The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-02-08
THE BLAZE AT BRUNSWICK.
TWO LIVES AND A MILLION DOLLAR&
LOST.
A CoIlfslon Betwesn Trains ON the
Bridge that Nearly Set q New
Jersey City ON Fire.

Bridge that Nearly SET q New
Jersey City ON Fire.
New BRUNSWICK, February Ia disas-
trous collision followed by flames that for
a time seemed to imperil all the river section
of the town, occurred at three o'clock this
morning ON the great bridge that carries
! the Pennsylvania Railroad over the Rari-
tan River and the canal running parallel
with it. The heart Of the city lies on
bluff that overlooks the river on the south
side. and thence north there is q steep de-
scent to the rivers edge. The bridge that
spans the river is up to the level of the
| highest sections of the city, and is there
| fore at steadily increasing height above
| the street levels, from the depot to the
river edge The arch that supports it at
the south shore of the river is nearly fifty
feet high. A hundred feet to the south
ward it is 40 feet high. On either side Of
the bridge abutments on the river bank
\ is cluster of mammoth manufacturing es-
| adjustments. Passengers on the trains
| look down upon the roofs Of some Of the
buildings, and into the top floor windows
of others that are taller or upon higher
grades. They are the jam Factory, as the
Consolidated Jar Company's buildings ara
locally called; Janeway & Co.'S paper mills,
the old Button factory, and the new es-
adjustment of Janeway Il Carpenter, who
are also manufacturers of paper
On the hill on the other side of the river
is a watering station that is reached by
siding from the main track. At three
o'clock this morning long train Of oil cars
bound for Jersey City, crept through the
city sluggishly over the bridge. and on
reaching the other side of the river, was
| switched to the siding. The locomotive
ran to tht water tank, and filed, and then
backed her train to the main track again to
resume her eastward journey. The long
| line of tank cars extended across the
bridge and the caboose at the end
overlooked the cluster of mills on
the river bank. Conductor Roberts had
just signaled engineer Murray that the
switch had been adjusted. and the main
track was clear for the train to start, when
a train Of mixed freight cars Numbered up
on the bridge, and crashed into the ca
boose. The locomotive of the freight
train broke the caboose into kindIing wood,
hurled the truckst0 one side of the track,
and hosting two of the oil tank cars,
hurled them over the side of the bridge
down upon the streets and buildings be-
low. The cars in the wake of the freight
locomotive were lifted the track too, and
] two of them went over the bridge side
with the two oil cars. Those that were
| lett upon the bridge were broken and
wrecked and thrown into iDextricable con-
| fusion. One Of the tank cars broke into q
blaze, and set fire to the wreck, and the
bridge as well.
The contact with the two oil cars hurled
| over the bridge had broken the tank, and
live Goals from the locomotive had set the
oil afame. The other tank was broken by
the fall. Flaming torches of oil fell upon
the roofs of the buildings; streams of
blazing oil coursed along the canal and
through the cutters, starting fresh con-
fagrations as often as they encountered
anything to burn. In less time than it has
| taken to tell the story, the darkness of the
night was turned into the light of midday.
Janeway & Cos factory and the buildings
/ of the Jam factory were soon q mass of
flames. The sea of oil coursing through the
| cutters around the Farmers Il Mechanics
| Hotel and two or three dwelling houses
that stood opposite the Janeway's factory.
| The sleeping inmates dashed out in their
night clothes just in time to save their
lives, and stood helplessly by and saw
their homes licked up by the flames. Some
discounting the chances rushed into the
houses to rescue the more valued articles
/ of household furniture or apparel, and.one
! fool-hardy young mechanic named Docharty
ventured even into the Janeway factory to
save his tools. He was not seen to come
out. He cannot be found any where now,
and his charred body is undoubtedly in
the wreck of the building.
| The town turned out to fight the flames,
and at six o'clock this morning succeeded
in getting them under control. Meanwhile
| the widest stories were in circulation as TO
| the loss of life. It was said that by the
explosion of one of the oil tanks several
| persons had been killed. When the ex-
citement had subsidized the record of but
| one other missing person than DOchartY
could to found. This was Frank Dumas,
| who had been brakeman on the freight
train. 1t was at first thought that he had
been thrown from the bridge into the
water. Under the bridge car load of
roasted horses lay. When the debris of
this part of the wreck had been carried
away, his body was found beneath it. His
head and legs had been burned Always
nothing but the trunk renamed.
| The bridge was considerably damaged,
| but party of wreckers sent to the scene
| had cleared one track by 10 o'clock in the
morning, and the other was ready in time
for the 1890 fast Washington line bound
East to pass over it.
The loss on Janeway Co.'s buildings,
stock and plant will amount to SITS, 900;
insurance $61, 900. The Consolidated
Fruit Jar Company's loss is $500, 900; fully
insured The total loss will not be less
than three-quarters of million. Janeway
& Co. will Immediately rebuild. The
Fruit Jar Company are reticent about fur
nishing information, either of their loss,
insurance, or future prospects. The in
surance loss will fall on out-of-town COM
panies, and is well distributed.
Between 900 ond 700 workmen are thrown
out of employment.
Steps have already been taken to test the
liability of the Pennsylvania Railroad IN
the matter of damages before the Trenton
| courts.
The carelessness which caused the acci-
dent seems to be due to the telegraph
operator on the east bank of the Raritan,
who operated the block signals Tor the SEQ
ton on which the accident occurred. He
cannot be found. -Four blocks away from
the scene of the accident the engineer and
fireman say they saw the white light to ego
ahead" Two blocks away the red doomed
into view, but the engineer could not re-
duce the speed of the train in time to avoid
the collision.
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