The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-11-02
IT Was 4 DAY OF FIRES
Loril1ard's Big Factory
Led in the Fiery
Race.
TWO OTHER SMALL AFFAIRS.
One was at Chief Murphy's House
and the other on the
Heights Origin
Unknown.
TWO OTHER SMALL AFFAIRS,

Fire broke out in the drying room on
the fifth floor of Lorillard's Tobacco
Factory shortly after nine O'Clock this
morning and did considerable damage,
the extent of which can not be fully as
certained. as the damage by water il
necessarily great.
Owing to the complete fire alarm sys-
tenn throughout the building the 1000
employees, majority of whom are women
and girls, were enabled to make their es-
cape with comparatively little excite
ment
The first alarm was given the Fire Der
Dartment by Patrolman Stanly, who saw
streams of black smoke curling out from
the upper row of windows and rushed
Immediately for box No. 13. Several en-
gines and trucks Immediately responded,
but a general alarm was sent out few
moments later, and the big building was
soon surrounded with fire engines and
trucks. The smoke of the engines
ming led with that which came pouring
out from the upper windows. almost en-
velopinR the great building in cloud so
dense at one time as to almost hide the
building from view.
The upper floors and roof swarmed with
firemen and employees, VINO assisted Super
Intendent Reed in removing thousands
of dollars worth of tobacco in process OF
manufacture to place of comparative
safety. A whole army OF women lent
hand, and with brooms swept the two
flooded upper floors, directing the food of
water from the fire engine hose and auto
matte sprinklers down the various stair
ways. Meanwhile the firemen directed
their streams on the steam box in the
drying room which appeared to act as
conductor of the flames to the huge GU
mol, al 70 M N fho A1nVo
which stands In the centre of the wooden
frame and glass ventilator that extends
along the centre of the Bay street side or
the building, which is one story hig her
than the First street side. The flames
communicated with this cupoIa and
steam chest and soon left it mass OF
charred and blackened ruins. The tar
and gravel roof of the building was
| flooded with water.
| All the while the thousands OF en-
| ployes with other thousands of men and
| women covered the street outside Of tina
| fire lines and the adjacent open lots. Ins
| side the fire spread along the woodwork
| from the centre of the drying room to the
| Warren street end of the building. and
sent great black volumes of smoke from
| the many windows.
| While the excitement was at its height,
and nearly every engine in the city was
Oh duty. two more fire alarms We're rua1'
4 out. Box No. 46 sent out one, which was
| closely followed by an alarm from Box
| No. 81, at Fourth street and jersey ave-
nue.. Ere long rumOr ran through the
crowd that Box No. 81 alarm was for
| fire at Chief of Police Murphy's house.
| The Chief, with Superintendent Smith,
| was on duty in charge of the policeman
| who had been summoned.
The officials at Lorillard's were too
| busy to talk to reporters, and said 1t was
| impossible to figure out the loss. They
| said, however. that almost the entire
force of the employees would be thrown
dred and fifty strippers may possibly be
| put together tomorrow
THE OTHER FIRES.
The alarm from Box No. 46 was for @
| slight fire in a two-story building, No. ~
| Bleecker street, occupied by William
| Bloodhart. 1t was caused by an explos-
sion in the cellar.
| The rumor that the alarm from Box
| No. 81 was for a fire at Chief of Police
| Murphy's house, in Fourth street, adj
| joining the North Baptist Church was
| true. fire had broken out in the middle
| room on the top floor of the Chiefs house,
| aud was eating its way from q fire place.
| In which no fire had been kindled at this
| season, and the Chief is at loss 60 ac-
count for it's origin. 1t so happened that
| No. Chemi cal engine, which had been
exhausted at Lorillard's fire was re-
turning with new supply. When the
alarm from Box No. 81 was rung the
driver changed his course and responded
to this alarm, and was ust in the nick Of
| tim to prevent confagration.
| The Chief received despatch from
| Police Headquarters that his house was
afire. He left Superintendent Smith at
Lorillard's aud hastened to his horse.
| He estimates the damages somewhere De-
tween $50 and 500. Insured.