The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-13
TnIEP CAUSES A FIRE
While Trying to Steal a
Coat in a ~Hoboken Store
He Overturns
a Lamp.
ESCAPED IN THE CONFUSION
Torn Up Streets Impede Engines :
Two Buildings Totally Destroy
ed at a Loss Of $4,000.
ESCAPED IN THE CONFUSION

ration yesterday afternoon tlaI came Heeif
being an equal to the big Washington
street fire of six months ago. Twenty
families were rendered homeless and
Poormaster Barck has his hands full to-
day looking after the sufferers.
The section in which the fire occurred is
one of the most thickly populated in the
city. and if it were not for the strenuous
efforts of the fremen the whole block
would have been doomed.
Like all the big fires that have occurred
in the city the one last night was eN-
tremely hard to fight, the firemen meeting
with many difficult obstacles. One OF the
most fragrant obstructiors was the con-
dition of Newark street, which delayed
the engines for fully twenty minutes IN
getting to the burning buildings.
The thoroughfares could not have pre-
sented a more deplorable appearance.
Work was commenced to regrade it over
three weeks ago, and it has been torn up
ever since The sidewalks are obstructed
with paving blocks, and the middle OF the
street was mass of ruts and dltches;
II was about 5 40 O'Clock yesterday aIter-
noon when a small boy ran to Fire Com
missioner Fenton,s home, at Newark ana
Grand streets and told him that there was
a nre at No 1863 Newark stree5. MT. rem .la
~%ND
quickly ran to No. 8 Engine house in Fer
ry street, where he gave the alarm. AT
the same time Policemen Kennedy and +
j. Hayes saw the flames While stanolng
at the junction of Newark and Ferry
streets Hayes rushed for fire box NO: a.
at Newark and Jefferson streets, while
reached the house he met Policeman
Dettes, who came up from Clinton street
The fire had started in the secondhand
clothing and dry goods store e1 NJ darris geo
Flames were pouring out OF the nrSt ana
second. story windows.
Policemen Kennedy and Dettes burst
open the hall door and ran, upstairs TO
alarm the tenants. When they reached
the first flight the smoke almost stif1ed
them, but they CROPPED their way along
on the doors with their clubs. Startled
by the shouts of the officers the tenants
began to scamper from their apartments.
The doors of the rooms We're nung open,
and for time there was the widest con-
fusion Women grabbed their little ones
in their arms, and without attempting to
save any of their effects rushed for the
street.
In a room on the second floor the two
policemen found an old man about seventy
years of age trying to find his way
through the smoke. They Selzed nlIn oy
the arms and soon landed him safely on
After making sure that no one had
been left in the house, Kennedy, y, m ana
of No. 16l, which is next door. The flre m
had burned through to the building on the
first floor and had filled the rooms with
smoke 1t was so thick that they found It
difficult to ascend the stairway Many
of the tenants sat in their rooms unaware
of the danger until the officers burst open
was was wild wild excitement. The smoke filled the
rooms so rapidly that some of the Wom-
en- fell exhausted in trying to find the
stairway, and had to be carried to the
street
70 avoid being suffocated Kennedy and
Dettes crawled into the rooms on their
hands and knees and felt the quits on
the beds to make sure that no unfortunate
had been left behind When they had
reached the top floor they discovered An
ME Folkmann, an elderly unmarried wom-
an, running about the room with lamp
in her hand, apparently greatly excited.
There was no time to waste in words, SO
the two policemen seized her and carried
her down to the street
completed, William Miller, young
butcher. of No. "a Grand street, who was
assisting in the rescue. said he mad heard
that there was a deaf and dumb girl in
one of the rooms. The officers entered
the house again, and searched every nook
and corner, but could find no trace of her;
1t was afterwards learned that she mad
escaped.
Before the tenants had all left the
houses. No. 3 Engine came tearing up
First street to Clinton, and thence to New
l..
avoid the blockade caused by the Newark
street contractor AS the engine struck
the torn-up street, the legs of the horses
sunk in the mud, and one OF me iroIfr on
The horses jerlSed and pranced, but the
more they pulled the deeper the wheels
sank, A dozen men took f,,2Iel hold oil, o. the {,
minutes, pushed the engine along to the
hydrant in front of No 355. By the time a
stream was in operation the whole nrst
Go Af n
Both Both Nos. 361 and 1868 are four story. dou-
BILE frame tenements, each occupied py
eight fan f No Tas @ fwo oeeuped on bv
Lombardi's barber shop and "BeefsteaK
Charlie's'' restaurant. which is run by
Charles Claus. The fire gutted these two
buildings and then broke into the three
story frame hous. No. 359, on the. first
floor of which was the paint shop OF Rob
ert Moore. No tenants occupied the moor
frame building, was also damaged, but the
four families on the upper floors got out
in safety.
The crowd that gathered around the
scenes of the fire reached for several
blocks. Mayor Pagan was on hand ana
assisted the firemen in cunning the hose
strong wind carried The !, FL, flames raa to tne
ened. Chief Applegate, however, sent IN
a second alarm, which brought out every
fire engine in the department, and the
While the fire was raging Poormaster
Barck was busily engaged in looking after
the unfortunate families, many of whom
were wandering. about the streets IN
half dressed condition. Some had no
shoes and others were without hats. The
kind neighbors opened their homes for the
accommodation of the sufferers,and gave
them all the assistance in their power. A
number were taken in by Storekeepers.
Poormaster Barck made a tour of the
houses, and secured the name OF each
houseless family. He saw that all We're
no. friends to care for them he sent to
hotels for the night.
The fire was out by nine o'clock. Nos.
361 and S6s were entirely gutted and Nos
359 and 365 were badly damaged. The
loss is estimated at $4,000, including the
effects of the family. About $4,000 was
covered by insurance.
The origin of the fire was explained by
Mrs. Greenburg She said that her hus-
band went to New York in the afternoon
to attend an auction of dry goods. Shortly
after five o clock man entered the store
drawers. Mrs. Greenburg showed him It
pair OF cotton drawers. but he said he
wanted woollen ones. She then climbed
upon a chair with her back toward the
customer to reach a box of woollen goods
from d shelf AT the same moment her
eleven year old son. Charlie saw the man
reach over the counter to grab coat and
knocked over lighted lamp, which ex-
ploded The man then fed from the place.
Before Mrs. Greenburg could realize what
had happened the store was in flames.
She escaped from the house with her
children Some time later her son Charlie
pointed out a man In the crowd to Detec-
Business Menss Table dKote. IA 70 : y. NJ.
Taylor5s Hotel 6Qc.