The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-08-12
Manuscript Charles B. Harvey
Had Been Ten Years Writ
ing Goes Up in Smoke.
LAW LIBRARIES DESTROYED
Valuable Papers of All Sorts De-
pend on Fireproof Safes for
Their Fate.

The Weldon building, one of the larg-
est office buildings in the city. was badly
damaged by dre last night. The entire
western wing of rhe big building was
gutted One-half was badly damaged by
ire and almost every one of lne offices
and most of the stores on the ground
fieor were deluged with water and other
wise damaged.
1t is impossible as yet to estimate tire
damage. Some reckon that to the build
ing at s35, 900. Others place IL at fifty.
But the scores of lawyers and other oc-
cupants of the building are unable to es-
innate damage through the loss of valu-
able papers, some of which cannot be re-
placed.
They are completely demoralized. They
gathered in groups on all the five floors
of the building, and while many of them
joked and prodded each other there were
times when they shook their heads grave
ly.
The exterior view of the building con-
veys no idea of the wreck inside. From
the second floor up through the burned
wing, where, a few days ago, were trim
looking and neatly furnished suites OF
offices, there is nothing but ghastly
hole, partially filled with black and
charred timbers lying as they fell from
above Under the debris is a number of
safes containing valuable papers. The
west end of the corridors leading thereto
are charred and blistered and the floors
piled with wet fallen plaster And every
office not burned in that end is the pic
ture of dismal wreck by water.
The entire building would probably have
been gutted had it not been for a strange
circumstance. James Palmer a relative
of the Wedons, who erected the struc-
tlre owns sixteen feet of it from the
cellar to roof. He owned the lot on which
those feet of the structure rested The
sixteen feet on each side of his property
was separated from the rest of the
structure by thick, heavy brick walls.
one of these is located within a few feet
of the burned wing. That wall kept the
fire from spreading through the building.
The building was erected about fifteen
years ago by the Thomas Weldon Estate.
When Charles Weldon, a son of the bull
der, became of age, he inherited the
property. 1t cost originally about s135,o06.
1t is built of brick and is five stories
high.
Perhaps the heaviest losers among the
occupants are McCrea, Harvey Il Bedle
lawyers. who occupied suite of rooms on
the fifth floor of the wing. The offices
and their contents were burned. The safe
fell through to the second floor. There
was no insurance.
ON the same floor Architects Peter &
sailer were burned out completely. Miss
Beatrice Chattuck, who ran a scnoo' for
the teaching of typewriting and stenos-
raphy on the same floor. lost all. She oc-
cupied three rooms and had expended over
$1,000 in fitting them up. There was TO
insurance. James T. Mccormack was
burned out completely.
On the fourth floor the Aspinwall Steam
Fitting and Contracting Company, LOST
ALL Isaac Goldenhorns office is COM
plete wreck through smoke and water.
Flemming & Anderson's law offices and
their contents were burned. Architect c.
NJ Paterson was burned out. Babbit u
McQuay's law offices were demolished
Charles B. Harvey, who had spent yea $
writing a book dealing with history ana
legal matters, had completed his task and
was about to have his book published.
was burned cut and his manuscripts con-
sumed
On the third floor the law offices OF
Fagen & Murphy, who occupied three
rooms. were consumed, and along with
the library and handsome furnishings
went valuable desk won by Mr.. Fagen
at the big fair of the Robert Davis As
sociation. He priced II highly.
Mcsherry & Reese, who occupied 7ey-