diminution of my working force to @ point far below the actual and daily increasing demands upon the Department. The Comptroller of the Department of Finance, who is also Park Commissioner, a member of the Board of Apportionment and Audit and a Commis- sioner of the Sinking Fund, can probably afford to economize public expenditures while enjoying three salaries, especially when retrenchment is ractised upon others, But I confess myself otally unable to conduct a single de ment whose duties are so comprebensive and important to the public welfare as mine, without the aid of skilled and intelligent officers; and uniess adequate pecuniary means are provided, | am unable to secure such. While thousands of buila- ings, even more “dangerous” than the one de- stroyed by fire in Centre street cxist in New York, and when an alarmed public require increased efforts on my part, my “estimates” are cut down sixty per cent, and I am consequently forced to dis- charge that proportion of my working force, While willing to accept all responsibility and to answer for my own acts, | am growing restive under the persistent and unwarranted misrepre- sentations of the press, and desire that the public may be enabled to distinguish where the law ends and my discretion begins, and appt. the remedy to the evil advisedly, Very As rage ly yours, JAMES M. MACGREGOR, Superintendent of Buildings, TO PREVENT FIRES IN WAREMOUSES. act ae To THE Epiror or THE HERSL It ig @ noteworthy fact that the fires in this city in 1836 and 1845, and the recent fire in Boston were confined to the great central wholesale and warehousing portions of these cities. The most substantial and lofty buildings of granite, marble, sandstone, brick and iron were equally a prey to the all-devouring element and inaccessible to the best exertions of our well-organized and systema- tized fire departments, These facts are patent and known to all reflecting persons, What do | these facts suggest? It is evident that science has | not secured our property in these huge buildings from this destroying element. Can it be done? I was a witness of the fires in our city in 1835 and 1846, and IT observed that each one of our great warehouses, filed with combustible goods, wares and merchandise, was @ huge Jurmace, and, coudined between its four \ strong Walls, first became dangerous to the f° cent Property when the fire, becoming irresistible, burned the rafters and the roof tumbled into the burning crater. ‘The flame shot up with prodigious volume, carrying immense quantities of burnt coals and unconsumed wood and ether combusti- ble matter over all the adjoining buildings lying to leeward of the vomiting furnace. The danger to adjoining property appears to be in proportion to the porere of the four walls and the combustible materials in the roof, All firemen can testify that this is the true and only point of danger among the warehouses in our great cities. Ihave often observed that thousands of blast fur- naces regulate the force of the blast at Twyres b: @ valve or lid on the top of the stack. Where a ruil drait is required the valve is wide Se ogre toreduce the draft and the heat, in the bosh of the furnace, the valve 1s closed, This simple and familiar action of the furnace suggests that if our tall and sub- stantial warehouses where covered with @ strong incombustible roof, close and firmly fitted to the four walls, 80 as to leave no vent for the air, and too substantial to be lilted of by any ordinary force, that any fire occurring in ch building might smoulder and consume, or damage the goals inside; but the damage and danger would be con- fined to the four strong walls of the building. I hope these suggestions may attract the attention of merchants and buiiders. This plan presents a scientific, practicable and cheap protection against the propagation of fres by our tall and heavy Warehouses, VERITAS. MUNICIPAL MATTERS. Meeting of the Board of Supervisors—The Closing Work of the Year—The Prompt Payment of City Claims—A Sharp Discussion as to the Bills of Sheriff Brennan and Warden Tracy—The Department of Docks. Board of Supervisors. The adjourned meeting of th:s Board was hela yesterday, Mayor Hall in the chair, MORE WORK FOR THE COMPTROLLER. Supervisor Conover moved that the Comptroller bo and he is hereby requested, hereafter, in making his statement of expenditures of and the appropriation for county expenses to this Board, to State also the amount of claims unsettled and properly charge them against each appropriation respectively, The resolution was carried, PROMPT PAYMENTS TO CITY EMPLOYERS, Supervisor Conover moved that the Comptroller’ be directed to nay the salaries on the 3lst of the month, instead of the 1st of the following month. Supervisor Conover said that @ great many men were inconvenienced by the late payment of their monthiy salaries, In the State and the national departmeuts the practice of payment at the end of the month was adopted, and he thought it might be of great benefit to adopt that practice in re« lation to the city and county. , Mayor HALL said that the Comptroller was technically legally right in refusing to audit bills and take affidavits before the term of employment had been completed, As a matter of policy the practice which had obtained in this city and county for twenty years past, of paying at the close Of this month, might, ag the Supervisor had observed, be of advantage, and be of great service,. Supervisor VAN SCuaick objected to the bill, on the ground that bringing forward such a request at this late day laid the Board under acominent even worse than the comments that had been already made, ‘rhe Mayor ruled that as an objection had been taken the motion was lost. SHERL RENNAN'S BILLS. Supervisor PLUNKI moved the adoption of the resolution ordering the payment. of bills of Sheriff Brennan for official services from March to September 30, 1872, particulars of which had been pubshed, , Supervisor VAN ScitatckK said that he had very great respect for Sheriff Brennan, and he believed. thoroughly that what he had told bim (the Super- visor) Was correct, that he required only that which was correct and legal, Buthe wished to know whether any Supervisor was satisfied of the legal correctness of those claims. It was under- stood among some of the members of this Board that there was an understanding that if certain parties would vote for Mr. O'Brien's bill they would vote for Sheriff Brennan’s bill, Supervisor Conover said that he had examined the first quarter of the bilis, and found them to be correct and legal. The Mayor said that as one of the Supervisors had said that the Board was likely to be marked in reference to the vote on this bill, he desired to say. that inasmuch as the bills had stood over for sev- eral months there could not be any hurrying about it. ae (the Mayor) had examined copies of these bills and had found them tn accordance with the provisions of the Revised Statutes, and they ap- peared to him to be correct. On a division the report and resolution ordering the payment 0. the bills was adupted by a majority of 10 Supervisor PLuNKiTr then moved the adoption of the resolution ordering the payment to Sheri Brennan of the bill for commitments and dis- charges, amounting to about $71,000, Supervisor VAN SCiAICK Said that the hurrying on of these bills was simply disgraceful, and that the action with reference to them was similar to the action in reference to the bills of the County | Jail. if the bills were right there could be no ob. jection to an investigation. Some members of the Board, who seem to regard money more than honor, desire to rush them through, should vote against it. ‘The division showed a vote of 7 for and 5 aga'nst. That not being a maority of the Board the resolu- tion was lost, and on a motion for reconsideration it was laid over. Supervisor VAN ScHAtck moved to bring up the bill of ex-Sheriff O’Brien for fees of commitments and discharges, ‘The Mayor said that he must be excused from voting, he having ques a i a opinion respectin; the point involved, and had been paid for tha opinion. ‘That had occurred before he was elected to the oMce of Mayor; but he must refrain from voting. The Mayor aiso drew attention to the fact that by an act of the Legislature of 1871 the bills of Sheritf O’Brien had been referred to the Corporation Counsel for lement and he did nog think the Board had jurisdiction. Aiter a short discussion ex-Sheriff O'Brien's bills were laid upon the table, ADDITIONAL FIREMEN FOR THE COURT HOUBB. Sapervisor Conover moved that Thomas Borie 7 appointed an additional fireman for the Court jouse. Supervisor VAN SCHAICK objected to this and said that the present force did not do its duty, The Mayor said as to thé question whether there were many or few firemen, he would remark that he had been informed that two Courts had that day adjourned for want of heat, and that the spectacle had been presented of a Justice of the Supreme Court sitting smothered in shawls and wrappers to keep himselt warm, Supervisor CONOVER satd he was of the impression that would be the case until there was a force equal for night and day. ‘The resolution was adopted. LUDLOW STREET JATL. Supervisor Conover moved the adoption of a res- olution for the payment of Warden Tracy’s bills See to the jail for November, amounting to. 2735 1 Supervisor VAN Sciiaik said that this was an- other of thoge infamous bills that was a disgrace to any mun, He said that fearlessly and knew it to be disgraceful. ‘The conduct of Ludiow Street Jaih was simply infamous. He would object to the bill. because he believed it to be untrue. Warden Tracy had promised the committee to give them @ monthly statement of the number of prisoners im the jail. That promise had not been fulfilled. He had admitted to the committee that he charged a profit of from twenty-five to thirty-five per cent on the articies supplied, and explained that he was under bonds to the Sheriff amounting to forty or fifty thousand dollars, aud that he would much prefer to have a reguiar salary of say $5,000. Supervisor FALCONEK said that on the statement of Supervisor Connor the bill was evidently wrong. The Supervisor had said that the number of per- sous averaged forty per day, and that the cost of maintenance was eighty cents perday. That for the month was $1,200, The bill presented was double that amount. No vouchers had accom- panied this bill. The resolution was adopted. Alter the transaction of some formal business the Board adjourned, at six o'clock, until Saturday, next at hali-paat three o’clock, i The Board of Aldermen. Ameeting of this Board was held immediately after the session tad concluded of the Board of Supervisors; but after the passing of a few resolu- tions in reference to the paving of strects the Board adjourned until Saturday next, to mect after, the meeting of tie Board of Supervisors, ARMORIES AND DRILL ROOMS. A meeting of the Committee on Armories and Dril! Rooms will be held to-day (Friday), in the chamber of the Board of Aldermen, to hear evi- dence and for the production of papers in refers ence to the recent action of this committee ds ta the leasing of Neilson Hali for the Sixth regiment. * Department of Docks. The regular weekly meeting of the Dock Commis- sioners was held yesterday. A communication was received from F. A. Amelung in reference to the crowded condition of the piers and slips at the foot of Morton street, Norur River. The secretary was instructea to direct Superintendent Vitzgerald to enforce the He certainly. | rales in their by-laws in reference to the over crowding of piers, &c. Permission was granted to the Hudson River and New York Ratiroad Company to erect a plat- form between 12sth and Lg0th streets, North River, upon the company agreeing to pay rent for the land under water, A resolution was also adopted by the Board that parties wishing to dump suow from the piers, &c., must first make application to them for permission v0 do 8