The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-15

FIRE SWEEPS ACRES
Grant Cooperage Works and
the Pure Water Com
pany's Building Des-
troyed.
LOSS PLACED AT $4,000
Entire Fire Department Works All
Day in Vain-Origin of the
Blaze Unknown.
LOSS PLACED AT 100000

Fire yesterday morning destroyed the
extensive cooperage supply works of the
Richard Grant Company on Henderson
street between Seventeenth n Eigh-
teenth streets. partially destroyed the
Pure Water Supply Company's plant ad-
joining, scorched three tenement houses
across the street and in all entailed a
loss of $4,000 n deprived more han q
hundred men of employment temporarily.
The flames were discovered at half-past
three o'clock by a man who was on his
way from Hoboken to this city. He sent
in an alarm as quickly as possible. Owing
to the snow-obstructed streets engines
and hook and ladder companies had a
difficult time forcing their way through
snow banks to the scene of the fire. As
aNconsequence the flames had gained tre-
mendous Roadway before an engine had
arrived and before a stream of water
could be turned on the burning building,
which was a one-story frame structure,
100 feet wide and ITO feet long, it looked
as'though the entire plant was in flames.
As soon as Assistant Chief Denmead
arrived on the scene he sent out a general
alarm. The fire at that time was raging
fiercely at the Seventeenth street end of
the structure where the Office was located.
Between that portion of the structure
occupied by the office and thai in which
car loads of seasoned lumber were stored
was a driveway twenty feet wide. I'm
mediately in the rear of the plant is the
embankment of the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western Railroad. so that
from that point the firemen could not
fight the flames. The location of the
plant made it necessary to fight the fire
from the front and side of the building.
This proved a great embarrassment as
while it appeared the front was under
control the rear kept burning with in
creased ferceness.
For two hours the firemen battled with
the flames without making the slightest
Roadway. In fact, after streams had
been on the burning building for an hour
the wind suddenly shifted. sweeping the
flames from the rear to the front. b
heat became SO intense that the firemenf
were driven back a half block or more.
At this time it looked as though two
three-story frame tenements and a three
story brick fiat across the way were
doomed. The heat snapped and cracked
every pane of glass in the front of the
houses and on a dozen different occasions
the window blinds, sashes and even doors
were ablaze.
TIL tenants, although already awakened
by the commotion, became panic stricken
and began to throw their belongings into
the street in a promiscuous manner. Chief
conway, who had arrived in the mean
time, seeing the danger of the houses had
four streams of water directed on them
and kept them there for three hours, In
this way only were the saved.
Wniie the We're engaging the
attention of the firemen the cooperage
plant had become entirely enveloped in
flames again. About half-past five O'Clock
the nremen managed to drag several lines
or hnCa rn11D ~ M
the office and storage sheds, into the
yards and from that point effective work
was done. The fire in the rear was still
raging hercely and the heat and sparks
from the burning lumber falling upon the
roof of the Pure Water Supply C~ompany'ss
plant, a two-story frame structure,
ignlfed it.. Before effective streams could
be turned on the building the second story
was ablaze and the destruction of the en-
tire building was threatened. Between
the storage sheds of the cooperage works.
however. and the water company's build
ing We're a half-dozen immense iron
water tanks. The heat from the storage
sheds had the water in the tanks almost
10 poillng heat, but the position of them
50 shielded the water company's building
that the first story was not fired. Strenl1-
Gus efforts were made to save the water
company's building, but to no avail. The
names spread through the second story
quickly and within an hour the upper
portion of the structure fell with a crash.
carrying away and destroying hundreds
OF demiJohns, cases and a costly electrical
apparatus.
Immediately after the crash, large
cat, its fur badly singed, jumped from
the burning building into a snowbank and
escaped II was then learned that there
were on the second floor three pet eats.
and several birds. The birds were burnl
ed TO death and SO was one cat. After
the IRE in the building had been sextin-
gusshed fremen discovered the third cat.
q handsome Maltese, crouching under
packing boxes, covered with ice which
Han I0rTnad on r n fn0-- H. -
OF water which had been poured into the
building while it was ablaze. The AMI
maj was taken in charge by al employe
It was not until nine o'clock in the
morning that the fire in the cooperages
pant was completely under control. At
that time the Hill engines were ordered
away three engines from Town town re-
naming to pour water on the smoul-
plant is a portion of the storage shed
IN which there was a quantity Of sea-
oned lumber. The company's damage Is
estimated by the Superintendent al 40
600. 1t is protected by insurance. The
Water Company's loss is fixed at $4,000,
partially insured.
ompany is the largest concern Of its
kind in the country, having offices ia
New York and manufactures in various
States. The company controls a bulk Of
the buslaess of the American Sugar Re
timing Company. The managers say that
the saving of the seasoned timber will
enable them to go ahead with their bust
ness until such time as a new plant can
be built, which will be as soon as pos
The plant was built only a few years
ago for the concern by M. T.. Connolly.
TIL business of the Water COMPANY viii
not be seriously affected. as standing on
a track near it's plant is a tank car
OF water, which is known as The Great
Bear" which arrived from Oswego, ii.
X. on Saturday. The tank contains 'suf-
ficient to meet the demands of customers
until another tank can be received
The origin of the fire in the COOPER
age plant is a mystery, but is supposed
to have been smouldering for weeks UNI
der a pile OF seasoned lumber In the end
OF thes yards. where the fire was first
discovered. It is thought possible a
spark from a locomotive set fire to some
OF the boards stored in the yards.