The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-18
WESTERN UNIONS BLAZE
1t Causes a Huge Boom in
Telegraphing in Jer-
sey City.
FIFTY NEW OPERATORS HERE
The Story Of the re--ThrilIlng Ex-
perience of Girls on the Roof
Of the Burning Building.

~ VIZ ~ DNAAAn5 0AAAAAA6t
The Western Union Telegraph Office on
Exchange place presented scene of mn
usual activity this morning. A small
army Of operators were at work instead
of the two or three which are usually suf-
fcient to take care of the business done
there. They were all busy. and as quick
as they had dispatched one message
they found several more at their elbow
ready for transmission, while those
who were receiving were writing mes
sages as rapidly as they could drive pen.
Messenger boys were constantly arriving
and departing with dispatches. and it was
apparent to the most careless observer
that something unusual had happened.
The same activity was noticed in the
branch offices of the company in this I'M
mediate vicinity. There were forty-five
additional operators at work in this city.
The cause of this was the fire this morn
ing in the Western Union Building at
Broadway and Dey street. New York,
which destroyed the operating rooms and
rendered the vast system of the company
at that point inorerative. Messages
AoI 4NoW 1Ofk lEom anu IOr all points
reached by the office in this city
were received and transmitted at
the various Jersey City offices as
rapidly as possible, while those for New
York dispatched across the river by mes
sengers as soon as they were received.
The facilities in this city were entirely
inadequate to meet the demands made
upon them, yet under all the circum-
stances the Offices did excellent work
THE FIRE IN THE NEW YORK BUILDING.
The fire in the New York building
broke. out shortly after seven
tors had began to arrive for the
day, and about fifty were present
when a messenger boy named Matthews
in the distributing room on the fifth floor
saw a tuff OF smoke coming from under
the table. Before he could ascertain the
cause the table was in flames. The boy !
rushed TO the operating room ON the floor
above TO inform the new arrivals OF their
peril. There were about, fifty men and
women in the room, and the warning Of
Matthews threw them into panic. They
tumbled pell men over each other down I
the stairs into the distributing room
which was now mass of flames and
smoke to seek place of safety.
The boy and an operator named Skid
more alone retained their presence Of
mind. The boy rushed outside and gave
an alarm while Skidmore seised an ex-
the flames. The IRE had made such
headway. however, that mis- efforts were
in vain, and In order to save himself ne I:
rushed down stairs. By this time the
flames had reached the ceiling and were
feeding fiercely upon the highly indRma-
tory material with which che network OF
wires which covered the ceiling was
insulated. In short time the
operating room was burning fierce
ly and the flames were rapidly
eating their way ipto the floor
above where the company's restaurant
was located. There were seven people IN .
the restaurant, four men and three
women. The first they knew OF the fire /,
was when they saw the flames and the
smoke pouring up the stairway and cut
ting on all escape to the floors below !
The women were mattresses and the men
cooks and chore men. As soon as they
recognized their peril the women rushed
wringing their hands and crying to be
saved. The flames crept slowly upon
them and the place became hotter and
hotter.
SEVEN IMPRISONED ON THE ROOF.
Finally one of the men thought of the
roof. and bursting open the scuttle he
rushed to the top of the building, fol-
lowed by the others. AS they glanced
to the street below they encountered
sea of faces upturned toward them.
Broadway and the neighboring streets
were crowded, and details of police from
the downtown precincts had considerable
difficulty in keeping the crowds from in
terfer1ng with the iremen.
The first engines to arrive had got to
work before the seven people appeared
upon the roof and were pouring
water into the burning build
ing. A second alarm followed by a third
was quickly sent out, and in a short
time, fourteen engines and hook and
ladder companies, besides a water
tower, Were on the scene.
battling the flames. Yet no efforts had
been made to save the seven human be-
ings upon whom the flames were slowly
but surely creeping. A long ladder was
rushed upon the roof of No. 8 Dey street
and against the rear of the burning build
ing, but it fell 90 feet short of the inn
perilled men and women. At sight OF
this one of the women approached the
edge of the building as though about to
throw herself to the pavement, but the
crowd below shouted to her to 20 back.
RESCUE BY ROPES.
Then two ropes were shot to the roof
by means of rockets and one of the brave
girls who retained her presence of mind
made them fast.
Two firemen climbed up them hand
over hand to the roof and lowered the ina
prisoned seven to The ladder below.
whence they were taken to q place of
safety.
They had no sooner left the roof when
the flames burst through and enveloped
the entire upper portion of the building.
The flames were soon under control and
finally extinguished after they had en-
tirely gutted the three upper
stories. The damage cannot be
ascertained at this time, but
will, it is said, be heavy. The fire is sup
posed to have been caused by tuo wires
becoming crossed under the table and
igniting t he woodwork.
North Hudson Railway Lands.
Commissioners John A. Nugent Benja-
min Edge and David Van Winkle win
meet at the Court House July 28 to con-
denim lands wanted by the North Hudson
Railway Company for the elevated road.
Two days later they will meet at the