St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-12
LOSS OF NEARLY $5OO,OOO BY
THE DESTRUCTION OF NEW
ARK FACTORIES.
FlREBRANDS DOTHEIR WORK
FIREMEN HAVE A LIVELY TIME
TO PREVENT A SERIOUS
CONFLAGRA
SEVERAL PEOPLE INJURED.
Three Trainmen Killed by the
Collapse of Railroad
Bridge.

NEWARK, N. J., Aug. 1.-THE
fiercest fire the department of this
city has had to contend with for
many years, with the possible ex-
ception of the big grain fire at the
Ballentine brewery two months
ago, broke out in the plant of the
Central Stamping company this aft
ernoon. The front of the Central
Stamping company plant was ON
New Jersey and Railroad avenue,
and covered ten city lots on that
street. From this branched another
building five stories high and seven
ty-five feet wide, running through
the block to Liberty street. From this
building there was a wing of the
same size extending from the middle
of the block through to East Fair
street. On the south side of the main
building on the avenue were five
three-story brick buildings, and on
the north was new two-story brick
structure. All these were destroyed.
The loss to the Central Stamping
company was estimated by State
Senator Ketcham, treasurer of the
company, as upwards of
HALF A MILLION DOLLARS;
insurance, s25O,OOO The other losses
will aggregate $4,000. The flames
were discovered about 2 o'clock in
the blacksmith shop. Even then the
fire had firm hold on the building.
A general alarm was sent out, and
within twenty minutes every piece
of fire apparatus in the city was ON
the scene. Fifty thousand people
watched the progress of the flames,
Despite the tons of water thrown on
the fire, the flames gained, and with.
in half an hour after the first alarm.
was sounded the roofs of the build
ings were masses of fire. The flames
shot a hundred feet in the air at
times, and big burning brands were
carried blocks by the wind. These
brands, some of them many inches
in length, We're carried onto the
roofs Of the buildings a considerable
distance away, and the chemical en-
gine was kept on the rush from one
street to another putting out the
smaller fires. Firemen were sta
toned on the roofs for several blocks
with water in pals and eXtinguishers
to put out small fires. Less than an
hour after the first alarm was turned
in the walls began to fall. The house
at No. 10 Fair street was crushed
beneath the wall next to it. In this
house lived Samuel Glesner and his
family. The house was flattened by
the weight of brick falling upon it.
but the family lost but little, as
most of their belongings had been
removed from the building when the
fire broke out
HOUSES CRUSHED.
A house at % Liberty street was
also caught beneath a falling wall
and wrecked. Several other houses
were badly damaged by falling tim
bers and bricks. When the main
wall fell it buried the tracks of the
Pennsylvania railroad, and all traf-
flc on that road was blocked for
time. A number of firemen had mar
row escapes from being buried be-
meath this wall. Fireman John Van
Houghton, of Engine Company No.
z, had a narrow escape early in the
course of the fire. He had gone to
thereof searching for position from
which to direct a stream of water.
The roof gave way while he was on
it. When he felt it sinking he
leaped to the gutter and threw him
self over so as to hang from the
edge bV his hands Tho cT1tta,, vr,oc g
filled with boiling tar, and although
his hands were badly burned he
managed to cling to the roof until
rescued.
John Parker, who lives at Is Ham
ilton street, was on the roof of his
house with buckets watching for
sparks. In throwing water on some
of them he lost his balance and fell
to the ground. He was badly in
jured about the head, shoulders and
arms, but will recover. Capt. Frank
Mercer, of the salvage corps, was
severely cut about the hands. Many
firemen were also badly scorched
and blistered by the heat. The ORR
gin Of the fire is unknown. Besides
the raw material and the finished
work destroyed in the stamping es-
tablishment, much valuable ma
chinery was ruined. The building
belonged to James Aiken & Co., who
are also interested in the stamping
company. The stamping company
started on full time last week, and
employed 4S7 men.