The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-31
INSTITUTE ON FIRE
HackettstoWn Seminary To-
tally Destroyed--No
One Injured.
Especial 10 sThs Jersey city News.'.l

Especial to '%fhe Jersey CITY NEWS.
HACKETTSToWN, Oct. 81, 18as.-Fire
broke out at 1915 this morning in the rear
basement of the Centenary Collegiate In
stitute here. When first discovered it was
deemed best to warn all the students i'm
mediately. The promptness of this action
enabled every one to reach a place Of
safety without any injury whatever.
The students sleeping quarters are In
the front or main part Of the building,
so that their section was the last to be
destroyed. Through the presence Of mind
of those in charge, and care on the part
of the students. there was no panic what
ever. Everything was done quietly and
effectively. There were about two hun
dred students. teachers and employees in
the building and these are all accounted
for.
Quite a number succeeded in saving
personal belongings though others lost
almost everything. The young ladies i'm
mediately on leaving the building were
assembled in the boys gymnasium and
the roll was called. AS soon as it was
found that the building could not be saved
they were all received into different homes
in the village. The people in the vicinity
of the school opened their doors so that
they are all now comfortably located and
well cared fors
At first it Twas thought possible to save
the main part Of the large building, as
the fire began in the rear extension. Be-
fore it reached the main portion there
was ample opportunity for all the occu-
pants to be safely cared for, and quite a
number of articles taken to a place of
security. The fire has subsidized, and only
a portion of the brick walls remain stand-
ing. The building is entirely ruined. The
two separate brick buildings used for
young ladies and young mems gymnasi-
ums and laboratory escaped without Sc
rious injury.
The building was erected twenty-five
years ago, and was presided over for
twenty-one years by the Rev. DR.. G. H.
whitney,, and for the past four years by
the Rev. DR.. ". P. Ferguson. The in
stitute is under the care and control OF
the Newark Conference Of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and is one of the most
prosperous preparatory schools in this
section.
The origin of the fire is unknown and
the fire department of the village was un-
able to cope with the flames. Efforts were
made to secure assistance from the fire
departments at Washington and Dover,
but that was impossible.
The loss estimated is about $500, 600, on
which there is only about $4,000 insur-
ance.
The structure was Of brick, $50 feet
long, 100 feet in width and six stories in
height. 1t was located in the outskirts
of the town. Two hundred students, half
of them female, occupied rooms in the
building. All escaped uninjured, but not
more than a quarter of them were able
to save their clothing and other belong
ings.
The ~janitor, who had returned to the
basement of the Seminary about 1870
this morning froms a tour of inspection
that occupied nearly an hour of his time,
found the lower spertion of the structure
filed with smoke. When he reached the
boiler room he discovered it in flames.
An alarm was sounded and the work Of
getting the inmates out was commenced.
The fremen succeeded in saving the two
gymnasium buildings located near the
main structure.