The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-08-13
FIRE aftermath
Weldon Building Tenants
Are Now Finding Out
What They Lost.
SOME QUEER INCIDENTS
Michael Fagen's Laundry and
and Mr.. Dougherty's Black
stone Saved Peculiarly.


aged the Weldon Building remains a
mystery. No one has been able to de-
eide just where the blaze started. It is
now thought unlikely that the total
damage to property will reach $75, 900. The
| first estimates were rather wild OF
course many of the tenants place value
on some Of their papers and other pos
sessions that cannot be figured CONNER
cially.
| All day yesterday the streets in the
vicinity of the building were an attrac-
| ton to men, women and children, who
| We're gazing at the ruins and finding en-
| tertainment in looking at the efforts of
a small army of men who were busy
from cellar to roof clearing away the
debris
Yesterday afternoon and all today a
great many people walked through the
building, viewing the wreck. They saw
more than they imagined while on the
street. 1t was simply amazing the thor
oughness with which water had soaked
almost everything in sight at the western
end of the building. Water was drip
ping from the ceiling throughout the
building, even as late as this noon. The
floors were apparently soaked through
and through. Piled up in the Railways
great bundles of carpets, oil cloths, pa
pers, books, typewriters and pieces of
furniture buried under plaster and pieces
of the wooden walls and ceilings. 1t was
with great difficulty that one could get
about and there was grave danger to
many who were curious enough to ven
ture on unsound flooring. But no one
was injured. 1t is hoped that within
few days matters will be so adjusted
that those tenants who have retained
their offices in the building may be made
nearly as comfortable as they were be-
fore the fire. Then will begin the task
of removing what remains of the west
wing and rebuilding the whole structure.
Mr.. Charles Weldon, the owner of the
building, was seen this morning. He said:
Il am hardly prepared to say anything
more for publication than that we are
doing our best to get matters straigh-
tened out SO that the businesses of our
tenants may be carried on as usual
Have you any idea now or where the
fire started?' Mr. Weldon was asked.
Il have not the slightest idea 1t would
seem now that it began on the. fourth
| more than guess. There was nothing
up there that could have caused the fire
that we know Of There is no room in
the building where waste is Kept except
in a room on the first floor. and that was
perhaps the least damaged of the lot.
'Will you make any further effort to fix
Eyes, OF course. We will look more
carefully into the fire and all che sur
rounding circumstances, but it looks like
rather impossible task at this tirae
There was no one in the building at tie
time. The Janitor, Richard Ray, was
away. He has had every Sunday evening,
from s to 10 o'clock, to himself since he
came here
81 was away on my vacation when I
received word that the building was
burned, and L have not been quite able
| thorough investigation will be made.
AS soon as the loss has been settled
by the adjusters the rebuilding Will com
repairs are completed They may possib-
ly be completed in three months. The
burned wing will be shut off entirely,
pending the work ct the adJusters. es,oas
damaged but slightly by fire and water
will be commenced at once. By this
| mean carpentering. painting and repair
| ing etc, where necessary.
| "Fffty-eight offices still remain intact.
| They are about all or nearly all occupied.
| particularly desire to express my heart
| felt thanks to all the tenants for their
| forhearance.
| Mr. Weldon was about the building
| bright and early this morning and with
| his characteristic buoyancy was directing
| the operations of small army OF men
and women in putting the unburned por-
ton of the building in a condition that
would enable his tenants to transact busi-
ness in comfort. Many whose offices
were badly damaged We're Obliged to seek
temporary headquarters, and their cards
announcing the location OF such head
quarters are posted up on the entrance
doors to the building.
as he himself remarked to the News"
reporter, II have a great many things TO
think of just now" When asked about
the cost of the building and the amount
of insurance it carried he said he valued
the building, allowing for depreciation
since construction, at about $4,000, and
that it carried about $770O0 insurance;
L He said he could not remember the full
list of companies in which he had insured
the building, and referred the reporter 10
Never & Klein, whose offlce is located on
the ground floor, Immediately at the
right of the main entrance TO the puilu-
ing. -
| women on the four floors above, scrub cruz,
doris water that flooded the building was
dripping down from between the hoors
| and ceilings above. A dealer in umbrellas
| came in while the reporter was talking TO
| Mr., Klein and facetiously asked If he
| could sell some umbrellas.
| Mr. Klein gave the reporter the follow
! ing list of insurance companies in which
| the building was insured. He said 1t was
| complete with the exception of one COM
| pany in which the building was insured
| to the amount of ,00O That he said the
| reporter would have to get from Mr. Wei
| don. Mr. Weldon could not remember 1t,
| and said the papers were in deposit
| vault in the New Jersey Title Guarantee
| Company across the street. Mr.. Klein
| gave this list of insurance companies in
which he knew the building was in
sured:-
Hartford $25, 900; North American, of
| Philadelphia, $1,000; Western, of Toronto,
| S.. 900; American, of New York, $4,000;
! Magdelburg, of Germany, $1,000; German
| American. of New York, $780, Aachen
| and Munich, $1,000.
| Janitor Ray colored man. was work.
| ing like Trojan when interviewed. He
| stopped just long enough to say that he
| was not in the pullulng Wncn lhe lfe
broke out
.sWhere were your he was asked.
Newark, . was the terse reply.
Have you any ldea how the fire
| started?''
| mo, sah.'
..Did you lose anything?"
| Everything.
"InAured?
Assistant Fire Chief Dingler, when seen
| ait Fire Headquarters said he had some
| men working on the fire with a view Of
learning its origin but they had not yet
| found anything that would lead to learn
| ing the source of the fire.
| 1--WE have learned that most of the ten-
| to say to the public that the rank and
y