The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-24

of these the front windows were smashed
and clerks served customers In wraps and
overcoats
The immediate scene Of the explosion
fortunately, is located in sparsely
settled section of the city. The houses
in the vicinity rise up In small hillocks
here and there on the filled in meadows.
The big heavy trestle of the Junction
Railway was a barrier that probably
saved lives of those in the rear of the
tenements on Fremont street from the
flying pieces of metal.
The factories located nearby suffered
considerably. Across Montgomery street
the DeBois Chain Works were obliged to
suspend work Every window In the
I5building was smashed, some of the ma
chinery was damaged and the roof torn
by the falling of heavy pieces of hying
iron. The New Jersey Paint Works, at
Fremont and Wayne streets, were Obliged
to shut down for the day. Many Oh
its windows were broken in the
main building. Almost every one OF the
seventy odd windows of its newly
constructed four-story brick bullolng
were smashed to atoms. The glass OF
the front door and transom OF the pulld-
ing alone remained intact.
The scenes in and about the flats OF the
several blocks of frame tenements along
, Fremont street all the morning beggar
description. Scarcely one of them is now
tenanted. AT eleven o'clock the rear
rooms were piled with broken window
sashes, doors, broken chairs, half-over-
turned Stoves breakfast tables with
broken Dishes and fallen plaster. Inter
mingled with the debris were broken
pieces of new toys and soiled Christmas
wreaths Windows had been carried
away, sashes and all. Doors leading to
front rooms swept down with splintered
panels as though struck by a cyclone.
There were two blocks of these houses,
three-story tenements, one owned by
Philip Tumulty and the other by Frank
Stevens. The residents of Mrs. Kate
Dolan's flats were also heavy sufferers.
Among those whose entire homes were
thus wrecked, for the rear rooms occu-
pied by them were nearly all left in the
same condition were William Bickel and
family, of No. 1923 Fremont street, whose
wife was Ill and had to be taken from
bed Adolph Nipple, of No. 131 Fremont
street, who for five years has been
suffered from locomotor ataxia. He has
wife and eight children. He was taken
to the hospital.
Frank Batholomy stood in the midst of
the wreck of his kitchen at No. 1873 Fre-
mont street, when reporter from The
News entered his apartments. He ap-
peared dazed. The wind swept through
the open window places and he shivered.
What are you going to do?" asked the
reporter.
Blamed if I know" he replied.
He lived on the top floor with his two
grown daughters. On the other side of
the hall M. ]. Regan had just nailed up
the door leading to his kitchen. He had
hastened from the oakum works, and re-
moved his wife and three children from
his mothers home at No. 140 Cornelison
avenue. Half an hour later Mr.. Regan,
with his mouth bleeding, was seen being
led through the crowd by policeman. He
had evidently fallen over the debris piled
up in the Railways.
Other sufferers were Joseph Statp, No.
1923 Fremont street; James Tumilty, No.
131s Fremont street.
Henry Byrnes owns row of new four
story tenements on Montgomery street,
near by and another on Mercer street,
triple four-story fiat. The windows of
both were shattered, and the end wall of
the Montgomery street row bulged out of
plum
The Acetylene Company's buildings
were insured partially in the Manufac-
turers Lloyds' Company by jameson &
Frelinghuysen. The dead loss, it is said
by the underwriters, in the shape of as
sets, will exceed more than 100000. The
company will have to face a number of
damage suits from owners of buildings
adjoining. The roof of Boyle's paper mill
is practically ruined.