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


Stoker Dan Dinan and Chief
Farrier were killed, and it
was a singular coincidence that al
most before the first deep tone of the
fire bell was heard this apparatus
was straining every nerve to save the
property of the company.
WHERE THE FIRE STARTED.
The building in which the fire or
iginated was formerly used on the
ground floor for the waiting room OF
the Desbrosses street ferry
house, while the upper floor
was occupied by the offices
of the Superintendent and General
superintendent. These officers had
recently moved into the handsome
new brick offlce-building, and the
partitions of the old building
had been torn away, leaving a mere
shell.
This was used as a passageway
through which the passengers from
the trains passed to the ferryboats.
The material was old and
thoroughly seasoned. making ex-
cellent food for the flames, while
running from the old building to the
new brick building was large box
of highly infammable yellow pine
which covered the steam pipes.
A SHELL AND A FLUE.
When the first engine reached the
scene this old shell was burning
fiercely and the yellow pine
box was 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 infiammable nature of
the material burning made 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 pyrotecnnic
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 tiny ribbon of flame
which it seemed light breath could
extinguish, then disappearing for a
second only to reappear intensified
in body and fierceness. To add to
the awfulness of the scene 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 was one solid sheet
of flame mounting skyward, which
the strong wind from the north end
carried diagonally across Exchange
place. raining down into the street
shower of blazing sparks which caused
the spectators to seek shelter in all
directions.
The ferryboat 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 laoding just long
enough to allow the mail vans and the
American News Company's truck to
dlsembark, 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 Gen.
trail Railroad; three each from the
Erie Railroad and New York, New
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