The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-07-22
BLAZING OIL AND WAX.
A Lively Fire at Constable Hook-Bay
onne Notes.

A Lively Fire at Constable Hook-Bay
onne Notes.
The hoarse, continuous groan of one OF
the oil refinery's began at half-past one
o'clock yesterday afternoon, reverberated
through Bayonne and aroused it's 10000
inhabitants.
Above Constable Hook, where the oil
works are, q column of dense black smoke
lowered and curled upward into the clear
blue sky Soon this was followed by
cleaning tongues of flame.
Two large brick structures were fast
nearing demolition in Lombard & Ayres'
oil yard, now belonging to the Tide Wa
ter Oil Company.
All of the oil company's hose was called
into requisition and the Standard Oil
the skillful direction of veteran Fireman
Charles McQuillan, did effective work;
By two o'clock the buildings resembled
two huge furnaces.
The walls of buildings three hundred
feet away were smoking. These were the
chemical works of Martin Kalbf1eisch g
Co. They were kept wet and were not
damaged Not thirty feet distant was the
electric candle factory, but the building
is fireproof and withstood the heat
By the well directed efforts of the fire
men under the direction of Chief j. H.
Mahnken the fire was confined to the two
buildings, q tank containing $50 barrels
of parafine oil and several hundred cases
of wax. A gang of the Tide Water Oil
Company's employees were brought over
from Staten Island on its tugboat, the
Little Nelly. Every man was needed.
Fireman Griffin and another fireman,
whose name could not be learned, were
overcome by the intense heat. There was
constant danger from falling walls, but
happily no one was injured, except one
man, who received slight scalp wound.
Foremost among those to render aid
were number of the boiler makers who
struck work several weeks ago for re-
ductiOn of hours.
In two hours after the fire broke out all
danger to surrounding properties was
past, and the two buildings a mass of
smouldering ruins.
The two buildings destroyed stood al
most parallel to each other, with space
intervening of about fifteen feet. They
were two stories high and each about
fifty feet square, with sixteen and twenty
four inch brick walls.
Here the wax was refined and turned
out in solid cakes preparatory to ship
ment in bulk or for manufacture into can
dies. Hence the machinery consisted
principally of wax presses and moulds.
The daily output when the work was In
running order was about forty thousand
pounds.
The buildings were valued at about
81, 900 each; the wax presses at $12, 900, and
the stock at about $1,000, total loss of
at least $31 900 to the company, as they
carry their own insurance.
The origin of the fire is not known. 1t
was suggested that the SUMS rays concen-
trated through one of the windows might
have caused the fire. Remembering that
the ground I'm the vicinity is SO impreg-
mated with paratine oil that spark may
set it on fire the solar heat theory does not
seem improbable.
George Griswold, of the Independence
Fire Association, climbed upon coal
trestle to get better view of the scene.
An officious watchman employed by the
company ordered him to come down, and
not being satisfied with the alacrity of
Mr.. Griswold's compliance, he struck him
with his club. When the watchman was
brought before his superiors, he said that
he had ordered Mr.. Griswold to put out a
cigar which he had in his mouth. As a
matter of fact Mr.. Griswold was chewing
an unlighted stub, after the fashion of
the late General Grant.
The Young Mems Big Excursion.
The principal avenues and streets were
lined with pedestrians in holiday attire
this morning, with lunch baskets and
baby carriages. All converged towards
the Chancellor Dock, First street, Bergen
Point. Here lay the steamer Idlewild
and the barge Susquehanna, gaily decor
ated with flags. Lastly came the Hiber-
MAN Drum and Fife Corps, followed by
the officers and various committees of the
Young Mems Association, each of whom
wore suitable badge of very pretty de-
sign.
BY ten O'Clock the big excursion was
ON its way to River View Grove, Long
Island Sound. Fifteen dances to popular
airs discoursed by Prof. Olvany's orches-
ira, will be enjoyed going to the Grove,
and as many more on the way back. The
arrangements were carried out by John
+. J.tReilly, chairman, and John j. Reilly,
William j. Kenny, Edward Gregory and
Cornelius S. Brady; James Carberry
acted as floor manager, assisted by George
Bull, Jonn Collins, Daniel j, Murray,
chairman of the Floor Committee, with
Thomas H. O'Brien, John J. Feehan,
John H. Lewis and Frank Clark; VIII
liam p. Lee, of the Reception Committee,
composed of Miles Farnan. Thomas Moo
nan. Dennis Hennessy and Patrick j.
McSorley.