New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-14
ELIZABETH HAS A BLAZE.
ITS BIGGEST BUSINESS HOUSE BURNED.
THE Loss oUARTIR OF A MILLION DOLLARS
-INsUFFIoIENoY oF THE WATER SUPPLY.

THE Loss A oUARTIR OF A MILLION DOLLARS
-INsUFg1oIENoY oF THE WATER SUPPLY.
Fires devastating hand yesterday totally
wrecked the most important business building IN
Elizabeth, n. j., and for a time seemed Likely "
sweep away the entire block. Several persons ned
narrow escapes from being burned to DEATH Inc
flames started in L. r. Chew's pcturc-store, In
the West Grand-st. sde Of the Arcade. ct ABOUT
AS a. m. At first the story was current that
pot Of glue boiled over in that shop, ana s'arted
the fire, but Mr.. Chev said that an electric light
wire set fire 20 the ceiling of his place
The Arcade was O T-shaped brick building, five
stories high. The foot Of the T was In Broad-st.
and forty-three feet wide. The greatest length of
the building was 160 feet and It's greatest width
l2O feet. One arm of the 7 extended eighty feet
in West Grand-st The ineficienoy of the facili-
ties for putting out fires gave the blaze free
field for nearly half an hour. 1t took the Vol
unteer Fire Department some time 70 bring its
engines to the scene, and then the lack of water
made it's plight worse
In the centre of tbe Arcade, extending to the
roof, was a great rotlnda. and the flames made
this their rallying phce. Draughts hurried the
blaze to this shaft, ard in short time the West
Grand-st part of the building was filed with
smoke and flames On the top floor were the office
of the New-York and New-Jersey Telephone Com
pany in which thre young women, Nettie
Chanzey, May Mcguire and Carrie Barnard, were
on duty. So rapid was the progress of the fire
that they had TO flee fl0m the place without stop
ping to get hats or wraps.
A. II. Clark son of eX-COngressman Clark, was
also taken unawares in his office and nearly
suTocated He was rescued through window.
Ex-Assemblyman Foster NJ. Voorhees, was partly
overcome by the smolR while trying to save his
law library, and had to be aided TO the street
Ex-Judgc Award was leaving his Office on the
second floor when the smoke nearly ovcrpowered
him, and Quartermaste- Hawkins, of the Sd ReRi-
ment, carried him to the open air.
BY the time that the six fire-engines of Eliza
beth were well at work, the flames had spread TO
the rest of the Arcade and had made a foothod
OH the First National Bank building. at West
Grand and Broad sts, which was bounded on two
sides by the Arcade. The flames mounted 50
triumphanty that tcegraphic appeal for aid
was sent to Newark. Two frc-engines were sent
in response, bN owing TO lack of water they were
of no assistance. Firemen mounted the roof OF
Isaac Faulks's shoe store in Broad-st, adjoining
the Arcade, and battled the flames bravely. The
roof on which they stood was lower than that OF
the Arcade, and the flames every once III while
swept toward them in a way that caused many Il
heart in the crowd to beat double time.
The streams poured on the bank building kept
the flames to the top floors Soon after noon the
north wall of the Arcade fell over on the roof OF
Ryan's Hotel, in West Gpnd-st., doing consider
able damage Ryan's Hotel and other buildings
near the Arcade seemed sure get into the grasp
of the flames but they were saved, although the
contents of some of them were damaged by water.
Among the first places to be enveloped i'll flames
was the PostofIce which is in the Arcade, ad-
Joining Chew's store. Postmaster Moore and his
clerks by hard work managed to save al the
mail and to lock nearly all the stamps and all the
money in the fireproof vault. Twenty thousand
stamped envelopes and l3O, 600 postal CARDS were
DESTROYED, however. Within an hour after the
fire was well started M Moore had fitted up
new Postofiice in East Broad-st. Several OF the
lawyers in the building managed 10 save thei[
The bank had time TO lock up the money ana
securities in the vaults, and the only damage 10
the bank itself was by water. 1t was p. ni'
before the fire was well under control
The Arcade was owned by eX-Congressman Amos
Clark. ir.. and was first built in 1866 at cost
Of $l25,0 900. 1t was partly burned down ana
rebuilt In 1870 The insurance on 1t IS S6O,0OO.
w. 4. Tubbs, stationers, lost $4,000 and hnd
81 900 insurance: Colonel Chauncey Harris, feed
and -four store, lost $1,000. which is Sl,0OO more
than his insurance; the telephone company loSt
and lest 50 ,0O0 besides a number of valuable
trophies etc. The Sd Regiment lost all its paint
ings, records, colOrs and many uniforms and sou,
venirs The bank building was damaged
TO the extent Of $4,000 insurance,
$5 900 Colonel j. a. Fay, the lawyer, lost
81 900. All the records of the Elizabeth DISTRICT
Court were destroyed. Damage was also done III
the Conservatory of Music. the Offices OF the Met
ropolitan Life and the Home Insurance companies,
the real estate Office of eX-Congessman Clark, the
law offices of eX-Judge Award and Surrogate
Parrot. the rooms of Orient Lodge, +. and A. NJ;
y. II. Astfalcs restaurant, and the barber shop OF
II. c. Williams and c.. Hargels. The offices of
the following we're in the bank building and were
damaged only by water: Elizabeth Nursery Com
pany. c. W. Irwin. coal merchant; the washington
Life Insurance Company, F. Sankowsky's barber
shop and Judge Cross Prosecutor Wilson, eX5As- 1,,
semblvman Voorhees, and Mr. Noe, lawyers Inc
ianitors of both buildings lost nearly all 'ne'r
household goods. -. .,oood .bo
Conservative estimates last night placed tne
total loss at $3.50 900, less than half OF when Is
covered by insurance.