The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-11
GREAT CONFEDERATION.

Burning Of Pyle Il Co.'s silk MIL, In Patterson,
New wJersey-TenementsD DestrOyod-Loss HAN
n Million.
The N. Y. Tribune of this morning publishes
the following
A great eonfagration occurred yesterday after
noon in the manufacturing district of Paterson,
N. j., near the locomotive works. The fire
broke out at o'clock z. M, in the waste house
of Michael Morris, on Jersey street. near the
Murray silk mill. The building was nearly filed
with cotton refuse, which ignited spontaneously
The flames communicated to frame building in
process of erection. The section of the Murray
mill occupied by Day & Co., silk manufacturer
was next destroyed, and the floors occupied by
John Pyle were speedily burned, the walls fall
ing in with terrible crash
Only by the greatest efforts of the fremen and
the hands turned out by the various mills were
the pattern and tender shops of the Danforth
Locomotive Works saved. Eight tenement
houses on Jersey street and in it's rear were
completely destroyed. On Slater street six
tenements were burned. The burning cinders
set fire to the roofs of many houses in the
vicinity, even so far as Grand street near Mar
shall street, half-mile distant and to dwellings
in the vicinity of the Gas Works, stin further
off. The Murray Mill, owned by John Pyle d
Co. (John Pyle being Mayor of Paterson and the
well-known Father of the Paterson silk Manu-
facture'D, was 200 feet long by 70 wide, and
three stories high a story sided with glass having
been added a year ago.
1t contained 1856 raw silk winding spindles,
cleaning spindles, 400 sellers, 6555 spinning
spindles, 952 doublers, 25 spoilers, and 20
broad-silk looms, the latter recently introduced
from the stock of the velvet mill. The mill was
famous in the campaign of SO as public meet
ing house of the Republicans. Mr.. Pyle was
preparing to engage extensively in the weaving
of broad silks with ''spun" wsofs. The loss of
Pyle d Co. is computed at $500, 900, with no
which $4,000 is insured. The e'GIoSS' loss Of Of
Michael Morris is $4,000, mostly insured.
Great indignation is expressed against
Mr.. Morris, for maintaining dangerous
waste-hovel in the heart of the most valuable
manufacturing district, in the midst of so many
tenement-houses. The dwelling-house of Mrs
Mcfarland, occupied by two families was
burned. Loss, $25O0 not insured. Four houses
owned by Michael Norris and occupied by is
families. are included in his loss of $50 OOO and
are probably fully insured. Mr. McKerwen's
house, occupied by three families, was burned
Loss, $1,000. Eight houses in all were DESTROYED
on Jersey street. and half-dozen others
damaged. Six houses on Slater street were
burned out, only the frames remaining. The
value OF these houses would average $500 each,
ana because OF the waste-house could not be in
sured. By this fire $500,000 worth of property
was destroyed, eighty families turned into the
streets, and $50 employees rendered idle. All the
raw silk in Mr.. Pyles mill was saved Great
praise is given to the night police, who turned
out as volunteers, and to the firemen, for saving
the whole district from ruin. Mr.. Pyle, it is
said, remarked in the morning that the waste
house would burn them all out some day, and he
went to New York to obtain insurance. When
he returned in the afternoon the result of thirty
years labor was in ashes. Several accidents
occurred to the firemen, two sustaining leg
fractures. Many of the poor families lost all
their household goods. Dexter Lambert & Co.
offered the spare room of their silk mill to the
suffering manufacturers for temporary storage.