The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-03-30
A BIG BLAZE.
The Passaie Ziuc Works Burned
The Works to Be Rebuilt
Immediately.

Shortly after one o'clock yesterday af-
ternoon fire was discovered in the Passaic
Zine Works at C3mmunipaw aud Man
ming avenues, and before the flames could
be extinguished damage to the extent of
$4,000 was done.
The factories adjoin each other, some
being brick and others frame. This facts
together with the absence Of water. made
the work Of the firemen exceedingly haz-
arGous. The buildings cover nearly four
acres Of ground and are the most
valuable works OF the kind in
this section OF the country. On
week days force Of two hundred hands
is employed, while on Sundays the force
consists Of about eighty. The damage
was principally done Ia the buildings
where the metal is extracted from the ore
and granulated.
The flames were discovered by Jacob
Htlkine, an assistant engineer, issuing
from metal conveying sipe at q liOint
where IL enters the oxygenizing room.
They spread rapidly and had gained great
headway before any alarm was sent out.
The furnace room and oxygeuizing roo ms
were completely destroyed before the fire
engines put in an appearance. A hard
fight was made TO save the two adjoining
water and rotten hose made
the attempt fruitless one.
The only building saved WAS the brick
structure in which the bars and pigs Of
zinc are stored. Sparks few in every
direction and ignited the frame stable OF a
florist named John Fl. Hudson.
This building together with his wagon
house and wash house were destroyed
Frank Hyde, an employe OF the Zinc
Works, who was on the second floor Of
the main building when the flames broke
out, had narrow escape with his life
Hyde was stunned by an immense piece
OF lead pipe falling on him. His calls for
help were heard by Frank Meyer, a ''buf-
faio." who, with some members of No. 5
Engine, succeeded in rescuing him.
Hyde's hands, face and arms were hor-
ribly burned He was removed 10 the
City Hospital Another employe of the
works, whose name could not be ascer-
tanned, also had a narrow escape with his
life
Rynor Finlay, while endearoring to es-
cape from the burning building. had his
right hand terribly lacerated by catching
IL on hook.
The blaze was one Of the largest seen in
Jersey City for years, and necessitafed
the sending out Of the third call. The
damage to the building would not have
been so great but for the
fact that the fire plugs were
at least a thousand feet from the works
This fact caused much delay, as the hose
had TO be connected before a stream could
be thrown upon the burning buildings.
The supply OF water was also inadequa te,
and Chief Conway is congratulating him
self that all the buildings were not de-
stroyed.
A NEWS reporter this morning inter-
viewed one of the members OF the firm
and learned that the loss would probably
exceed S50.000. The loss is fully COW
cred By insurance. Work IS to
be commenced at once to. re-
pair the buildings and the
firm state that everything viii soon
be in running order A number of the
employees were put to work this morn
ing clearing away the debris.
Chief Conway states that the
IRE was IN progress fully
twenty minutes before an alarm was
sent out. The employees attempted to
extinguish the fire with the apparatus
at the works, and finding it
useless, sent out an alarm.
Chief Conway also states that the work
of the firemen was hindered by the rotten
hose and poor suction of the engines
The works are owned by James Man
ming and William c. SQuiers Of Orange.