Daily Republican., 1884-08-05
GREATFERRY HOUSE FIRE
DESTRUCTION OF THE PEN ~sYr =
vANIA RAILROAD COMPA>Y's
DOCKS AT JERSEY CITY.

NEW YORK, Aug. 4.-The lower part
of the city was lighted up just before
midnight by q fire which has to.ally
destroyed the ferry house, drops aud
sheds of the Pennsy lvania Railroad
Company at Jersey City. The b.aJ
which left there at II. Is o'clock fort ia
side saw no signs of any extraordinary
light, but when she tried to make IA rs-
turn trip fifteen minutes later it was
found to be impossible to get w,tain
600 feet of the dock, and she was com-
PEELED to return.
The first blaze seemed to burst out in
the centre Of the sheds, and within
few minutes the whole structure was .
mass Of flames from the YORK Street.
dock to the Adams Express pier,
stretch Of fully 600 feet water front.
Fortunately for the company aud for
the city, the wind was light and bow
ing gently from the Southwest. IL car
ried the smoke diaaonally across the
river and up the river aud drove the
flames away from Taylor's Hotel and
the long line Of low, wooden structures
| near the ferry.
One or two of the tugs in the vicinity
happened to have some steam left and
two of the ferry boats that had been
laid up in their slips We're towel out
into the stream. 1t was appareaJ as
soon the fire department got fairly to
work that all their engines would be
| best spent in trying to save tho Adams
Express Pier, for, If that was ouce fair
ly on fire it would be impossible to save
the loads Of valuable freight massed ON
the tracks adjoining.
| The switchers meanwhile had been
rapidly hauling the cars out from uuder
the track shed, which the flames were
comparative slow to reach, owing to
the metal in the roofs and the small
amount of inf1ammable material used
in the structure. Within an hour after
the first Giny flame was seen che firo
had begun to weary of its work.
desL airing Of getting beyond the pas
senger sheds and the ferry drops, but it
will be much longer before the fire dies
out, for at l o'clock in the morning it
still lighted up the whole river front,
and no boats have been able to convey
persons from this city to the scene.
Tn meagreness of the information
available at present as to the cause of
the fire and the damage done il due to
the fact that the telephone service Is cut
off and the wires cannot be worked.
The los iss 10 al, save, pt s,ibly, On the
drops, and it can only be founu out by
icAdiiliudtlOu iiUW Diu III TeDullulnR- Will
be required. If the drops are not badly
damaged, as is possible on account Of
their proximity to The water, the loss
will be much less, for travel will not be
seriously interrupted, but if they re-
quire thorough rebuilding the consequent
tial damages will be important. AS is
is, drops extending 600 feet along the
river are almost eunrsly destroyed,
including the Brooklyn Annex drop
aud the four in use lor the Cortlandt an
Desorosses Ferries.
The explosion thai WIS heard sooa
after the hre broad OUT was eau ,al by
the firing Of lot oi oil used for ferry
supplies and ke,t in the house near
, the centre Of the building. The loss will
be something between quarter of a
million and million and half. bit it
is not thought that railroad travel will
be interrupted at all In case of neces-
sity, the company can use the New
York and New England ferry drop, one
block above the tire, or make Tempo
rary arrangements for the transfer to
the Red Star dock, Just below that part
lof the annex which was destroyed.