Evening journal., 1897-05-21
A BIG FIRE IN JERSEY
The Destruction Of r. II. N1acy's
Factory In Hoboken.
OTHER BUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED
Many People Were Rendered Homeless
by the Rapid Spread OF the Flames,
and Some Have Marrow Escapes.
The Loss Is Very Large.

Hoboken, n. j., May 2l-Thls place
has been visited by one of the most dis
astrous fires in its history. One whole
block was reduced to ashes, and l40 fam
ilies were rendered homeless. big
factory was also destroyed. The Ho-
boken fire department was totally una
bic to cope with the flames, and help
was summoned from every portion of
Hudson county. and later in the night,
when the big drydocks at Seventeenth
street caught fire, the only hope of saw
ing them was from tugs called to the
scene by the flames.
The first fire broke out in the big fac
tory building in the block bounded by
Thirteenth and Twelfth streets and
Washington and Hudson streets From
the factory the flames leaped to the
apartment houses on the block. and
they were swept away.
The factory in which the fire was
first discovered was 400 feet long by so
feet wide. 1t extended the full length
Of the block. on the other three sides
of the block were apartment houses.
The factory was a six-story building.
The apartment houses were of five
stories, double, with brownstone fronts
and brick side walls The factory was
occupied by Strauss & Co. CR. H. Macy
& Coz, cut glass and similar lines;
Gallagher & Palmer, toilet articles and
mirrors, and Darton & Heath. big
wall paper manufacturers. There were
II flats. Each of the fiat buildings was
valued at $4,000. The factory build
ing, with It's contents, is estimated to
have been worth over S25O,0O0
Discovery of the Fire.
The fire was first discovered in the
airshaft Of the factory building. No
cause for the fire is known, but it is
supposed that somebody dropped a
lighted cigar or cigarette in the toilet
rooms, and this smoldered in the wood
work until 1t broke into a blaze.
SO rapid was the spread of the flames
that when the first fire apparatus ar
rived the flames had been drawn up
through the airshaft and had broken
into the factory at every floor and
We're wildly travelling toward both ends.
Another alarm brought every piece Of
fire apparatus in Hoboken.
Then a call for help was sent to the
other places in Hudson county. The
entire fire departments of Union Hill.
West Hoboken and Weehawken re-
sponded to the call for help, as well as
three engines from Jersey City.
Despite the big aggregation Of fire
fighters. the flames spread with terrific
fury.
The occupants Of the apartment houses
saved but little of their household eff
fects. A policeman carried out two chill
dren from one of the houses after they
had been forgotten in the flight of the
other occupants.
A dying woman was rescued from one
Of the buildings after the fire had reach
ed the bedclothing, but she was not
harmed.
The people for blocks around were al
most panic stricken, and the police had
great difficulty in keeping the frenzied
tenants from rushing back into the
flames for valuables left behind
The factory building was separated
from the flats in places by an alley less
than 30 feet wide, 'and 1t was across
this gulf the fire leaped to attack tbs
houses. The firemen first on the scene
tried TO fight the flames there, but the
heat and smoke soon drove them out
Then all their efforts were directed
toward saving the adjoining blocks.
Mayor Pagan of Hoboken reached the
scene early and started the work O
supplying the destitute with shelter ant
clothing and at a late hour the many
families were made as comfortable az
families can who have lost everything
in the world.