The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-02-25
DESTITUTION
THROUGH FIRE
Six Crowded Tenement
Houses Swept Away
in Haboken.
THRILLING SCENES OF PERIL
Policemen and Firemen Show
Daring Courage Born
Amid the Flames.
AN OLD MANS CANARY BIRD
Many Poor People Today Who
Have Not Even Clothes
Charitable Neighbors-
Mayor Fagan's In
teryention.

Not since the big Eagle Dock fire of 1881
has the city of Hoboken been visited by
a conhagration like that which occurred
last night at Adam and Newark streets,
when five three story and basement
wooden tenement houses were completely
destroyed and twenty-seven families were
made homeless and destitude
The fire was caused by the explosion Of
kerosene lamp in the rear room of No.
81 Adams street, formerly occupied as a
tobacco store by Michael Holman and
son. Before it was discovered, the burn
ing oil had ignited the woodwork in the
room and the flames had secured a big
headway. The explosion occurred about
five minutes 10 twelve O'Clock. No one
was in the store at the time.
The first upon the scene were Officers
Hildemann and Conlon. They sent in an
alarm, and within a few minutes half
the eity's fire department was on hand.
The f1remen got to work with a couple
of streams of water almost as soon as
they arrived, but the building was like
an old tinder box, and despite the streams
poured upon it burned beyond control.
The flames ate their way up through the
rear of the house to the roof, and within
half an hour the building was a mass OF
flames with big tongues Of fire shooting
out Of every window and licking up the
dry timber as if il was so much powder
the only mistake the firemen made
was IN not sending in a second alarm as
soon as they saw the fire spreading to
the floors above instead OF trying TO fight
it with the small force on hand. When
al last they sent for the entire depart
A l1.
fire. and the flames were eating their
way through the top floor to No. So 1t
did not take the flames long to consume
everything in the way and almost be-
fore one could realize it the whole row
extending to No 50, on the corner of
Newark street, was burning.
BY this time No. &C had also caught
fire and was burning fercely. From the
top floors the flames began to eat their
way downwards,. and despite the efforts
of the firemen, who worked like beavers,
the fire seemed to gain on them every
moment.
The sky was illuminated to such an
extent that the FIRE was discernible at
distance of many miles.
The fire department had an opportunity
to use for the first time the two water
towers it purchased a year ago, and al
though Il was the first experience the
men ever had with the apparatus they
used them to good advantage.
During the confagration there were
many Incidents that brought tears to the
! eyes of the stoutesl hearted men as
they witnessed the bravery of the fire.
men ard police in reseufng invalid wo-
men confined in the houses The cheers
which went up from the throng could
be heard many blocks away. The sad
dest incident was that of Mrs. Mary
Laing, who lived with her husband in
the rear rooms ion the top floor of
No. 60. She was N delicate condition
ard as she was being taken down stairs
through dense clouds of smoke she
gave premature birth to a child She
was taken to ST. Mary's Hospital. Mrs
Dougherty, who lives on the second
floor of the same building, was being
carried out by officer Foley when she
became frightened and grabbed the Of
Ulcer by the threat choking him to
stlch an extent that he fell dokn stairs
with his burden on his back He also
had a child in his arms. The three We're
dragged out by willing hands who stood
at the bottom waiting for them,
On the first floor Of that building lived
Jerry Condor, his wife and three chill
dren and sgwife's sister. His sister-in-
law is an invalid, and would have burned
to death but for the bravery Of Fireman
William Burke, who rushed in through
smoke and fire and carried her bodily
out. AS he emerged from the building
he was met with cheer upon cheer.
The inmates were unable to save any
thing, while many of them barely es-
capped with clothes enoughSto cover them
They were all taken into rear room
Of Barry's saloon, on the opposite cor
ner and kept there the remainder OF tie
night Kind neighbors supplied clothing
ard blankets and the sufferers were
made. as comfortable as possible.
A list OF the occupants of the houses is
given below:
IN No. 50 lived Ernest Wolff and his
wife, who occupied the whole first floor
Wolff is the owner of Nos S. so, g. and
GA. In the basement of No. IS was a sa-
loon owned by the, Hills Brewing Com
pany and run by German. The other
tenants Of the house were ex-Justice of
the Peace w. F. Costello, wife and one
six-year-old boy, and John Burke wife
and baby
NO. COS tenants were a butcher by the
name Of Bark, his wife and five children;
Edward Kookmann, wife and three chill
dren: Jerry Condor, who was arrested
later for being drunk, his wife. wife $
sister and two children; Mrs. Dougherty,
whom Oficer Foley carried downstairs;
Patrick Newman, wife and one child;
Kline and wife, Robert Iairg. his wife
ard fonr-year-old child
No. O. housed Mark Benjamin. mis- wife
and tsle child N1acI Donald. Wife and two &