New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-24
A CHURCH IN ASHES.
STEPS ALREADY TAKEN FOR A NEW ONE
LOSS OF soe 1000 ON CHRIST CHURCH. IN EAST
oRANGE-rHE CAUSE OF THE
FIRE UNKNOWN.

FIRE UNKNOWN.
Christ Church, at East Orange, one of the most
fashionable and influential of the Episcopal
churches of the Oranges, was totally destroyed by
fire early yesterday morning. The alarm was
given at ten minutes before o'clock, and almost
instantaneously flames seemed 10 break out all
over the church at once. In less than an hour
the building was totally destroyed, with all its
valuable contents
The cause of the fire is not positively known,
but it is thought to have originated from over
heated fiue. The sexton had built his fires as
usual on Saturday, and the night being sharp
one, had left good draft on. milkman going
his rounds at 5 o'clock, saw light in the cellar
of the church. but supposing it to be the sexton,
paid no further attention to it. The rector. the
Rev Horace S. Bishop. who lives in the rectory
adjoining, smelled smoke before that time and
carefully looked through the house, but found
nothing wrong and the church appeared to be
all right An hour later he was aroused by his
servants. who rushed to his room with the cry of
Fire"
Hastily springfng from bed he glanced out
of the window and saw the church com pletely
wrapped in flames. 1t is supposed that the fire
caught under the floor near the northerly end
of the church and, the windows being tightly
closed, smouldered and slowly ate it's way along
under the entire church As soon as the fire
burned through the floor and gained vent it
flashed into blaze and spread with lightning
like rapidty.
The East Orange Fire Department responded
promptly, and a half dozen powerful streams
were soon pouring the flames, but IL was
evident from tie start that the bulldlng WIS
doomed In less than two hours from the ume
the alarm was gwen nothing remained OF the
pretty church but mass Of charred tlmoers ana
the wooden vestibule in front, surmountcd with
a half burned cross The rectOry, only twenty
five feet away, the personal property of the rector,
filed with rare brc-a-brac and many valuable
and artistic collections, was in great peril ana
several nmes caught fire, but was hnaliy saVeu
with some exterior ScOrchlng.
The burned church was Gothic frame structure
about sixty feet wide and ! 27 feet long it hau
grown from the original nucleus by additIons ions
from time to time and was rather iow'
celed and sided with narrow pine oil 1nlshe,-
1t contained fine organ. one OF the best IN the
Oranges, fine set of altar veStments ana a
number Of valuable memorials of various KINDS,
all Of which were destroyed The loss is about
SOS. 900, and IS fully covered by insurance
The church was built in 1870 largely o through
Bishop It's first and only rector Only last Sun
day its anniversary was celebrated by appro-
pirate services
extinguished when the vestry Of the church gath
cred in the rectory and initiated the work OF re-
building. The burned church has long been fet
20 be iEcnmmensurate with the wea th ana 'hl'I;
cnce of The parish and there have been several
attempts to replace Z by handsome stone
structure These have always been foiled by the
reluctance of few of the older members ecs ,od oi
10 them as il was by so many hallowed assocla-
tionS This opposition ceases with the burnlns
of the church. and the fire IS openly REGARDED py
the rector and many of the parishioners as
blessing in disguise. .,.
As soon as the news of the loss spread through
the community sympsthetic messages were fsent
in from various churches of different denomlna-
tjons and five different ones were Offered Tor use
until a new church could be built. These were
gratefully declined, the vestry at once secured
Commonwealth Hall, two blocks distant for per
manent services 1t hns been decided to put the
work of preparing plans and specifications in
hand at once. and to begin the work Of rebuild
ing as soon as the frost Is out of the ground
II is probable that the central section OF stone
church will be built at a cost Of from $40 Vpp
70 $4,000 the chancel being left only ahont
half its ultimate depth, and the front closed in
temporarily with wood, its completion with splrc
or lowers being left 10 later day. Liberal
subscriptions and donations to the BUILDING fund
we're made on the spot, and the financial problem
may be regarded settled.