The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-28
NEWARK HAS A BIG FIRE
BUSINESS DISTRICT GUTTED To THE
EXTENT OF MILLION.
Some of the Leading Stores of the
New Jersey City Swept Away
-Four Ffremen Badly Injured.

NEW YORK, Feb. 27.-Four firemen were
injured tonight. two probably fatally. in a
fire at Newark. n. j.. and the flames de-
stroyed w. V. Snyders department store
and its stock, worth 100000; a building
adjoining. occupied by ]. NJ. Mantz and
others; 7. 3. Aliens confectionery store;
c. B. Pcddie's trunk store; the rear Of
David Strauss department store, and OF
L. s. Platt's dry goods store: w. T. Raes's
jewe,ry store. p. ]. Garrigan's drug store,
and a number OF small stores and Bier
mans pawn shop.
The fire started at $40 p. m. in Snyder's
department store, at Broad and Cedar
streets, a four-story building of seventy
FIVE feet frontage and extending 200 feet
along Cedar street Nothing was saved
The building was burned to the ground.
The four-story building adjoining the
Snyder building on Broad street and
cupied by ]. NJ. Mantz, dealer In laces and
similar goods, on the first floor, and Of
fees on the upper floors, was soon destroy
ed, with everything it contained. Next
TO 1t was the restaurant and confection-
cry establishment OF T. b. Allen, fash
ionable caterer, this building also contain
ing Offices of many kinds. 1t was destroy
ed, as was also the trunk store of c. b.
Peddie. The fire completely Quilted this
building. but left the front part almost
untouched. From Peddies it spread to
the big department store of David Straus.
The rear of this building was Quilted. w.
T. Rae's jewelry store. one behind the
corner occupied by Straus. was destroyed.
although the valuable stock of jewelry,
probably the largest in Newark. was Sc
curely locked In the vaults OF the building.
Above the jewelry store the building was
occupied as Offices. The flames drove
through a solid wall into p. j. Garrigan's
drug store. Cairns photograph establish
ment and galleries were next above this.
Nothing could save either of them The
rear end of the Beehive dry goods store,
owned by l.. s. Straus & Co., was
next to go, and here a large body OF fire.
men concentrated and fought hard to keep
the fire from entering the main building,
which was separated from the rear portion
by a party wall with iron doors. On the
south side of Cedar street the fire burned
from No. 2, at the rear of RAGS store, to
No. a. These were all small stores, In
buildings three and four stories high, the
upper floors being occupied largely as dwell
lings. In this was Bierman's pawnshop.
where many thousands of dollars. worth
OF articles were destroyed. On the north
side of Cedar street, back Of Snyder's, the
fire attacked a row OF eleven brown
stone and brick buildings, used as offices
in the upper stories, and stores on the
ground floor.
A hundred thousand persons gathered
around the fire, and made the task of the
police a difficult one. The fire was under
control at 1890 o'clock.
Four firemen were buried under a wall
at the rear OF Snyder's, that fell with
terrific crash Captain Walter Harrison
and Fireman Thomas Brown were taken
out unconscious, and may be fatally In
jured. The other two firemen were severe
ly injured. Although number of people
were believed to be in the Snyder store
when the fire broke out. no bodies have
been found. There are several persons un-
accounted for and ii is not known whether
they escaped or were burned to death.
The principal losses are: w. V. Snyder
e. Co, 100000; buildings, various
owners, STE, 900; j. NJ. Mantz, l.. Bernstein
and y, s. Plaut $4,000 each. number
of firms are losers to the extent of from
5000 to $4,000 each. and the scores of
smaller losers will bring the amount of
losses up to more than a million dollars,
IL is estimated.