The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-11
Apartment House on Grove
Street Blazing Away as
The News" Goes
to Press.
SICK GIRL CARRIED OUT
Black Cat Also Rescued From
the Flames Firemen's
Brave Work in the
Cold Heavy Losses.

A three adarm fire which completely
Quilted the large double four story apart
ment house, No. 52S, Grove street, next
to the corner of Third street, occurred this
afternoon 1t started shortly after II
o'clock, and was still burning when "Tne
News went to press. The firemen got it
pretty well under control before two
o'clock, but it was stubborn and continued
to crop out in unexpected places.
1t was peculiar confagration in that 1t
started in the cellar.yet the greatest blaze
was at the roof. Most of the work of the
firemen was done on the top floor and the
roof The firemen had great difficulty in
fighting the flames. 1t was so cold that
the water froze as soon as it settled any
where The rubber coats of the firemen,
the coverings of the hose. everything that
came in contact with the water was COW
cred with ice.
Benjamin Beecher, of Engine No. 5, was
badly frozen. He did not have his rubber
boots or rubber coat with him when he
went to the fire. He was set at work in
the cellar, where the water was soon
over knee deep. He then went to work
at the rear of the building His trousers
frost bitten and he was in a pitiable
plight He could scarcely walk as his
limbs were numbed by the icy casing his
trousers formed. In spite of his condi-
ton, which made him unfit for work and
even endangered his life, he climbed to
the roof to report to Captain Watt his
superior. Watt promptly sent him home
to change his clothes and do what he
could for his frozen limbs.
The fire started in the cellar where
plumbers were thawing out water pipe.
An alarm was turned in and several en-
gines responded. 1t was thought at first
that the fire would not amount to much,
as it was apparently confined to small
portion of the cellar. Unfortunately, how.
ever, it started near the dumb waiter
shaft
While the firemen were engaged in put
ting out what was considered a small fire,
flames suddenly burst out on the second
floor. The fire had licked its way up the
shaft and stolen a march on the firemen.
It swept to the front of the house.
The ground floor of the building is oc-
eupied by Simon Blakes grocery story.
The stock was almost entirely destroyed.
The apartments above, on the first and
second floors, were occupied by Mrs.
Wren and her four children. Mrs. Bur-
CESS and eight children, Mrs. Fitzhugh
Mrs. Doran and Mrs. Sheehan. The
heads of the households were at work.
The women and children were terror
stricken. AS the flame climbed up the
elevator shaft they fed in alarm. One
girl was sick in bed. A volunteer car
ried her down two flights of stairs in
his arms and deposited her in the house
of a neighbor. Very little of the furni-
ture was saved The ffremen devoted
all their attention to the front of the
building and to the first two floors.
Suddenly there was a warning that
smoke was issuing from beneath the cor
nice about the roof
.'It is only the smoke which has worked
up through the air shaft" said several of
the firemen They were busy enough with
the flames on the second floor.
In the meantime a second alarm had
been sent in. More engines arrived and
the police came from the Gregory street
station. Captain Kelly, of the Seventh
street station, and his reserves had ar
rived on the scene almost before the first
engine
Chief of Police Murphy responded to
the second CALL He adjusted the fire
lines so as to give the fremen plenty of
room in which to work. He went to the
rear of the building, where there were
no firemen, and was alarmed to find that
smoke was pouring from beneath the
roof He did not like the look of it and
at once informed Assistant Engineer Low
ell who was in charge of the hremen.
He had barely done so when flames
burst simultaneously from all the win
dows on the top floor. The whole rear of
the house beneath the roof appeared to
be roaring furnace.
James Coleman, of No. engine, worked
his way up the fire escape in the rear of
the building and directed the fremen be-
low One OF the hose was dragged around
by way of Third street and into the rear
yard of the corner building. From there a
stream was played into the burning room.
AS soon as the flames had been sub
dued slightly, Coleman entered the top
floor A line of hose was dragged up
over the lower building from its Third
~-reSt eide snd annther was pulled up
j., ~, -oo~. raptairs Watt and Quinn
mounted to the roof and directed the
49, nters.
4loles were cut into the roof to admit
the streams of water. The fire crept along
beneath the corniees and every few min
utes would crop out afresh in some un-
expected place. The corrice had all to
be cut away and the tin roof had to be
removed with axes in order to reach the
fire.
On the high roof the cold was intense
and bit fingers and ears without mercy.
Some of the firemen drenched to the skin,
suffered tortures. but they never fiinched.
Commissioner Brennan was on hand
when most wanted, and lent valuable as
sistance to the firemen.
While the fire was at its height and was
burning in the cellar as well as the roof,
Captain Harms. of Hook and Ladder
Company No. 2. rushd out of the basement
with small black cat in his arms. The
poor animal was nearly suffocated and
frozen 1t was covered with Ice
Captain Harms was very busy put he