New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-19
BIG CORDAGE WORKS BURNED.
ONE MAN MISSING AND SEVERAL INJURED.
THE LOSS OVER $500 900 AND GOO OPERATIVES
THROWN OUT OF EMPLOYMENT.

THE LOSS OVER $500 900 AND 600 OPERATIVES
THROWN OUT OF EMPLOYMENT
The Elizabethpor Cor.1Cr Works the second largest
industry Of thecity Of Elizabeth y. j., were 'ornpeey
destroyed by fire yesterday afternoon throwing ooo
operatives out Of work. and eEtallng loss ot over
100000 on the National Cordage Company, WHICH
plant. one believed to be burned to death'
and a boy and several firCnen were Injured.
The ftc broke out about O'Clock in the laying
ground narrow brick building l.l0O feet long ana
two stories HIGH In the Of the main building when
Is In Elizabeth aye and has frontage OF 400 fect.
The latter three stories in height ana Duiit OF
pressed brick with stone c0pingS Therc are half a
dozen smaller buildings on the grounds. which include
over fifteen acres and extend back TO the Elizabeth
River on the banks Of which tho two principal
storehouscs for the raw material and manui&tWed
rope. The other buildings werp used f0r storing
twine The works manufactured binder twlac, coidagc
and rope and consumed weekly about LOO bales ot
raw material. chiefly hemp and manila The m"hll-
cry Of the establishment is driven by engines OF l2oo
horse power
Their, were several wells sunk on the premises and
tbe fire apparatls consisted Of two donkey pumps and
one forcc-pump all fully equipped The hames' now
eyer owing To the oil and ini'aU.mabo materials scat
tered around spread quickly that The operatives
weic unable to reach the pumps and were dr'eh Oa'N
pauic--trlcken toward the main building There was a
strong southwest wind blowing. whch forced the flames
frightened operatives. go of whom are women and
girls made a wild rush for the doors, and one GIRL who
found herself shut in cloak room, tainted from ter
ror. and when discovered had TO be cared out.
A general alarm was sent out by Chief Rabig bring
ing the entire fire department to the scene by tWS
time the big building waS roaring mass OF names ana
il was seen that the works doomed Tie wind
wa, sweeping showers o sparks over on the roofs ot
hou,es opposite TIE works. ana several of these build
iurs coucht fir but the hlemcn cXtlngulshed tho
flames, The E.at was intense ana the bravery OF Tho
1,cnen was crcatly admired IT was almost imposSi-
I'll, to stand in front Of tie imperilied dwellings. Lad
der, were placed their sides and an eelent bucRet
brigade aided the efforts of the hremen TO save the
property.
Mcauyhile the steam-liglter Advance steamed up
thc Elizabeth River and got two powerful streams on
the st0relouscs the water front, which were S'eo
with their contents, 5000 tons of raw material ana
100 carloads Of manufactured stock Most OF inc
binder twine I'm the other buildings was destroyed Al
O'Clock the fire had nearly spent its force and nothing
but the bare walls remained Of the big building.
Adam schrciber formerly an Elizabeth policeman
and for twenty years an employe at the cordagc works.
+, believed 10 have perisled III the faincs lie re-
turned to the main building TO ect hS HAT ana coat
and late last night had not been seen again Ills SONS
searched everywhere for their father but found no
traces OF him. lie lived ut No. IL spchecr-S' anu
was about sixty five years old.
The front wall OF the works fell last night ana thice
members Of Red Jacket Company barely escaped Win
thcir lives They were all slightly injured by the
falling bricks one Of them, John Arnold, gettng MS
face badly cut and his nose broken. n boy whose
name could not be asccrancd dangerously injured
by part of tn wall striking him. and was removed ul-
cons nscious the Elizabeth Hospital. lie hre was sV'
burning at II O'Clock last night
samuel Williams, the superintendent, informed I"
Tribune rcporer that the loss would exceed Eoooooo
There were nSuranccs on the buildings amounting 10
$500 900. superintendent Williams did not Know
whether the works would be rebuilt, but thought they
would although a rumor was prevalent some time ago
that "A syndicate contemplated consolidating the
Elizabeth with the Canadian factory In Montreal ana
d,pOsins Of the American plant
Mr. Williams did not know what caused the IRE,
but an operative told reporter that ii started among
the rome that was being reelcd back Cf the engine
undertaking ground and probably caused by
ejectrcity being generated from the friction. a
prcviou fire several years ago, which destroyed the
main building was caused by spontaneous combustion
I'm that ira, two fircmen were killed and half dozen
injured by the falling of the rear wall Inc man
bilding was rebuilt in a more imposing manner than
before. IT,. ,,t,n
NJ Fulton: secretary, f.. NJ Fulton. jr. treasurer,
William T. WhltiOck; factory manager, samuel WIZ
iams. Its main Office Is at No. 40 s0uth-st, New
York and the president and treasurer i've IN ths
city The plant was started in Elizabeth In lo4i
and successive additions made to II, until at Its de-
structon il said to be the largest OF the knd III
the world Binder twine alone worth $4,000 was