New-York tribune., 1886-03-09
LIGHTING UP NORTH RIVER
THE GREAT FIRE ON THE MONARCH PIER
PROBABLE LOSS ABOUT S30OOO0-THE INJURY TO
TWO STEAMSHIPS

THE GREAT FIRE ON THE MONARCH PIER
PROBABLE LOSS ABOUT $780, OO0O-ThE INJURY TO
TWO STEAMSHIPS.
The origin of the cOnfagratlon wnlch swept
over the Monarch Steamship CompaDys property at the
foot OF PavOnia Jersey City. yesterday morning
was not determined Nathaniel Fallick. an enploye OF
the Jersey City Electric Light Company, was making
his way down Pier No. 3 renewing the caroohs IN tne
electric lights as he went when he notced tongue OF
flame shooting from the flooring OF the pier near
LARGE nile of lutte He informed Thomas Cumlnibg the
night watclman, and the two endeavored 10 extngush
the fire by the OF hand grenades ana other app-
apcos The flames gained them so rapidly that
Fack van over to the Payonia Ferry ara pulled hre
alarm The ringing of the bells was followed Dy the
rorous blowing OF locomotive whistles ana the latter
signal brought number Of fire tugs In the meantime
the flames had spread with so much rapidly that when
chief Engineer Farrer arrived he directed Assistant
Engineer Denmead ring second alarm ana tha was
,Iowed n few minutes later by general alarm which
bougbt every fire apparatus In the city to the rescue
The fire for a time was confined to the middle OF the
per but the infammabe material stOreu 'here gave IL
additional impetus and soon the raging names swept
+hrouob tbe on tire length and breadth OF the pier
smlng everything in their path fresht sheh stored
with rags and long, low wooden shed or tue south sde
~ Pavonia ave- running parallel with the burning por
caucht fire and were quickly reduced to ashes The wind
was blowing in a nOrherly direction ana carried heaVy
showers Of sparks toward the Erie Railway Depot and
the Pavonia ferry house, placing both IN Imminent
danger All the locomotives that couiu We maue avail
able were pressed into the service OF hauhg the
nasscuger ears out Of the depot ana up toward the
tunnel The steamers Lydian Monarch ana egyptian
Monarch were living on the north side OF the pier IN
which the fire originated. The cargo OF the Egyptian
Mouarch mad been all slowed aW sy and sue %5s M :, &
to sail tb4 morning. Hswsers from some or the nre tugs
were made heI and she was hauled out into the
having sustained no other damage thah 9ssere
scorcbng OF heI bows and tue burning OF SShI Poon
Of the rigglng ,,aL .;rad Ina, Waano.dar
was ueaier to the inner end OF the pier ana III more
shallow water. Shs had the greater portion OF her
caro- discharged and therefore comparatively lght,
but all efforts haul her ont proved un yalnS ana 10
was thought by that she WAS nledded ID the mud
twisted the heavy plates her side. ana the flames
communicated with her tarred rEgnS an I Ieape ro.a
IeSembed burning ship such as Is someo,Ine' Pc P
dnced I'm pyrOiechnical exhibitions. The hane, also
penetrated to the hold but drowned out by heavy
streams OF water. South OF the steamer were se,GiM
escaped the fire owing to the direction OF tho "nd
the wind had been blowing the Otuer way tney Wout
have been burned, the low tide rendered mPosslDe
10 tow them ont Everything on the deck OF the Lydan
Monarch which vas not or steel was destroyed and
nnf tn far short OF $4,000 The fire burned steadily
until about ! o'clock. when the Draye men who we're
fighting began to get 1t under control fler 20; :.
which go feet long, was All CONSUMED except
small PORTION at the inner end. There was large
quantity valuable freight stored in 1t although not
S much week days The sned III whlch tus Itss
contents. The milk depot on Payonla-aye ana tne
office, connected Sith II succumbed to the lames az an
were loaded with milk and the others with niscellaneous
freight were burned The PayODa Ferry boats ceased
running shortly after the fire started ana ana not resume
their trips until the danger was over. . ,
Those who he fire were loud IN thelr ptdis ~
the manner in which il wa' handled Ile nrenen On @ 1o
land side worked with great energy. The fee OF tuSs
had better facilities for getting near 10 the haes anu
each BOAT had two to five streams me Meet con-
sisted OF the ZoThar Mills and John f. Pratt the Ele
Railroads bOats-the Buffalo Don Juan anu van
Hulteu the Pennsylvania hOats-lhe Juanla, itoulis
America. Har SINUS, America, Pennsylvania anu Chclo
Abe and the Central Railroads tug Bayonne. streams
NJ tf-rV a poured
the north side OF the immense Erie grain elevator short
policemen under the cOlnlnah OF I !let MurPhS
lire line some distance up PavOnla-ave ana KEPT luo
crowd back. Tue destruction oI the ,ik cars c"1u "a
slight corner IN milk cSpecIy III .Hl, is3oo noa'
e.. .tmatei nlt The entire loss viii foot up SJoDoOV.
william T. NIdsan. the steamship COMPANY : sulerln
endeut that both the receiving ana drNeIS olecS
and all tie books destroyed. 50 tnat theie no
method present o a,ccrialnng now Hlea i
there on the pier lie Estimates tIt M no,.
$4,000 and on the Lydiau Monarch between foV,yoo
and SGDOJO. All these losses are tuy lhSureu ~ '.l-
mix is about $4,000 which is also fully covered ny
insurance At the olce OF the Erie Railway IN TINS cly
lower estimate ot mo losses Wa .' % ~ ,ead
that the los on the company rropet VIII hoI go
$4,000. which was fully covered by Insurance. III w
account the costly items are the mix she' Nc
was burned and three milk ears partially deStfoFeup
Ats A. m the work OF clearing away the ruins was
hesnn 4 large force OF workmen were removing the
buIned tmbrs ue another and equally large force OF
cArpentcrs preparing timbes Tor lluedlate use'
th material lens ronght down from the tunnel shops.
steamship piers are owned by the Erie Railway Com
many and leased 10 the Monarch Company As soOh rs
IN remainder OF freight is removed from thc H dIah
Vonarc sne a IN be dry -dOcked and repaired III eA-
pected that the Egyptian MOnalch VIII san to-u"y no
damages To the Lydlan Monatch were not 81 oS sea' 80
they would have been had her m3Sts AM olhe s'rs ot
been OF iron The made every eHort 70 hecP tY9
fire from spreading. The vessel was dYert'eu 20 sa
saturday, but she will not start before tue muu'0 u