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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1882)
1 I . I .1 FHE OMAHA DAILY BEE ELEVENTH YEAR OMAftA , MORNING , PRI3UUARY .1 1882. 190. SCORCHED SCRIBBLERS. Immense Fire in the New York newspaper Offices. The Old "World " BtiildinR the Center of the Work of Destruction. Doing Occupied by a Number of Periodicals that Lose Heavily. Much Anxiety Pelt as to the LOPB of Life , Which ia Supposed to be Great , For the Reason that the Up per Floor Contained a Large Number of Females. Gallant Rescue of a Woman from a Fourth Story Win- Couple of Brave Firemen. Fall Particular * of tllO tropho. Xitlonii Asooclikted l're < , NE\V YORK , January 31. Fiamu-t were discovered in the block bounded by Park How , IScckman , Spruce and Nassau streets , and the fire ia now raging. The flames are bursting out windows in alldirections' , . Tlio Now York Times and the old World build- hit' are in thia block , and thu post- oflicaipn the opposite nidi' uf 1'arlc The flames were first discovered nt 10:10 : a. in , nnd spread with great rapidity. Several people jumped from thu upper windows and others escaped by ladders. It ia feared the loss of lifo will be greater thin first apprehended. It , is now considered (11 ( a. m. ) impossible that the Times building can bo Raved. 11:08 a. m. The Tiuica building ia now in flames. Kelly's new building , ten stories high , to bo occupied May 1st by the Nassau bank , and opposite the old World building , ia now in flames ; also the Moreu building , op posite the corner of Bookman and [ Nassau utrcets. It is impossible to tell the loss of life. The old World I building walls on Park row , opposite the postoflice , have fallen. The col ored junitress , Ellen Bull , jumped from the story next to thu top and was probably fatally injured. Her husband is missing. Ono woman got out ou a ledge and jumped , her clothing catching on fire as aho went down through the flames. The tire- brought'down throe inmate ? . . . . -Tlii ; postofljco * oof On.lho'nortMSast aide ia smoking. Thu employes are drenching it with water. No hose ia able to reach the roof. It ia hoped now thu Nassau bank building will bo partially saved , aa no partitions are > in it. The old Mail office , Bookman and Park Row , formerly Lovejoy a hotel , is now in flames. It is not ? occupied by the Rural New Yorker and numerous small offices , and atandn next to Jay Gould's new building now occupied by the NVorld. The offices entirely burned eo far nro the Scientific American , Now York Observer , Scottish American Journal , PettingiU'a advertising m'onoy and the Turf , Fiuld and Farm. Those now burning are the Times , Forest and Stream , Leggo Broa. tt Co. , J. Walter Thompson , Chailee Meyer's German advertising agency ; Mash it Crook's dining rooms , and the New York Rubber company , the largest of the kind in thu world. All the walls of the old World build ing have fallen. 11:12 : a. m. Thofiromun , aru now getting Home c mtrol of tliu flamca and it is hoped uill be able to nave : \ good portion of the Times building. 11:14 : n. in. Damage to the pout- otlico will bo' slight and is caused by ( hu cracking of platea on the man- caul roof by flip heat and water. Firemen aro.inlvauciii1. in C"iitro ! of f the lite. ' The Morse building will I bo saved , but the windows and fur niture of many front cilice ? am burned. Thu conflagration , whish for it j mnl denncaa a'iid rapidity with which it had hpread , has scarcely had n paralh-1 in thi' ) city. It broke out in thi building formerly occupied by Thu World and other printing ollici'H , en tailing a leas of lifo at present unde termined. At 10:10 : a. m. the tl.uvo1 were first Been from the roof and out of the upper windows. At thu saint timn men and womun were to bj BC-OII crawling out of windows on the lodge * of w indo ws. For a while it looked a * though they must jump nnd run tin eh incus for their lives. Meanwhile thu roaring flames kept augiimctiting , and the position of thu poor creatures became additionally perilous. Tin intense heat wns nearly driving then : frantic. Ono woman , well drojseti and apparently young , who wns stand ing on the lodgu of n window in Beok < man street , near William street , stretched forth her hands imploringly , Heroic firemen tried to get a laddei to her , but before ( hey could do s < ( he flames took hold of her clothing and enveloped her in firo. Slu plunged back into the burning build ing. Another lady climbed oul on a ledco on Beekuian street , near Park Row ; Private Join J. Horan , of hook and laddei No. 1 , James Henry , assistant fore < man of hook and ladder No , 1 , ant Kcouan , of No. 20 engine , rained twc laddera and by r.ieaiw of the 11103 ! superhuman uffortt reacued her jus' ' na the last remnant of her Rtrengtl ; * failed hor. Ellen Bull , colontd janitress , win had charge of aix rooms on the uppui lloor , was engnged with her husband cleaning them when aho hoard the alarm ; she started to run but m\t oil off in every direction , She got out on the le < lge of a fifth story window. She maintained her position only for a few minutes , when n blast of tire nnd smoke from the window struck her , nnd whirling over snvoral times in tier descent she struck the pavement with a dull thud , a crushed mass. Strangely enough , no blood flowed from the terrible frill. She wna berne to the Times oflico , and an nmbulnnco summoned , but she was past nil human aid , and waa dying whan it arrived. Two mon crawled out of the fifth story , and by dropping nnd clinging to copings and kicking in a window , finally lot themselves fall , succeeding in making their oscapo. Am 1 mon rontlomun who occupied a * on the top tloor , < rho made his escape through blindin moke , said the building was fill J with men and woman , and thai many must have bocu smothered and burned. It Will hardly bo possible to got the loss of life to-day. A young girl who was wearing n blue dress , who won cut off from the stairs ran to n fourth story window on the Park Row sidonnditv esiUtingly while the flames nn ; noko encircled "hor. "Jump.ju , " shouted th'o specta tors. Cn'ting a frightened look be low she throw h.raolf out and fell with u thud on the stone pavement. Wher picked up lifu was extinct , her heat being crushed almost beyond recog nition. The entirely burned out are "Willj Wallack's 'stationery store , the olci Lovejoy's hotel building , occupied by theEvouing.Mail and'tho ' uppersiories fw offices of'-the Rural Now Yorker , and abovu thu ground tloor and the imildinc ; is thoroughly gutted ; the front of Eugene Kelly's ' Nassau bank buildinjr , northwest corner of Beok- man and Nassau , which building was only saved from entire destruction by the fact that it was only partia lj completed and had little of wobdoi : partitions , windows , ptc. ( , ' The tire was finally gotten under subjection at 11:15 : a. m. At tin : hour ( ll:30Jtho : fire is under contra and will bo confined to the buildings mentioned. It ia now feared tha lives worotlpst on the upper floors ol the old -World bnilding , and "tho fire men and police are devoting all thei : energies to ascertain the facts. Jus aa the fireiflan were approaching , ai old , gray-Attired woman was scon it the fourth'story of the World build ing nppoalng'for | help Her lips wore such to mow , but her voice could no be hoard. All who saw her were horror ror stricken. The liimcs raged about her person , igniting her hair and clothing. She fell back into the flames , and "was no doubt burned to death. None could give .her name. It waa li ! o'clock jiotm before it .11 possible to obtain nn adequate idea of the extant of the lire , ns the > fire marshal , the insurance patrol and oth ers in possession of any material facts were too busily engaged to give any facts to reporters. The fire was ono of the moat rapid and destructive that thn city has ttiun for several , years. Tfl8' Barnes ( vore" first5 * discovered on the Naasauatrcet , aide of the end of , the old World building , and within a I few moments wore bursting out from ) various parts of that aide nf the block , and oven on Park Row. The cause of this extraordinary rapid ] spread of the flames IB at this r moment unexplained. - The block included the fiat iron ahnped building known as the Times and the World building. The up-town section was occupied by the Times building , which was separated from the downtown - town seo'ion by the old World build- i ing by a solid 22-inch wall. Only a portion of the Times building was occupied by the Times newspaper proper , but there were scores of little offices scattered nil through the stories , stenographers , lawyers , agents , etc. The Woild buildiug was similarly honeycombed nnd was occupied bo Bidoa on the ground floor or former publication office of the World , by a clothing merchant , thu , Now York Packing and Bolting company , and Willy Wallack iV Co , the upper floors being devoted to nowrpapor oflices , PettungUl'H adveitisiny agency , the Scientific American , thu Scottish- American Journal' , We. Now * York Ob- aerver , the Ttnf , Field nnd Farm , nnd scores of more minor offices. A woman waakilled named Ellen Bull , aged -10 , janitresj , who cimo from Virginia two jt-ata ago. Her husband came to thu city t\\o weeku i ago and ia missing , although known to have been in tlio building. At thu time Mia. Bull and two men on 'the fifth Htury ran to the window and got out on the Hill , thu crowd below 'old them not to jump ai they wcro p'ut- tinii up ladders. MM. JJull became frenzied , wr pp J a shawl around her mid leaped ami w.is crushed to a jelly and died almost instantly. A ladder waa up within u low necondii after Mrs. Jiiill jumped and the two mon safely dewunded. Thrco men were oeii at \undo\v on the Liuukman street aide near thu coiner of Park How. Clnrloy Wright , a bootblnck , who has a stand on thu opposite cor- nei , saw thorn , lie climbed a telegraph - graph pole and cut u viro that during the late prc.sidontiul campaign held n IhiH-oc'k banner , swung between that 1 polo a'nd window where the men wore and cried to thorn to slide down which all three safely did , one burning the tfuah off both hands. S. Tracy , aged -10 , n printer in the Scottish American Journal , jump. od from the third floor , broke his hip bonorfind received dangerous internal injuries. Ho is in the hospital and will probably diu , Richard Bowie , ag ed ! 18 , a printer on thu same paper , jumped out of the third story window and received a compound fracture of both legs , in. ternal injuries , cut his head and face , has been unconscious ever since and will probably die h'x-ory ono of the above had at tempted to L'ot down the staira but wore driven kick by the flamva and mnokc. Itirknov.n that five compositors were working in the Scottish-Ameri can rooms , v hiuh wuro isolated , when the Cro broke out , ami Bowie and Trr.cy aio I ho only ones known at this imo to have escaped. The rooms'ftro u the iop floors , which wore undcr- ; oing repairs , nd } none of Uie coupon- ors ftro.Known to have boon at work lioroinAvhen the fire pocurrod.j , ( ' i They havp not necbuntod'for lhoj vomaii ( nn'mo * Unl < iiowii ) < * * > who" ( p-J wared nt the fourth story window and whom the spectators told to wait a noniont. Twenty mon tore down nn iwnint ; from the front of n neighbor- in ; store , nnd , holding it high up un- Icr the window , told the woman to unip. She did , nnd her weight broke hrough the awning , but the fall hart ) eon broken and she fell lo the flag- qing but slightly hurt nnd walked away A , M. Stownrt , proprietor of the Scottish-American , is believed to have writhed. A letter carrier \ ho had just com pleted his delivery in the building nnd in occupant who escaped both nay , hey taw nt least forty panic-stricken woman and girls running about en the upper lloor iW.inl by the smoke. Two colored waiters in Nash Crook's say they saw two white women and one ncgross perish together in the tiro. tiro.Col. Col. L. 0. Bruce , editor of the Turf , Field mid Farm , narrowly es caped. Ho was in * his ollico on the third tloor when the fire broke through the door. Ho throw the subscription books out of the window , crawled out a window and nlong the window sills to the Times buildiuu' and escaped through that , having hia anna , face ind neck burned and hia hair and beard badly singed , Bruce thinks many of his compositors wlio wore nt work perished. Bruco'a father had all his whisker * burned off. A sixteen year old negro niul two white mon were nt n fourth story win dow. The notjro jumped down upon n'pj-ojscting sign on n third story win dow from which there was A ladder to the street. He 'told the whites to jump ; one dia nnd brok'e the sign and was falling headlong when a boy caligh ; him with ono urm around thu body , holding to a < windotf with the other , and hold him until , n , fireman reacued him. The other white niado a safe jump and ho and thu boy , wcro both saved. . The fire originated in the collar trotu the now engine being tried that was to hoist the now elevator and , th ( elevator shaft spread it through tlje buildiug. Thu building was owned by Orlando J. Potter , president of the Singer sowing machine company , one was for twenty-oiio ye < trs occupied by the World and ia insured for $125 , 000. 000.A. A. J. Todd , patent lawyer , and Jas II. Hunter , his clerk , are 'roportoc missing. A. M. Stewart has not perished as reported , but was saved by an om ployo. Police Captain Lyman , in whoso precinct the fire occurred , nays ho thinkn no less than ten persons per iahed and perhaps forty. In addition to the losses nlroad ; reported are Rodiguez Bros. , import , crs ofJJ'Wann cjgara.corner of "Nas sau and Bookman streets ; Tibballs < ! Sons , books ; Grotam Taylor , 8. G Ruhn , tailors ; J. 0. Todd , patent lawyer yor ; Munn &Co. , patent solicitors A. S. Clark , second hand books ; Ju cob T. Stone , patent lawyer ; Thomp SOU'H Bank Note Reporter ; T. W Hofell , firs escapes ; Marks , tailor The Press , the now evening paper Poland Spring Water agency ; The Manufacturer and Builder , periodical The Printing World , periodical ; The Retailer , periodical ; Thn Takaeraftor periodical ; Burt , Frazsr & Osbornu patotita ; B. F. Brady ; P-jiisa Alm queists , patents ; Starkweather A , Gibbs , architects ; the library of The Turf , Field and Farm , the most vnlua bio sporting library in the country and cannot bo duplicated ; The Scion tide American nrchivus , patents , mod CH ! and cuts , invaluable.- . The World building was condemned a year no , and three weeks ago appli cation to add three stories wua rcfusec by the building department on the ground that the wulls were too weak Evi : i.vo.A dozen or more fire engine ! ) are this evening still playnif on the ruins of the burned Work buildin ; . The four fitreota whicl bound the. scorio of the disaster are still hlucliadod to the public , and wil continue to bo for two or more days Thu Times will published as nsiia from the upper section of the block The Tunes" building was saved from the destruction , : nnd indued from asfi OIIH purnunont injury by the uvtra ordinary p-irtition wall which sop nrated the promise. ] from thu buriux ' b'tiilHipg , It is nnderatood this wal ia 22 inches thick and was put up a the special roquuit of thu late Mr It lymond , the original editor of Th Times. It is nttimatod tlio damag to The Times building will not excacc 82.COO ; ( hi ! is tlio estimate of Mr Jones , publisher and principal owner The World building h a complete wreck and , except the tottering frag ments of its wallf , is in ruim- . The front of the Morao building standing nt the rear and on.tho cii poaito side of Naattau street , waa badly injured , the windows being burnoc away , and thu occupants in the fron sections lost considerable in furniture books , etc. The editorial and pub lication rooms of The Truth newspaper situated in one of the front sections has been removed to another part o the block on Spruce street. The Morse building is owned by the Mor e estate , And js nine stories high , and if the most approved modern structure it was erected about five years ago a nn enormous expenditure and is oc cupied by lawyers , agents and privat business oflices. On the south aide of Bookman street is located the old Lovejoy building , until recently occupied b the Evening Mail publication on th bisomont ground , now by a hat stor and oflicus , The damage to the build ing is great from fire , amoko and wa ter. The Mail offices were removal a few weeks ago to the Express build ing , when thu consolidation of th two papers was effected. The Expres building ia a few dcors below , con tiguous to the now offices of thoDail News and the now building occupie by the World is toparatcd from th tear of the LpTojoy building in course of erection'to bo occupied principally by the Nassau bank ; this ia one of the most expensive now buildings in course of * erection known to business circles arid is damnged many thous ands ofvdollj\rsj the building was saved from coinplole destruction with difltculty.'idnjljt the fhmes received less oncournROtnont than they would had tluwriiulowa , partitions and floors booh completed The Uoekmnn street front Ala * " irretrievably 'damaged by smokof flSmwIuid water. Mr. Eugoflc Kelly , ( ho owner , states this oveningithat he is unable to oven estimate his loss. The damage to the postoflice build ing on the city hall paik side of Park Row , directly fronting the World uvilding , is comparatively slight and w s caused principally by the flood of v.ttor poured bn the roof and sides > y postoflicu employes. The possibilities of the conflagration ab ono time could scarcely bo csti- nntod , ns it was not improbable , ex cept for the extraordinary force of iromcn and the combination of for tunate circumstances , that the now postoftice , city hall , Tribune building ind a score of other prominent build- ngs would bo burnod. It BO hnp- iciiod ( IHat lhp 's particular building vhoro the flrp 6'rlglnated was several tories lesa.viij height than the new buildingii'sufroundiiig it and thus the vind nd not''got n fair swoop , al- hough it blewKtlft ; high , rate nnd n lerco snow storm * was raging. Thobprned. ; building was regarded 'or n long time , as unsafe and a few nontlis ago the architect refused to ' allow additional'stories to bo built , and roconimehded that it bo torn down. Orlando B Potter , the owner , who is'president of the Singer sewing naohino company , states that the rents were $70,000 per annum , that the building , was worth $200,000 and wn * hifurod forTwrhaps ihreo-fourths of iU valuoj ! The site is valued at over half a million Quo of _ the heaviest losers ia the osers is 'the Now York Belting and Packing company , whoso stock was valued at $150,000 , with insurance of upwards of § 100,000. The firm has occupied offices in the building over twenty five .yoara ; they opened now oflices a few doors below within two iioura from the time they wore burned out. Their steak is an entire loas.tho only thing savedrbeing the books in actual use , which were carried out by tho'clerks ; the other books are in the safes , aud , it is hoped nro not de stroyed. Wylie Wnllaci , ono of the largest dealers and importers of stitionury in the city , loses about $100,000 ; insur ance 02,500. His entire stock ia loat. loat.The The Scientific American is also o complete loss ; insurance about $20- 000. The property in use which it not included in trio loss , and which ia irretrievable , is.tho accumulation ol records of patents , models , drawings eta. Messrs. Munn1 fc Co. , the owners estimate the contingent loss to 4th < firm and cuitbiukta aC upwards o $100,000. l > uring the afternoon thoi effected arrangements for offices a Broadway and Warren street , acrosi from City Hall Park. Turf , Field and Farm , owned anc published by Messrs. Bruce , had it oflico in The World building. Itjs i complete loss , estimated at § 50,000 including the best sporting libinrv ii the country , being about 500 volume ! of books which cannot bo replaced and the fourth volume of the Ameri can sporting'book in manuscript fern about ready for publication ; it will take about ono year to rearrange tin material for thia volume. Mr. Bruce lost plates , pictures , etc. , stored in the oflico. S. M. Potteneill & Co. , ndvortishif agents , estimate their loss at $20,000 'Among the known losses to iimur nneo companies1 nre the following Lafayette , § 5,000 ; Emporium , $2,000 . -Etna , of Hartford , § 10,000 ; Star § 2,001) ) ; Homo , ? TO,000 ; Phrunix , o Hiooklyn , 815,000 ; Gorman Aniori can , § 10,000 ; Citizens' , Hanover North American of Pennsylvania Harvard , National of Hartford , Nn tional of Now York , Farragnt nm Niagara , § 5,000 each ; Queen , § 2C , > 00 Royal , § 1,500 ; London , Liyerptiol A QIobi , § 5,000 in building , and § ( i,00 ( inronta ; Inipeihl Northern § 10,001 it } runtn and building. TJfo ajmvo'lia is subject to correction M 'sewn * as'tin occupants .can get at their'books'o agents can look up records. The particular point nbontjjvhiel thuro ia amniiing doubt at thu prcsun writing , tw'elvu lunira after the fire , i about thu lees of life , it ] being vari oiialy estimated nt frm C to 500 * , us i ia feared tiit } n number of women am girls in thu priiithi" offices on the to ] floor wore unable f ) escape , Amoiij those known to hit killed nru Ellin Bull , the jaintreHs , who died at th hospital , and two ( Mierw whose name aru in yut upknoivn Suvoral votin\i | \ are now in the hospital. Among the Btartling incldunts ol the lire may'bo mentioned the follow in'/ : Rev. E. D , G Prince , of the Ob server , said when the cry of fire wa shouted ho seized a bundle of paper of personal valuu and assisted th clerks to close the safus , and then rai for his life down atalru , his coa wrapped around his face , lie couli not got through that way. He sat his brother , Rev. Dr. V , Prince , hn ( succeeded in passing the critica point , and with Dr. Stoddird ho rai back and sprang out of a front win dow on to the ledge of the window and , holding in by the sign bean cluhbcd along the ledge to the Time building to a "window , thus escaping One man escaiMid by jumping fror a window to the mass of telograp ! wires underneath , along which n crawled a few f < ; ut to a polo , dowi which ho slid to the ground , Col. L C , Bruce , after trying t 01 capo down the stairway with hi aubicription books , had to throw th books from a window and escape n Dr , Prince did. Pierre Wolf , janitor , 18 years old said ho thought the loeu of life ovu estimated. A woman standing on the sill c a window of the fourth story , held o to the telephone wire with her loft hand She was lintleM and bor clothes wcro in n disordered condi lion. She fanned herself wjth her riirht hand and waited for assistance. "Hold fast till 1 como , " shouted a fin-nun , and n score ot men and boys nif hed forward nnd drucgod n Inilniu- from n hook nnd ladder company's wnioii that had hint arrived , In nn instant the ladder wns placed along side the building , It only reached to the third story. A cry of despair wont up from the crowd. "Push up nn- other , " n hundred void's ' yelled. Two tiremen ran up the ladder t\\o steps at n time. "Can yon hold onn min ute ? " ono naked the peer woman. "Yes , but for God's sake , huny , " was the honrao reply , "Como on then , " said the fireman to his comvmiuu ] , "damn the ladder , wo must euyo her , " and up ho went to the ton. His hands jutt reached thu woman s feet. The crowd held its breath in suspense. The woman remained cool. "Hold on to the wire nnd step on my shoul der , " said the fireman , guiding her foot with hia hand. The MOIIUII did as she was told , but as thu brawny fellow went to niovo a stop lower she seemed to swoon and had apparently lost her balance , when the fireman on the stop below caught her nnd uho wns hastily carried to the ground. Cheer nftcr cheer went up from thu crowd. The corner burned is ono of the bust newspaper locations in the city , the central point of newspaper row and contiguous to the postotlice , telegraph ollico * , the Now York end of the Brooklyn bridge , etc. It is already reported that several overtures have been made for the purchase of the site nnd for the erection of n newspaper building. Among the offers is one by the Daily Graphic for the corner build ing. The Graphic has been for years diasatifllied with ita prraent location , and it is said madu overtures for the oflices made vacant by the World whim the latter removed to its new building. The World and Times buildingi wnru erected on the site of the old brick church of the First Presbyterian society in New York , of which Rev. Gardner Spring was for nearly fifty years paator. It waa pulled down in 1857 , wlu-n The Times and Mr. Potter - tor bought the property nnd put up the present building. The interior of The World building wna filled up with old wood work , very iiill.uniim- bio. Two seta of stairs ran from the third to the ground floor , ono set in thu Park Row end and the other t < Nassau street. Ono set went from the third to thu fifth floors. The stairs wore narrow and almost rotten. An elevator had just been erected ii the building and it is said that the flamrs caught iu the flue near this nm spread thence over thu building. The janitor says tlmtit had been ncconsan to have unusually hot fires in th" basement to dry thu plastering , some repairs having boon made after The World removed to ita new building It _ appears certain tl/at / tha jlamu originated from the fire ia the base incut. After getting a start they burned like tinder , filling the housi with ihmcs nnd smoke and provontiiif those in the upper stories from oacap ing except through the windows. To : do this wns moro difficult on nccoun of the sleet , snow and wind rapin ; ( fiercely , which prevented pononi from holding to thu loik'os very long Thu Ntorm raged all day and was , trying on thu firumon , who nru com monaed by nil for their bravery nm perseverance. MinxmiiT , It is ntill impossible to do more than estimate thu number killed. Ellen Bull and Uiclmn Daroy , thu printer who leaped from a window , nru both dead at thuhoapitnl The injured arc Robt. Bowie , printer tor , of Brooklyn , somewhat burned Harry Joint , readied by a fireman bunind on the face and anna ; E. II Moore , printer , burned severely nhou the face ; Jojin JnhiiHon , lithographer f : severely burned ; Col. Brnco wau slightly scorched , and so wcro others whose naincH were not loarnud. There are many reports of Hooint. women and girls at tliu windows n the upper tories who aftmwarild ' 1m- appearcd and it in thought nuni/ per ished , but thu , firumon by holding lad dora to the windows rtMiuiud many nnd iirtho confuuion they doubtless uncnp- odutiobsei ved by meani of the Mair.4 , NuveVtjielu'in nn thu upper lloom wuro largely inputting rooms umploying - - ! < : ' * - , # t ia not nnpiobibli | > Uul. untiiii- ) ) Ol f the priishuiJ , People 'comu from the building Bay they dis tinctly hi'iitd orii.i of v.oinuti. It , in estimated tliciu wrro Ift'J ' tcnuita in thu catabliilimiiiit , ninny of them em ploying Huveral otliorn. F. W. Hoc'lllu , who hnd an oflicu In the building , rupoitx that two mon Htulh ajid Brown wuiu left in thu building whun he uucapcd nnd tliuy must hnvu perished. Ohas. H. Noah , Bank Notu Itu porter , employed girls , uho wuie not observed , to oauiipu. A number of girln were employed on the top floor. One was neen nt the window , but full back 111 the flames enveloped bor. John Payne , a young cuinponitor in The Observer office , is supposed bi burned. His father in foreman of The Observer composing room , and has gone insane from thu excitement of his own OHcapo and his son's duath , Mary O'Connor , Mary Smith nnd Mary Blount all worked in the build ing and are reported missing. Aiming others inquired for bj friends and relatives wro A. J , Todd , lawyer , of Brooklyn ; JameH H , Hun ter , clerk of Todd ; vTohn H. Grennul book-keeper ; Alfred W. Harris , o Allcndttlo , N. J. ; Hurry Jones , otllci boy ; Austin Black , publisher of Thi Manufacturer and Builder ; Jamu Cunningham and William Utubbs , o Brooklyn ; Edward R. Harris , of Nov York ; J. W , Dennison , publisher Mont Clare , N. Y. . and Richard Tracoy , printer. There ia vorj littln ground for hope that the loss o - lifo is small. NKW YOUK. February 1.At 1 u.m i thu fire is still burning , having caugh in the sub-cullar , and a call for mon oiigino.i has been issued , There is in danger of any further spreading. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. Gladstoiio Still Refuses to Release - lease the Suspects. * Fho New Frouoh Onbiuot Pn- vornbly Received , nnd in Good Working Order. The Failure of tuo Union Uonornle Causing Immense Financial Disaster. kHnonllnnooui Now * That Oamo Over thn Wire. rr M. LONUON , January ! U. A letter rom Mr. Gladstone , published in one of thu morning papers , stnto.i that ho cannot release the Irish Minprcts until boy lone their puwor orabandon tlioir ntoiition to disturb tlio law or place obstructionii in the way of carrying nit thu orders of thu government. , January 31. All existing commercial treaties Imvo teen iroloiigod until March 1. The now cabinet formed by M. Do h'rcycinct. 1ms boon accupteit by Proai- lent Grovy , anil has assumed thu dis charge of its dnticB. The chamber of deputies Imvo fa vorably received t'io ministerial pro gramme , which will bo liberal in tlio urlitunoiitury policy , and one ndvo- : uting reforms in thu government. Tlio doulnration of the policy nf the now ministry was road in theohainbor of deputies to-day. It postpones ru- vision of the constitution and prom- i on to niiike tlio nocoMiiry reform. Their loading nspirntion will be to promote the reign of ponce through out the country. By the failure of thoDnion Geiiornlo oovoral prominent Austrian companion Imvo become nearly insolvent nnd arc left nil out only by thu forbearance of their creditor ? , \vlio sympathize with thorn in their Ions nnd know that if they wore pressed for payment they could only pay n Biimll pcramtngo on tlioir liabilities. Count De Chambord and Hovoral leading Austrian clergy inon and thu aristocracy generally are also heavy losers by the failure. Tlio government in openly charged not only by tlio public but by sovcr.il newspapers of this eitjr with favoring the manager of the Union Gonoralo'n ( til. Dontoux ) schemes , and nro in it measure responsible for the losnca. It was reported on trustworthy au thority that the deficit reaohua ill ) , 000,000 francs. A dispatch from Lyons received tins afternoon slates thut the troops aru guarding the branch ollico in thai city to prevent its being saokod , am that the manager of the olTiio dan not go out of the building for fear ol boiug morikcd by tL piipulacLV A dispatch from Vienna states that the ( [ tiostion of the failure of the Union 'Qonoralo will ho brought before - fore the Austrian ruichrath ntan early day , as it is hinted that the minister of finance , who is expected to resign , had aoincthing to do with M. Bon- toux's schemes. OAIIUI , January 21. ' A deputation from the chamber of dopution to-day waited on Cherif Pashu nnd asked him that the ministry nhould either ngreo to the conditions of thn chamber and grant them control of the budgeter or they would THE ] NATIONAL CAPITAL. Yostorday'd Procoodinga Mia- c'lhineous Matters. CONGRESS. KUIonnl AsHOciatij 1I'rei" . i'UoiKi'.w.voh IN inr. SI.SMTJ : : . WAsiiiMTrojf , .laniiary 'tl Mr , Voorhcon failed attention to a resolu tion ofl'i'ied by him and adopted by tliOBCiiato in OjloUir l.iat , directing thu postolllcu. committin to inquire' into certain ciut curvicu rule's in Ciu uinnuti by wluoli noldto afo I'sdmlcd from nppointmentn in the i-flicu. le | Kaid the reHolution hnd for Hoiiiu cause not been printed , nnd ha fcare'd it had lot reached the ciiinmittt'e. 1 lu calmed I .I'lioroul n unrrc.ipondcnco all , hit the same inlea applion theru , Mr. Voorhcos deiionnued thn inlcn IIB nrhi- laiy , witlunit icasop mid witlioiit leiniiu , and an inutilt to union mil- eliniH. eliniH.Mr. Mr. Ferry rotillod thai , it was taken up at thu flint muolin of tliu commit tee ami referred to Poitinaater Gen- eml .I.UIICH , wliqao leply wna before thu cijmmitlov' , and that they now awaiting thu views of hm BUCCCS- Hor. Hor.At I o'clock the funding bill uamc up , Mr , Yuat modified Iiin amiiiidment by striking out thu clantfi ; ro-uiiiictiny Bectioim 4iriU , and 5,100 of thu re vised statutes. Mr. Han ley then addroaiud the voimto on thu lull , Mr , Vest'rt nmundinont wn rojeut- ed by u vote of 28 to 'M. Mr. Plumb voted aye and Mr. Davia ( III , ) no. It wai olher\viae a party vote. Mr. Plumh'H nmundment requiriuj ; that jill funds in thu treasury m ex cess of $1,000,000 should bo unod in the redemption of M per cent , bonds was adopted yeas 'M , nays 20 ( Da vis of Illinois , IiinUa | , Plumb , Haun dura , nnd Teller voting ayi : mid Jonei > of Florida and McPherBon nay. ) ' Mr. Plumb then withdrew hia othei " ainendmenta and the senate wemtinU uxocuttvu HC'tsion and at 4:20 : p , m , f aeljournod. Thu nomination nf Btratham , thi Lynching pOHtinaatcr over whom i light win made in October , was lu ported by Senator Mnhono and con , finned without an oppoiin-j vote , i.v luu , At 1 p , m. the resolution neliu ; ; tin it namni of American citizens conlime ito itu in DrilUh prieons wan taken up. Ad o drusuctt tvoru made by Meson ) , Dun neil and Oith. After rather a debate , in which the chair rebuked Mr. Robinson , of Now York , for at tempts to interrupt other speakers , Mr. Orth's resolution was unani mously adopted. Mr. Robinson's joint resolution withdrawing public lands ( { ranted rail roads , but unearned by them , and opening the snmo to settlement was withdrawn by him , on the ground' that it did not cover all grants of that kind. Ho offered a substitute so worded as to cover all grants of that tint in r , except tu the Pacific railroads , which ho omitted , because of the fact , that I hey wort ) covered by n similar resolution relating exclusively lo them , _ Robinson's resolution was referred to tlio judiciary committed , when th house went into committee of the whole for the consideration of the ' bill. J The bill giving buiUlhn ; * and grounds nt Erie , Pa. , to bo made as a homo for indigent soldiers ami sailorn , to bo supported by the government , wns discussed in committee of the whole , ixiut opposed on the ground that it was n scheme to got govern ment support for n portion of the poor of Pennsylvania , nnd creating a precedent - codont for n large class of institutions of thii kind , and no action was taken on the bill. Mr. Prcncott gave notice ha would call un on Thursday the apportion ment bill , fixing the number of repre sentatives to each state under tha re cent census. Thu peiat route bill , creating a num ber of postal routes , wns presented from the committee and passed with out dobiito. Adjourned at C p. m. CAPITAL NOTES. Nation \Moclutetl I'rcm. Till : BTUl ItOUTB CASKS. WASHIMITON , January 31. Tlio hearing in tliu star route cases in the police oourt was resumed at 1 o'clock to-day , Colonel Bliss and Cook for the i e > vornmont , and Messrs. Wilson , Tot- , en nnd others for the defense , boim ; present. Mr. Minnix , ono of the mrotii'K on C.ibuU's bond , testified in lis own behalf. Col. A. Brown , formerly clerk in , ho im.itolllco department , and alleged load and front of the star route cases , A-jit put on the stand by the defense. During hi evidence the court inti mated that if the defense insisted upon him ruling upon intent ho would Bond thu cnio to the grand jury , and let the jury pass upon the law. Wit- noas , proceeding , said ho knew of a contractor putting in bids aggregating over $2,000,000 , nnd offered sureties of 20,000 in value. At the same letting ho hnd put up sureties nggro- gatitm 8400,000 on proposals , amount ing to 8270,000. Ho protested n ainst the inaullicicncy of the 920,000 sureties and he waa overruled by the nctine postmaster general. Adjourned until 1SJ o'clock to-mor row. MISC'KLLAUEODS. The prtttid'ont MeuUo'thu ? enatopte > * < day a batch of nominations , embracing unimportant postmnaterships. The physicians who attended the late President Gnrilold will present a statement of their services without a bill , and will trust to congress for their remuneration. The Now Joraoy delegation in congress - gross have ordered a act of silver badges to bo presented to the railroad employes who wcro in charge of the trains that conveyed thu late president to Long Branch nnd hi * remains bock to this city unit thoncu to Cleveland. Rcnurtn t'i the commiftsioncr of in ternal revenue up to the Int inst. show 7SO)11 ; ! ( ! ! ) gallons of tiunblo B pints in bunded warehoused , nearly 1,000,000 iillons ; more than nt the name time lutt jew. Tlio prcMile'iit and cabinet have been invited to utttind thu coming Mmdi Gun nt Ncu Orleans. Accom panying t ho fiifj.'aveid invitations were duuirntiuim for the older for each momhfr. Tlio pividont and cabinet flout regrets fur not being able to at tend. tend.Tlio Tlio sonnto lo-diy confirmed Leo- ] ) > ld Maritime. . . ' , iiHAistaut United rimtcs tmitnror at Cincinnati ; Win. II , Toft , unllnoroi- internal revenue for the J'jfilt O'.no disrnict ; W. J. Pnll'u'k , collector of internal icveniie lor tlio | i'ir it Ptinniylvania district , and Postiiiiulum S. W. White-Held , of Cincinnati , and Cliflbrd Stiatli.uu , of Lyiiuh'burg , Arn. OU 1' , UUITBAU. i.'oovllo ! Hao Virbuslly Given Up All Hop" of Success. W.\Hiu.vuroN , .January 91. Mr. iivillu ia much diahunr one'd. It in doubtful if ho will go to the court in bane , ilno. W. Guiteau haa no hope of n new trial , MIIHOII , tlio soldier who allot at Guitoau , ia still under confinement and will probably not be tried until Gtiiteati is executed , Shofby JIU Brothor-ln-Lnw- Nfttlo'i'l Awuilttutl I'rfM. Loumviu.i : , Ky. , Jnnunry ill. This evunini ( , while under tha influ ence of liquor , L. T. Owens , residing in the eastern part of the city , threat ened to kill his wife with an axe , Ilor cries brought her brother , Goo. W. Oyler , un ex-government store keeper , when Owens turned on him with the axe. Oyler drew a pistol and shot Owuii in the neck , producing probably a fatal wound. Oyler gave himself up , Union Depot lu NunUvJlle. National Aiwodatccl 1'riw. NAHIIVIU.I : , Teiin. , January:31. : The building of n union depot is to bo de- ftiivud for u tiiui' , Indications- X tloiuIAMoUatoJ 1'rcaa. WASWINOTOX , February 1 , For the lo'-'or Missouri valley : Partly clouely weather , except snow in the noithern portion , winds generally from north M west nnd to south'eat , followed during thu night by e Idcr weather.