The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-30

FlREMEN INJURED.
Thanksgiving Flames Burn
Up 100000 Worth of Jer-
sey City Property.
sALTPETRE WORKS EXPLODE
Richard Buck Severely Burned
While Trying to Put Out a
Fire in His Fathers
House.
SALTPETRE WORKS EXPLODE

House.
Fires in this city yesterday destroyed
about $50. 900 worth of property, and threw
nearly one hundred men out of employ
ment. -Four firemen were injured by
explosions at one of the fires, but for
~tunately not fatally. At the other a
boy had a narrow escape with his life.
It was about a half hour after Thanks
giving Day had been welcomed in by
the footing of whistles on engines and
f~erryboats, when Carrot Vreeland, the
night Waterman at Vanderbeek's lum-
Der yard, at Steuben and Washington
streets, saw a small tongue of fire
leap out of the window of the engine
room of the insolvent wood moulding
firm of Mcknight, Chidester & Co, on
the Steuben street side. Before he had
time to make any extensive investiga-
ton, flames were shooting high into the
air. Pennsylvania Railroad engineers
and %ferryboat and tugboat captains saw
the flames and began s~ereeehing an
alarm on their whistles.
The dry material in the moulding fac
tory, which was a two-story frame
structure, about 100 feet square fur
nished food for the flames. The entire
building was wrapped in flames before
the firemen arrived, and the intense
heat drove them away from the ny
drants near the burning building. ThiS'
placed them at a great disadvantage.
FLAMES SPREAD RAPIDLY
Many heavy streams were turrnea on
the building, but the flames spread
80 I. n.,-b--- Oo@hK and BlnQ
Factory adjoining, at No. 1904 Washing
ton street. This building too. was niieo
with dry wood, and as the names ap-
peared 10 be ~gainin@ headway a gen
eral alarm was sent out. Before the
arrival of the I'M engines the carpenter
shon and oil shed of the Pennsylvania
railroad we've on fire. The carpenter
shon WAS allowed to burn to the ground,
ha,t a heroic effort was made to save
aho,,t forty barrels of oil. which were
slowed in the old shed Flight were
roned 10 a place of safety. The others
were burned up4 one or two exploding,
filling the air with the burning fpid.
Several frem& narrowly escaped being
seriously bpfned. The flames spread to
vanderbesk's lumber yard. but IShe i'm
mense piles of boards had been/so thor
oughly soaked with water that the fire
made but little Roadway ip/ that direc-
tor.
The next building to take fire was No.
81 Steuben street, occHpied by Bartell
& Renwick, saltpetpe manufacturers
( The flames were first seen bursting from
the windows of the top floor The fire.
men were warned to keep out and re-
main at a safe distance from it. The
warning was Anheeded by the members
Of Engine = x %m nFsan . No, 2, and I Tn in they hsg
only disappeared in a side entrance when
a slighR explosion was heard. This was
followed by another, and for five min
utes the explosions kept up each one
becoming heavier. The north section of
the building was blown down, doors
Smashed into a thousand pieces. As
Z soon as the explosions ceased a half
dozen fremen dashed into the building
FIREMEN INJURED.
Charles Bergman. was found in
the end of the hall unconscious. He
was cut and bleeding about the feee.
Ambulances from the City Hospital were
summoned at once. as it was feared the
other fremen had no escaped as luckily
as Bergman, who recovered a few min
utes after being carried into the fresh
air. James Marker was the next man
found. He too was unconscious. He
was sent to St. Franris' Hospital, but
upon recovering went home. Seth Fen
more was found cut and bleeding, try
ing to escape through 4 rear window.
He was sent to the City Hospital for
treatment. job Ryan sustained slight
internal injuries by a beam falling on
him. His face was also burned by the
exploding saltpetre. While the rescue of
the firemen was going on Arnes spike
works caught on fire, but the flames
were readily extingHished. Bartell G.
Renwick place their loss at SIC, 900; Thos.
Tuxbury at $4,000: Mcknight, Chidester
& Co.. at $4,000: Pennsylvania Railroad,
Company, ct $500; Vanderbeeks at 500,
and Arnes' Spike Works at $500. All in
sured.
control; and n engine company was
outbreak. How the fire started is un-
THE SECOND FIRE.
The second confagration broke out
yesterday afternoon at about two o'clock
in a saloon kept by Richard Buck, at
the foot of Sussex street, within five
feet of the gates O.. the n~ternatl9n ma
gone upstairs to his dinner: His son,
a boy about fifteen years old, remained
in the saloon. A can of oil stood be-
hind a pool table, in a rear room, near
a stove. 1t is supposed that the heat
of the stove exploded the oil. The build
inc was a two-story frame structure,
and it was in flames in an instant;
i III - AGA6LA
then ran into the rear room TO try and
extinguish the fire. His father dashed
into the street, glad to get out without
injury. A moment later he remembered
his son was inside the burning building.
He re-entered and led the boy. who
was almost choked by the smoke, into
the street. The lad made a hard fight
to save the place, and was badly burn-
ed about the face in his efforts. The
flames were seen by boatmen before
anyone else, and before any fire engines
were on the scene the Pennsylvania
railroad freboats Nyack. Juniata, Z. j..
Rarrett. Linden, A. G. Sumner and Pitts
burg were pouring effective streams on
the burning building.
The flames gained Roadway, and in
short order frame buildings adjoining
fine saloon occupied by Garvey Brothers,
plumbers, and the Jersey City Brass
FOUNDRY were destroyed. The big gates
leading to the steamship piers were also
burned down, and about $1,000 damage
was done to the big brick building 'front.'
ing on Morris street, occupied by the
North American P~honograph
The loss is estimated at $4,000. The
buildings were all heavily insured. At
both fires the police, under command OF
Chief Murphy, did excellent service.
DAGGED FROM HIS WAGON.