The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-05-07
BAD FOR ELIZABETH.
The Great Singer Factory Destroyed
by Fire.
speeial to he gsrseu en- Ne,ss.

ELIZABETH. May z. $780, Fire COM
pletely destroyed the entire Singer sew
ing machine factory at Elizabeth last
the mud roads no fire engine could get
anywhere near the buildings, and q
structure that was otherwise fairly pro-
tected against fire, both by its isolated
position and precautionary measures sec
ond to none, was left to consume almost
helplessly, while the unfortunate em
.ployes and operatives gazed on in sor-
row at wreck which would debar
nearly $500 people from the means of
earning their daily bread. rhe flames
were seen for many miles around, smoke
and flame reaching over the hills.
The fire started in the top story, in
what was known as the needle depart
ment, but no one can tell how. The
watchman can offer no explanation. The
mansard roof burned so quickly that in q
few minutes the clock tower was gone.
ABOUT eighteen or twenty men were
working in the screw department and
they gave an alarm, The local and Eliza.
beth fire departments were unable TO get
to the spot for half an hour, owing TO the
bad condition of the road, and 1t was fully
, that time before stream was playing on
the flames.
The fire began at ten minutes to eleven,
and in thirty minutes seemed beyond con-
troll The water supply was SO meagre
that it seemed like fountain spray. The
efforts of the firemen were of no avail.
The men who were working at the time
turned on the water and laid the hose OF
the factory fire department, but there had
been no provision for reaching the top
floor. 1t had to be abandoned.
T1raa nuniUHs from ElfZahnfh and fh q
hose carriage did not get to the factory
until two hours after 1t started, and the
hook and ladder truck stuck in the mud
two blocks away. Crowds fiocked from
Elizabeth and people drove from the sur
rounding country to view the sight.
injured.
The loss could not be learned. Much
misery is sure to result among the en-
ployes, whose means. of livelihood have
been swept away.
The works Of the Singer Manufacture
ward of the city, on Newark Bay. The
main factory building had frontage OF
230 feet on First street, with a width of GO
feet. The Trumbull Street annex to this
building was 800 feet long and SO feet
wide, the whole being four stories in
height Below this building, on Trum.
bull street, were the cabinet and box fac
ot1SSt SrsSA@ Nv AOou AoAie esA3A of4AC SpSAASH
high.
On the north size Of the grounds, ad.
joining the Central Railroad property, was
the forging and foundry building toReth,
er, making one continuous building ], ,43C
feet in length. The foundry alone rad an
area of two and one-half acres in one open
floor, and the total floor area of the works
was eighteen acres.
The plot occupied by the works contains
thirty-two acres and has dock frontage
of 800 feet. There are over four miles OF
railroad track within the yard, on which
two switching locomotives. owned by the
company, are Kept constantly employed.
The works consumed annually about
fifteen Thousand tons of coal, which is
received direct from the mines, via Cen
tral Railroad of New Jersey, without re-
handling.
Gas for lighting and manufacturing
purposes was made on the premises, and
the company had their own fire depart
ment. thoroughly organized and equipped,
including system of electric fire alarm
signals.
The works gave employment to an aver
age of $500 Individuals, and had ca
pacity Of 1900 sewing machines a day.
They, of course, consumed a very large
amount of raw material the daily melt OF
pig iron alone varying from seventy-ive
to eighty tons.
About $40, 900 in wages was weekly dis
tributed among the employees. the most OF
whom live in Elizabeth.