Connecticut western news., 1900-03-01
A BIG FIRE IN NEWARK.
Thiee Lives Thought to Have
 Been Lost.
DAMAGE OF MILLION AND A HALF.
Heroic Work of Firemen, Two oi Whom Were Probably Fatally In- jsred-severai Mi.sins-orisin oi Fire a Mystery.

jared-several Mtnsinn-Ortain oi
 Fire a Mystery.
 Newark. N. J., Feb. 2S.-The bigges, fire in the history of Newark ragged las, night in the block bounded by Broad, Cedar. Halsey and West Park streets and, leaping from the north across Cedar street, devoured property valued at many thousands of dollars on the south side.
 So extensive was the fire that 1t is i'm. possible to get at the damage with any exaetness, but insurance and fire author ities estimate it at probably $1 500 900.
 In the blazing embers of what was the retail dry goods house of w. V. Snyder X Co, one of the biggest establishments of the kind in New Jersey, are believed to be the charred bodies of from two tu six persons who were unable to escape from the building. Two known to be missing are the janitor and his wife.
 Four fremen were buried under falling walls. All these were taken out. Two were hurt so badly that they may die.
 The origin of the fire is a mystery. II started in the rear of Snyder's, on the lower floor, at 6:30 p. m., and within two minutes had leaped up through the roof Watson Snyder. who had just finished business for the day and was about to go home, discovered the blaEe. He raIl out and sent a call from a fire box across Broad street. At the same time an em' ployee sent in a telephone alarm.
 Chief Kiersted was one of the first to respond to the alarm. He promptly or. dered out all the fire apparatus in the city.
 Fires Quick start.
 The blaze in Snyder's was so fierce that for a time it was we'll nigh impossible to get close enough to reach it with streams of water. Leaping across Cedar street, the flames attacked the Plaut and Rae buildings, and for a time 1t seemed the big Plaut dry goods store, better known as the Beehive, was doomed to utter destruction. Only the most valiant work of the firemen, assisted by hundreds of employees working with buckets and the eompany's private fire apparatus, saved it.
 By 9 o'clock the blaze was under con. trol, though still burning fercely, but il took until daylight to extingulsh all the flames. The loss on Snyder's store and stock will approximate $500000. Two photographers, Teusch and Cairns, and many other firms not mentioned in the list given above, but occupying the build ings named, were burned out
 Had the blaze started before o'clock nothing could have prevented heavy loss of life among the 400 or 500 employees in Snyder's store. These were mostly girls. All, with a few exceptions, were out by 6:15.
 At 11:15 p. m. the side brick wall of Boughton's music store, in the rear of Snyder's, crashed down, burying four fire. men, Captain Walter Harrison and Fl mer Gardner of engine No. and Thom. as Brown and Andrew Bessinger of en. zine No. 5. Fellow hremen plunged into the smoking pile and worked with all their might to rescue their comrades Bessinger, Brown and Gardner soon were uncovered and dragged out. The work oi rescuing Captain Harrison was more per ilous. but was accomplished successfully within an hour. Captain Harrison and Brown are believed to be injured nor tally