The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-05
FLAMES In A BIG DEPOT.
TIE PENNSYLVANIA ROADS TER
MINALS ON FIRE.

The Department Succeeds in Saving
Most of the Property-Trains and
Ferryboats soon Running as Usual
The Total Loss Not over $50, 900.
JERSEY CITY, n. j., Dec. An ex-
plosion Of gas caused a disastrous fire at the
Jersey City terminus of the Pennsylvania
railroad this morning. The company recent
ly completed magnificent train shed on
grade with the street. An elevated railroad
was constructed from the river to Bergen
Hill and the company was constructing new
waiting rooms and ferry houses to CORES
pond. The old wooden office buildings that
General Superintendent F. Walcot
Jackson occupied in the ferry house
was turned into a temporary exit
for east-bound train passengers, and
the officials moved thsIr desks into a. 5
story brick building fronting on Exchange
place. 1t was In this exit that the explosion
occurred. The tearing down of the structure
aud the constant Earring caused by the ferry
boats entering the slips about 100 feet
away are supposed to have broken or dis
connected a gas pipe close to the main dis
| tributing meter.
TINE OF THE OUTBREAK.
The explosion took place at $40 o'clock
and the surrounding wood work was in
stantly ablaze. The fire. department re-
sponded quickly to three alarms sent out
| and the entire apparatus Of the city aud
harbor got to work. The result was that
the river end Of the terminus, including the
ferry slips. was but slightly damaged. On
the interior portion Of the depot building
the flames spread rapidly. Flames from the
old Office building mounted upward until the
wooden railing and sides of the unfinished
| -. III No. g..
then carried along huge yellow pine pipe
casing TO the new office structure
This consisted of five solidly
built structures Of brick 150x4S feet and
| five stories high. The second floor Of the
easterly building was used as a baggage
room, the others being merely bare walls.
The night baggagemaster, Mr.. Regain, and
his assistants succeeded in saving oil the
trunks Four floors above the baggage
room and two buildings on the west were
Quilted. General Superintendent Jackson's
Office, with those Of Division Superintend-
ent Crawford, Chief Engineer Brooks and
numerous other officials Of the road were
cleaned out.
SPREAD TO THE TRAIN SHEDS.
From the Office building the fire spread to
the train sheds in the rear and attacked the
wooden interior ceiling. About 100 feet of the
ceiling was destroyed and hundreds of glass
roof lights fell in fragments upon the con-
crete platform below. A dozen lines of hose
were brought into play, and the train shed
was saved from further damage The flames
were under control by $50 O'clock, and at
$50 o'clock the first ferryboat
from Cortlandt street succeeded
in landing at the upper slip. The Philadel-
phia and Washington express, leaving
Jersey City at $40 o'clock this morning,
pulled out of the depot ten minutes late
The train dispatchers' offices escaped the
fire, and the railroad wires were again
working by o'clock. Trains are running
regularly on time and the ferries carrying
Sheir usual throngs
The loss on the office building Is estimated
at $45, 900, and on the train shed and ferry
house at $1,000, which is moro than covered
by insurance in the Pennsylvania company's
floating policies.