The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-14
BIG FIRE IN NEW YORK.
$25O.OOO Damage to Buildings at
Duane and Eism Streets.

$25O,OOO Damage to Buildings at
Duane and Eiin streets.
NEW York. June II, 1S94.-A fierce fire
occurred shortly before eight o'clock this
morning Id the paper district, at Duane
and Elm streets. 1t spread with such alarm
ing rapidity that five alarms and several
special calls had to be 'rung before a sufiici-
| emit force of firemen and engines could be
| secured to conquer the flames. They were
| not got under control until three buildings
had been completely Quilted. No one was
| injured during the -conhagration, though
| several girls were carried out of the buildings
| in a fainting condition. The entire loss by
the fire is estimated at 100000.
1t was twenty minutes to, eight O'Clock
when smoke was first seen coming out of
Lachmann's wine place. on the ground moor
of Nos. % and "A Elm street. When the first
batch of engines arrived the entire building
was ablaze. There was great excitement IN
the buildings in the immediate vicinity, where
several hundred girls are employed by vafl-
Gus firms.
The building in which the fire was. diseov-
cred is an annex of the SIX story prlcK
building which extends from Nos: ID ana
81 Duane street through to Pearl streep.
Nearly all the occupants were engaged IN gne
paper and stationery business. The build
ings on Duane street were occupied as 1oi-
lows
First floor. Vernon Bros. MANILA hard
ware paper: second floor, Acme Stationery
Company; third floor, American Belgian
Company; fourth floor, Julius Berbecker q
Co.. upholsterers' hardware; fifth hoor, ID.
H. Curtis, business directory.
The flames spread from the Elm street
annex into Vernon Brothers paper. place
and thence to the upper floors. The build
ing on Pearl street was also soon abiaze.
In the Pearl Street buildings several hun
dred girls employed by KOCH & Co, book
manufacturers, had just begun TO WORK
when the fire was discovered. they were
thrown into a panic. but were somewhat
Gained by men in the place and were huf-
ried down to the street without suffering
any mishap.
A similar scene occurred on the fourth
floor of No. % Elm street, occupied by the
Metzger Manufacturing Company, The hrm
employed twenty-five girls. They all got out
safely, but one of them tainted when the
street was reached.
About forty minutes after the fire broke
out the flames burst through the roof OF the
Duane street building and swept along to
Pearl street and the annex. When the flames
flashed from the roof it was feared that the
adjoining buildings were also doomed. a
force of firemen was set to work to protect
them and succeeded in doing so. The bulld-
ings caught fire several times.
At nine o'clock the firemen had the blaze
under control, but it was several hours later
before the flames were entirely drowned
out.
While the fire was at its height a part OF
the wall of the Elm street annex bulged out
and a mass of bricks tumbled from the
fourth floor to the street. The firemen
luckily were out of range Of the bricks when
they fell.
1t was impossible to obtain the individual
losses of the different occupants OF the Quilted
buildings. A representative Of the Fire In
surance Patrol said that the total loss on
stock would reach 5000, Oo0. The buildings,
he thought, were damaged to the extent Of
$50 1000, thus making a total loss OF eS50,0oo.
Other firms not heretofore mentioned who
will suffer damage by the tire are the Albany
Paper Company, Auchterloni & Co., pub.
fishers of the NeaU Earth, and the Publishers
Weekly. TIL amount of insurance is not
known.
The Duane street building and annex are
owned by Vernon Brothers. They were
formerly occupied by Frank Leslie.