The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-05-19

of No. 311, John Sheridan. was abou,
tearing his hair and wringing his hands
like crazy man.
The occupants of Nos. so7 and sos. both
four-story frames owned by George Rap
fogel and George Pearson respectively
We're still in their apartments having beer
assured that they We're in no immediate
danger. There We're eight families in
each tenement and when the order tC
yacate was given there was a wild scene
Inc men as well as women became panic
stricken and Knocked one another down
in the marrow halls and trampled on each
| other to escape.
Children We're forgotten by parents and
once again 1t devolved upon firemen and
policemen to rescue the little tots
Nelther policemen nor firemen were back
ward. They rushed in courageously
drove men and women out Of the halls
and then proceeded to gather up the
abandoned children. Some were babes in
srlns s,l ana they were remarkably gently
nandied when the circumstances are con-
Sidered
There was, of course, mix up of chill
aren and It required half a dozen cool
headed policemen to straighten out the
CONFUSION which had been unintentionally
caused. When the three big tenements had
peen cleared of people the firemen di-
! Ihat to save them was an impossibility
became apparent SO quickly that Chief
ConWay became alarmed. He directed
engines TO remove from one quarter to
another, where better service might pos
sibly be rendered
1t was about three o'clock when the
@tnfe2 @ ola ltahreee-story tenements, Nos. 30S, $40
Scott and occupied by six families all
caught fire. 1t was with difficulty that
the inmates escaped with their lives AS
| IN all the other cases the policemen and
| nremen had to use force in getting the
1aen and women to abandon their apart
ments. The terror-stricken people SEEM
ed to abandon their children with better
| grace than they did their household eff
fects, which were probably all they pos
| sessed. Children were in some instances
| lowered to the streets with clothes lines
from the last three houses.
| 1t was half past three o'clock when
names We're seen to shoot out of the big
double fve-story brick tenements,, Nos.
| 2fl and 24S First street. There were ten
families, in the buildings, which were
owned by the New York Improvement
| At four o'clock the fire was still raging
ana parts of First street looked like a
| sea of fame
BY this time the entire neighborhood
was in state of excitement For dis
tance of two blocks people had prepared
70 vacate at a moments notice and had
pied their effects out on the sidewalks.
AT half past four o'clock, the flames
Degan to abate and in another hour the
nre was under control. AS soon as the
hremen We're able to get into First street
with hose, they began to be masters of
the situation. At seven 0 clock the flames
had a been practically extinguished and
streams on the smouldering ruins
Paynes big building. which extended
from First street through to Newark
total loss; No. S22 First street, four
story brick fiat, was gutted and totally
DESTROYED. Nos. S15, ST and 319, all three
Nos; 3o7, 309, S11 four-story frames;
Nos 30S, 80 and 312, three-story frames,
and Nos. 241 and 243 First street, two
that they will have to be torn down.
Payne's stock was insured, it is said,
almost up to the limit. He was also
It IS said, however, that he decreased
his insurance $1,000 on Monday The
New York Improvement Company is also
covered BY ample insurance. The others
are less fortunate, several of the owners
being insured for little more than one
tanned.
OF the tenants, whose names it was
utterly impossible to obtain with any de-
gree of correctness, only one of the fifty
oron or more re families had dollar of insur-
exception ss was John zeigler.. an enterpris-
Ing German. who occupied the second
August Garfunkel, a. saloonkeeper. who
occupied the ground floor lof No sl2 First
street, stree, d lost st on his stock and fixtures
for twenty-five years. on Al April II q % his his
policy. ran out, and through neglect
caused by pressure of business. he failed
IA. a
state of mind bordering on alteration
John Sheridan, man well known in
fne e2eenf nfeigh63orhood 3e lost all he possessed
caused him. to take on -o''
The homeless people were standing in
moann ane dlreef fber II goups ass n this morning
tered temporary quarters in the homes |
OF neighbors. Women went about crvs
ing ing ana screaming and raving about their |
Men stood apart and discussed the fire
qule1ly and tried to wonder what they |
and protection until they are able to |
again establish homes. ~
Children ran about barefooted and hat |
clothes in which they had been ue n;ctladg tnagnu 1
ny rescuers and carried into the street. ap
fne ferns scene WAS was one Of desolatfon and suf
generously gave the homeless chilE5ren
their hunger. - ppo@se
-, Inc ruins We're visited during the dav
py large crowds of men women any
children, who stood as near to fha riia
u charred timber and half-burned walls |
as afrent ene 20 policemen would permit. on First
sance, but on Newark avenue it was dif-
lerent. et. Inc extent of the traffic on that |
street e1,,es compelled p the police to keep open
only the south sidewalk was roped off
AZ eleven O'Clock today a number Of noe,,
fnre hnu BOYS o,yt were W engaged in taking furni-
St1n61ncr
west OF the ruins and putting il in
wagon. A string of vehicles was cominsr
along the eastbound track and 5firectjv
peh1nd them was a trolley car. the motor,
man OF which was dancing franfica1lv
upon mis- gong in his efforts to have fhe
wagons get out of his way.
suddenly there came slight crash
winch sounded as though the motor had
struck one of the wagons There was
great scrambling of the teams on The
track 70 get out of the way of the trolley
The throng began to scatter and velis
went up in all directions. Then followed
tremendous crash and a cloud of dust
ana clnders that completely hid the ruins
from view. Some of the flying debris
struck the trolley of the motor and
knocked it \ off the wire. The
motorman had been running slow
in order to avoid crashing into the
wagons in front of him, and he had
not suiflcient headway to run the car
past the burned building The car stop
pee, directly in the path of the falling
wall: People held their breath and wait
ed for the inevitable resuft--the burial |
OF the car beneath the ruins and the
death and injury of several people. But +
fortunately the wall, a frame one. struck
against a stout trolley and a teiegranh
pole and sank down to the sidewalk. The
passengers on the ear were badly shaken
up and frightened, but all escaped min
Jured. 1t was rumored that two poIice
men,, Brown and Van Vechten. who were
standing on the sidewalk when the wall
fell, were in the ruins. When the evcita |