The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-08
A MILLION DOLLAR BLAZE.
DESTRUCTION OF PART OF THE
SINGER SEWING MACHINE PLANT

| A Chance Of Wind Proves n Blessing to
Thousands or Elizabeth WorkinEmen-
The Buildings to be Repaired At Once.
The damage to the Singer Sewing Machine
Company's big factory at Elizabeth. N. j.,
though very great, is not ms serious as It
| threatened to be whom the flames were lighting
up Newark Bay before daybreak yesterday
morning. 1t was supposed Len that the
almost complete destruction OF the works was
Inevitable. The water supply had been made
auate. rather stiff breeze was whipping tho
| fire along over the untouched buildings, and
| the prospect was decidedly uniavorable. when,
most luckily. the wind shifted and blew
| away from the buildings toward the meadows
| and to add to this. the water supply was in
| creased. From that time the homes OF the
managers. the working people, and the local
| tradesmen began to rise. by noon yesterday q
much better feeling prevailed than had ex-
listed twenty-iour hours before. The announce
ment was made that work would be resumed
to-day In the unaffected parts OF the plant, and
that as many OF the rest OF the employees as
possible would be engaged in removing the
| debris and preparing for rebuilding.
The Singer company Is the biggest ono In
| the sewing machine business In the world. 1t
is the largest single factor In the existence OF
| Flizabeth and II the industry had been wiped
| out by tho fire the result would have been the
prostration OF by far the largest part OF the
| life OF community OF $4,000 persons. There
were 8.75O mon and women working for the
| company and their wages. besides directly
supporting at least 1900 families. contributed
| largely to the maintenance of great number
| of storekeepers and others. 1t Is not strange,
| therefore that when the fire alarm was
| sounded between II and ~ o'clock on Tues
! day night thousands OF people got out
| of bed and went down to the works to
watch the peril OF the mainstay OF the
town. The fire was discovered few min
utes after II O'Clock by Watchman
| John Bennett In the tower In the main front
on First street. The managers don't know
yet just what he did, but they are going to In
yestigate. The buildings we're equipped with
| grenades. extinRushers. and reels Of hose at
tached to hydrants and there is strong feel
| ing on the part Of the company that but for
| negligence or fright the first blaze might have
| been speedily ouenched. There was in fact
no successful fight against the beginning OF
| tho FIRE. Besides there was delay In getting
| the alarm out and then to make the conditions
Of the lremens battle worse there were no
good roads over which the engines could be
in service, and not only did all have difficulty
in Getting through the mud. but two stuck fast
in Il. and had to wait until extra horses could
The start which the flames got through these
various causes was disastrous. Thick curvinR
tower and the windows below, and, curling
around the corpice; threw, their DESTROYING
sides and pushed along its top. gathering great
er force at each foot and sweeping on ercer
and iiercer The rooms within that we're send:
ing out these flames were packed with stuff
that makes intense fire, There were wooden
and cans f 81 on anu
benches and other parts OF the furnish ing of n
factory so heavily saturated with oil that they
ltnI stab nj nf fhn
blaze The object Of the firemen. consequence
ly. was not so much TO eXtinRuish what was
far-reaching plant from yielding to the sweep
ing flames. This was mighty ask. forthe area
the several buildings is is acres. The Singer
company bought all the materials used in the
constipation OF sewing machine not l9 a I'm
plant was more than mere machine shop.
For example: the iron used In their machines
process necessary to convert 1t into the form
suitable tor final treatment was gone through
tured sewing ~G machines. but they butt much
Of the machinery and fashioned many OF the
@sde E6ms this a bu
pGs not Ia from a5 the shore OF NeWarK Bay In
adjoining walls was, 1880 feet Distant some
Ono of these structures faced First street. 1t
was four stories high. with Mansard roof
AulOlDlnR NJ TlEUl olThLtutu hnOLuer
folir-story structure The walls OF all were OF
brick and the floors OF concrete and iron. and
the erSS Of budnGsS Eva to cab be FIRE
That Mt right angles on Trumbull street was
ESQ feet long The buildings tl thus made mad a
vertical line on Trumbul street. 1t was at the
base OF the L that the fire, famed its tercest.
tho blaze worked down from 1t to the other
floors. A clock in the tower communicated
with dial In the Office in one OF tho parts I'M
fOuchad NJ when the tower cOpR |
was deStt Dyed the communication with the |
dial down stairs was cut on; me hands yes
termined that the tower was done for in quick
order.
up into stock rooms and offices. On the second |
story was the assembling department or the |
cRine are r se 6rouGRt together Haf Of the
third floor was used for the adjusting depart |
me aGd T the OF me end testing
fourth floor was devoted to the department OF
quilting. felting, and other attachments and
the corner into the long part Of the was given |
up 10 the needle department. Above this floor
store room and part was, filled with unused
machinery. Back OF this FIRST street building
were connecting sheds she lIIed With sba s and
Of the long adjoining building was devoted
to the. milling department, the second
Justment and testing, and the fourth TO the
needle department This arrangement OF de;
"a tluollb On Tue lplk bhl VI u - oAlouubu
200 feet. beyond that point the rest OF tho
lonGth was divided Oh tho several floors among
the $50 feet sweep along Trnmbull street. the
first 60 feet was Included in the building facing
on First street. or; q other Words thai 50 feet
the 900 feet used as described apove in detail.
and beyond that came q stretch Of 900 feet, or
the part used for tho other machinery depart
ments The portions. Destroyed 5G3yed, or dam:
on First street and 260 feet from the
corner along Trumbull street. The FIRE
WAS blown IRON tho First street or the base OF
the l. toward the Trumhull street or vertical
line OF the l., and at ono tims II was thought all
the Irumbpil street structure would be in
eluded within the reach Of the wind-driyep
flames. But after the length OF $50 ieet had
been covered by the fire, the fortunate change
In the direction OF the stit1 IreeHe came and the
worst was over. 1t was 2 o'clock whom tho
fight was Won: but It was O'Clock boore the
fire was out The heavy machinery In the attic
OF the First street structure was too great
burden for the heated floor, and soon after
o'clock the great weight crashed through. and,
breaking floor after floor. foil to the cellar.
Practically, The First street building Is
burned out Its front walls arc sound but the
rear walls are cracked, and must to torn down.
Nothing remains Of the fourth story or the