The Jersey City news., 1901-07-18
Big BLAZE
Union Lead and Oil Works
Plant Totally Des-
troyed.
ENGINES STUCK IN MUD
Only One Stream Gould Be
Turned on the Burn
ing Pile.

The Union Lead and OIL Works, located
ON West Side at the foot Of McAdoo ave-
nue., in the Greenville section, were totally
destroyed by fire about ten o'clock last
night. Not a bit of wood remains to
mark the place where the factory stood.
Several tons Of lead were consumed. 1t
furnished the best of fuel for a blaze
and the sky for miles around was as
bright as day The reflection from the
terrific flames illuminated the sky so that
| the residents of that section had little
difficulty in locating the fire.
The firemen had a hard fight to reach
the blaze The building was remote from
any other, being almost on the snore Of
the Newark bay. For almost half an hour
| the firemen struggled to get hose work.
ing. No. 10 Engine got stuck in the mud
on West Side avenue about half mile
from the fire and was rendered useless for
the time. No. Engine came down Nc
Adoo avenue and connected with a fire
plug near the foot of that street. Every
length of hose on No. s tender was used
and additional lengths were carted half a
| mile from No. IS engine and No truck,
| to make up one hose. Twenty-seven
/ lengths were needed. This took consider
able time.
| Even then the one stream was of little
use. The building was hopeless mass of
| flames. The lead and oil burned fiercely.
1t was considered dangerous to go within
| fifty feet of the building at first
| Battalion Chief Hague arrived in time
TO smash in the office door He was met
! with a cloud of smoke followed by a
tongue of flame that carried him off his
feet. He just escaped being seriously
| burned
A second engine could not be gotten
within mile of the fire and the one hose
did no work to speak of. The more water
poured on the burning oil the fiercer the
flames grew. Every piece of infammable
| material was consumed For two hours
the flames ragged and the bright light at
tracted hundreds of people to the scene.
The hills were lined with spectators in
various attires.
An italian watchman was located, who
said that an oil lamp exploded while he
was filling the boiler in the engine room.
The blazing oil few in all directions and
the Italian was so badly scared that he
raced out of the building to save his life.
Some of the hrenen were told that the
Italian was still in the burning building.
They rushed about seeking the watchman,
! who was finally found seated on a hill
watching the blaze.
Homer Weise of Flushing, Long Island,
owns the works The place was covered
by insurance, but the loss could not be
ascertained The firemen place the fig
ures, including stock, at about $1,000 The
loss may exceed this.
The building was two story frame af-
fair, seventy by thirty feet. 1t had been
built for several years.
At midnight when the fremen went
home No. and No. 5 trucks got stuck
in the mud on West Side avenue. Great
difficulty was experienced in getting these
cumbersome apparatuses out. No. en-
gine could not get up the McAdoo avenue
HILL and the tender horses were hitched
on to help. It was long after midnight
before the hose had been collected and
the muddy engines hauled back to their
respective quarters. 1t was a rough ex-
perience for the men.