The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-09-17
Fire Department Demora1i-
zation Shown at This
Mornings Telephone
Office Blaze.
SLOW WORK, ROTTEN HOSE
all Hello Communication Cut Off in
This City---A Result Of the
storm---Serious Damage
Elsewhere.

The storm which has been raging IN
tnis vicinity for the past six days is one OF
the most serious that has heen expert
enced In years, and the damage which it
has caused directly and indirectly is large.
While the rain was pouring this morning
lightning set fire to the cupola through
which the cables and wires Of the New
York and New Jersey Telephone Com
pany enter the central Office in the Flem-
ming Building at Washington and Mont
gomery streets.
Shortly after nine O'Clock the Young
lady operators in. the main operating
room suddenly noticed something pc
culiar about the switch boards Little
streaks of flame began to shoot over
them and the bells began to jingle at a
lively rate. AT the same time there was
sound Of people running up and down
the stairs and in the halls and then
tnere was a cry of fire. Mr..
Il. G. McCully, superintendent Of
the Trunk lines, ran out into the hall
to investigate, and found that the fire
Dhoned the fact to Fire HEADQUARTERS.
and from there the fire companies in the
district were given the alarm In the
meantime the cuDola was blazing bright
lY, but owing to the thorough manner in
which the rain had saturated the sur
rounding woodwork, the flames made but
little headway. This fact treasured the
inmates OF the building and there was no
confusion.
CUTTING THE CABLE.
superintendent McCully's first care
was to have the large cables cut so that
ne could maintain his connection with
New YORK and the surrounding country
Inc men We're engaged at this work when
Engine Co No. arrived on the scene and
line OF hose was quickly hoisted to the
roof Dy a rope. 1t was found that
the engine had not sufficient steam up to
throw stream TO that height This was
due to the fact that the authorities, in
their false economy, do not permit the
engines to keep fire in their
houses, so as to have steam up
at all times. The chemical engine
soon arrived, and in few minutes
had stream playing on the fire. The
flames soon succum bed to the Chemicals
and the fire was extinguished. Had the
1lre broken out during dry spell the en-
tire roof would have been IN flames be-
fore the department could have got to
work.
Mucn OF Inc delav was caused by the
telephone people telephoning TO Fire
headquarters instead of sending out the
alarm from the box at York sEreeh. It
took considerable time TO telephone the
location of the fire to each engine house.
The woodwork was so wet that it did not
ignite readily, and the blaze was caused
by the burning of the highly infiammable
paraf1ne with which the cables ami wires
are insulated.
THE DAMAGE
The officers of the company say that 1t
viii take 81, 500 at least to repair the dam
age, besides the loss from the stoppage of
their business. In order to reach the
flames the tiremen were obliged to cEt the
wires running into the cupola and as
soon as this was done all communication
throughout the city was at an end. Work
men were Immediately put to work to re-
pair the broken wires, but the superin-
tendent says that it will be late in the
afternoon before communication can be
restored.
were in the building at the time Of the
fire, remained cool and collected. They
quietly put on their hats and wraps and
went out on the street to view the fire.
The building was damaged about $500 by
water and the breaking of the ceilings.
A large crowd gathered on Montgomery
and Washington streets, but force OF
policemen under Chief Murphy, Inspector
Lange and Captain Farrier kept them
from interfering with the firemen Cap
tain John Graham, the terror of the Ring,
was among the first on the roof and rem
dered the company valuable service. The
| fire delayed horse car travel on Mont
gomery street for over half an hour.
FLOOD TO HELP FIRE.
The small brick connection between the
two sections of the Montgomery street
sewer at the bridge over Merseles street
| burst this morning when the rain was
coming down the fiercest, and the street
| found impossible to run the new
electric motors through the flood
and they had TO be withdrawn.
The Jersey CITY and Bergen Railroad
| Company sent number of its workmen
to repair the break, and after much labor
thev succeeded in opening the sewer at
| the break, so that the rain could run
| through it.
The rain has made Montgomery street
from the hill to Brunswick gstreet
almost impossible on account of
the E1ud. and several 81 trucks
have been mired there. The
meadows on both sides of the street are
under water, and where a man could
have walked o week ago ducks were
swimming complacently about this morn
morning. For long distance the horse
car tracks are under water entirely
MONTICELLO avenue IN tne neignDorno0d
of Emory street and Astor place, pre-
sented the appearance of lake. The
water extended on level from cr-h to
curb, completely covering the car tracks
and the crown of the street.. In fact, If
the culvert at Astor place, on the cast
side of the avenue, had not been open the
water during the severe downpour Of rain
would have covered the sidewalk. The
closed culvert at Emory street is but one
of a hundred which make walking
very disagreeable task in this city.
The meadows in the upper part of the
city along the Hoboken line We're over
flowed as usual, and those who occupy
the shanties in the neighborhood were
obliged TO use improvised boats 1t they
wished to keep their feet and legs dry.
Weather Indications.
WASHINGTON. Sept. II. 1890. Nv Weather in
dications for twenty-four hours for East
ern New York, New Jersey and Eastern
xyo ~ n northern t,orfj0n