The Jersey City news., 1891-09-15
FIERCE, HOT FLAMES.
Burning of the Old Com
merCia1 Advertiser
Building.
EVERY FIREMAN CALLED OUT.
A Georgia Pine Elevator Furnished
Material Draft and Draught-
Miraculous Escape of
Tenants.
EVERY FIREMAN CALLED OUT.

Ouo VI tlo HclCcScs QulChcSv AicS SsCA
seen in New fork broke out this morn
ing In the old Commercial Advertiser
building at nine O'Clock. and in
ten minutes sea of flame was raging
through the entire six-story building.
The firemen were speedily on hand, but
they could do nothing to save the build
ing. The fierce heat drove them back and
made their efforts useless. Yet they were
really working like heroes-almost put
ting forth superhuman endeavors.
The fire start ed on the second floor. in
Douglas Taylor's printing and bindery
establishment, SO nearly as can be ascer,
tanned, and at the first cry the escapes on
the front of the big building were
thronged with panic stricken men and
women. They clambered out of every
window, tum bled down the iron ladders
to the cornices of the torres, dropped to
the sidewalk, and poured out OF the
windows in a seemingly exhaustless
stream.
Not tongues, but immence volumes of
flame belched from every one OF the
small old fashioned windows on every
one of the six floors.
Alarms were sent in and steamers,
trucks and patrol wagons came from all
directions. Four alarms brought four
teen companies all told, but they were
practically helpless. Nassau streets mar
row way was packed full of people, and
when they were pushed aside TO make
way for the firemen the engines could do
no better than stand in an idle procession
in the eStreet.
Even those at the very front could do
nothing, for in twenty minutes the sea of
flame, fed by the oil and ink-soaked floors
of the ancient building was SO hot that
there was no life for man within fighting
distance.
Ira Perego's big store occupied Nos. 1913
and 1870 Fulton street and formed an LIZ
on Nassau street.
HOW THE FLAMES SPREAD.
Flames ate up the stock, melted the
windows and darted out angrily, licking
the cornices, and burning up the signs
and other traces of the buildings
identity. Hundreds of electric light, tele-
phone and telegraph wires ran across the
roof or close to the front of the doomed
building and soon they were red hot.
Edwards tailor shop and store in the
very corner of the building was last to
the relentless blaze. Then another alarm
brought all the engines and trucks from
as far uptown as Thirty-fourth street.
BY this time fully forty Thousand per-
sons, it is estimated. were at the scene at
tracted by the dense, rolling smoke and
fiercely shooting flames.
Gradually the crowd and the fremen
were forced to retreat on both Nassau
and Fulton streets, and presently the
building next adjoining on Nassau street
to the south was drawn into the confag-
ration.
The flames belched out of the windows
on tine second floor, and soon the front
was ablaze.
SPREADING RAPIDLY.
Almost simultaneously the fire spread
to the store beyond, and that building.
too, was soon wrapped in flames. Chief
Reilly was in charge of the firemen,
and he directed the efforts of his
surrounding the scene of the original fire.
Despite all their efforts the four-story
building next adjoining on Nassau street
was soon consumed by the fire. 1t was
occupied on the ground floor by MacDon-
aid, the auctionser. with stock OF fne
office furniture and choice bric-a-brac.
Its next neighbor on the south, the
next to succumb to the general conf1ag-
ration, was q five story structure, occu-
pied by NJ. J. Lasar, the jeweler. This
building is No. IS Nassau street, and its
floors above the streeL were occupied as
offices by men In all manner OF busi-
neSses.
All these buildings were of brick and
were built fly another generation. There
was much timber used in the interior
construction, and it was not only sea-
soned by age, bat was soaked with oils
and other combustible liquids used 10 the
printing business, the corner building,
which was Is by rs feet in size. having
been used as newspaper building for
nearly half a century.
TWO MINES SOUNDED.
Alta quarter of ten Chief Reilly sent out
the 1.-TWO mines" alarm, which is equal to
the "three skies" of the old system, and
called out practically the whole fire fight
ing force of the city.
the earlier stages of the blaze, for it was
too evident that the fire was to become q
conflagration and that disaster stared
business New York in the face.
By this time it was so hot that the avn
ings on tine new bank building opposite
on Nassau street were soon ablaze. and a
little later the awnings on the Bennett
Building. on the opposite Fulton street
corner, caught and were soon blazed up.
At ten minutes past ten o'clock there
was tremendous crash that lifted the
hearts of the crowds in the streets to
their mouths. The front of the old
Commercial building at the top had
fallen into Fulton street.
Another wall of the building fell in at
twenty-five minutes of eleven, and then,
water being plenty, the firemen got a
fair chance and The further spread OF the
flames was prevented. though severa
stores on Fulton street were wrecked.
The total loss Is estimated at ST. ,000, 900.