The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-12-04

49,
box vas carrying the flames
rapidly to the new building.
The delay in getting out the alarm
was most disastrous. When the
engines finally reached the spot the
old building was a mass of flames, the
new brick building was burning,
while the ferry sheds, the new train
shed and the roof of the new waiting
room were catching.
The highly inflammable nature of
the material burning made a blaze
which the low hazy atmosphere of the
early foggy morning served to make
more vivid and the sky was lit
with an intense glare which was seen
for miles around. No pyrotechnic
display could be more beautiful and
at the same time more awful, as
the fantastic and grotesque
shapes with which the flames
wrought themselves as they went
twisting and curling in and out of the
windows and openings of the two
buildings. now appearing here
as a tiny ribbon Of flame
which it seemed a light breath could
extinguish, then disappearing for a
second only to reappear intensified
in body and fierceness. To add to
the awfulness of the cen the
electric lights went out, leaving the
street in darkness save for the glare of
the burning building, which wrought
exaggerated shadows upon the build
ings opposite.
A SOLID SHEET OF FLAME.
Soon the whole vas n solid sheet
of flame mounting skyward, which
the strong wind from the north end
carried diagonally across Exchange
place, raining down into the street a
shower of blazing sparks which caused
the spectators to seek shelter in all
directions.
The f~erryboat Jersey City left its
Cortlandt street slip at half
| past three and was about
entering when the pilot saw
the flames burst forth. He
grasped the valve cord of his whistle
and soon the ominous fire signal of
a steam vessel was screaching
along the river front. The Jersey
City made the landing just long
enough to allow the mail vans and the
American News Company's truck TO
diselnbark, and then she backed
out into the river with six
trucks on board. Her signals had
been heard along the river and they
were quickly responded to by
thirteen fire tugs. These were
America, Juanitta, Delaware,
Mercer and Linden, of the Pennsyl-
vania road; the Bayonne, of the Cen
trail Railroad; three each from the
Erie Railroad and New York, New
Haven and Hartford, and the New
York fireboat, New Yorker.
These a into the slip and along
side the ferry building wherever they
could make a landing, and soon had
streams upon the flames.
SURROUNDING THE FIRE.
In this manne they succeeded in
surrounding the fire on the river side
and prevented it from spreading TO
any great extent to the ferry sheds
and the roof of the new wait
ing room. In the meantime three
alarms had been sent out
and the city department quickly
TeSpOLieu. 4Lcv tOOh HO tlilc
in getting to work after once
learning where the fire was. and
under the direction of Assistant
Geriton and Hogan were quickly at
work on the Exchange place side of
the building.
Under the leadership of John Bren-
nan. Fire Marshal of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, a dozen lines of hose
were run into the train shed
in the real OF the new
Office building and the flames
were thus checked in the spread to
the roof of the shed. Superintendent
Brown was on hand and assumed q
general supervision of the work.
When the fire was first discovered
the employees of the company inn
mediately got out the chemical APP
paratus, but the flames spread so
rapidly that they were of little
use. With all these forces at work
upon the fire it was not long before
tile flames were checked, but they
continued to burn fercely for some
time.
TRAFFIC SUSPENDED.
During that time travel on the ferry
and by horse car through Exchange
place and also out of the depot by
train was entirely suspended.
The milkmen and newspaper
men were obliged to cross
the river by the Pavonia ferry,
while horse cars were run through
Hudson street.
The first train left the depot at 6:35
o'clock. 1t was the Philadelphia and
Washington train and was eight min
utes late.
The police arrangements were COM
plete, Superintendent Smith, Chief
Murphy, Captains Farrier and Kelly,
and the reserves from all precincts
were on hand.
DAMAGE TO THE NEW STRUCTURE.
A space about 100 by 40 feet in the
roof of the new train shed was destroy
ed and a large number of the heavy
glass plates in the roof cracked and tel-
to the floor in fragments. About
40 feet of the sheathing of the roof OF
the new waiting room was burned
and the entire old office building and
the entrance to the Desbrosses street
ferry is in ruins.
The greatest damage, however, was
done in the handsome new brick
office building just west of the old
ferry house. The entire eastern end of
the building is Quilted. The western
half was saved by the iron doors
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