The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-24

4 BRILLIANT DISPLAY.
Fire in Wittemann's Box
Factory Lights Up River
in Love- Jersey City.
FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS LOST
Truckman and His Wife Who
Lived in the Building Have
a Narrow Escape.

Fifty thousand dollars went up in
smoke last night in a fire which, at 10.
p. NJ, broke out in the box factory of
Wittemann Brothers, a two and a half
story frame structure, running from
First to Bay street. The building, which
was formerly occupied by the Dodge &
Meigs Box Company, and owned by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, was
completely destroyed, the loss this morn
ing being estimated, on stock, machinery
and the building, at fully fifty thousand
dollars. The fire made 9 grand spec
tacle, as seen from New York and the
Heights, from which hundreds of persons
hurried to the scene, it being supposed
that the Pennsylvania Railroad station
was afire.
1t was about ten o'clock P. M. when
Matthew Dugan, Waterman of the build
ing, discovered smoke issuing from the
stable connected with the factory. He
ran at once to the place. knowing that
Adam Olepather. the boss truckman, and
| his wife We're asleep in their apartments
over the barn. His knocking on the door
| aroused Olepather and his wife, who, in
their night clothes, staggered down stairs
and to the street, Dugan, after seeing
lliCAiA " a. Ptd1C " caltA5t ctA ~ pOA "
at Greene and Steuben streets. and urn
ed in an alarm. AT the same time alarms
| were turned in from boxes 10 and 1874, at
Greene and First streets and Montgom-
cry and Greene streets. This caused a
confusion, all but one of the engines
companies responding to the alarm, get
ting the box as 1S1, at Wayne and Mer-
| seles streets, a mile from the fire. When
| they finally reached the scene, No. l en-
| CINE, which had responded on q still
alarm, had several streams on the burnt
ing building, in which the flames, owing
to the infamable material with which
it was stacked, had gained great head
way.
Chief Conway, upon his arrival, seeing
the danger to the surrounding buildings
and lumber yards. at once sent out a
second, then a third alarm, which brought
out Engines /, g, s. G, Z and 10, and Trucks
/, 2 and 3. Across Greene street, piled
high in the air, stood thousands of bar
rels, the property of the Standard Oil
Company; on the First street side were
the yards of the Vanderbeek lumber
Company, and adjoining the burning
buildings was the works of the Jersey
City Galvanizing Company. Chief Con-
way seeing the box factory was doomed,
ordered that every precaution be taken
to prevent the flames spreading. 1t was
we'll he did so, for the fire suddenly swept
across Greene street and TO the pile of
barrels. No. 2 engine, which had taken
a position on this side Of the burning
building, was disabled by the sudden
sweep Of the flame. To add 10 the i'll luck
the boiler tubes blew out just as Captain
Brennan was ordered to take his engine
away to save it. He had to abandon the
line of hose he had out, however, as the
flames We're so fierce that it would nave
been folly to order any men in to pick
them up. Captain Harms and the men of
No. 2 truck were also exposed to the fierce
heat, Truekman Hugh Hague having the
rim of his hat burned off.
The sweep of flame was quickly checked
however, owing to a number of streams
being thrown upon the pile of barrels. The
only damage done was to those in front.
A stream was also thrown upon. a build
ing on Bay street used as a mandatory
for castor oil, the corniee of which took
fire. At eleven o'clock the roof and the
Green street side of the box factory fell III;
then portions Of the First street side fell
with a crash. The tall brick chimney
of the building, standing high among the
flames which leaped about it amid a
shower of sparks, made a grand spectacle.
The police reserves were early on The
scene, Chief of Police Murphy taking per-
sonal command. The horses and trucks
in the stable were gotten out safely by
the police and S. P. G. A. men.
Al midnight the fire was stil blazing in
the centre, and this nsrning was still
blazing, but to no great extent. Three
hydrant streams were being played upon
the ruins The firm of Wittemann
Brothers manufactures boxes for Pepper
Whiskey, the works being known as the
Harsimus Bottling Works. One of the
firm said that their loss was fully covered
by insurance.