Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-10
CITY SWEPT BY FIRE
Paterson, N. j., Suffers Loss
of S8,O00,000.
OVER 1000 HOMELESS
MAYOR CALLS OUT MILITARY
FOR GUARD DUTY.
Firemen From Adjacent Cities Re
spond to Call for Aid-Fought
Flames All Yesterday.

BY fire which started soon after
midnight yesterday in Paterson, n.
J., and ragged for fifteen hours, prop
erty estimated to be worth $1,000, 900
was destroyed. Before the flames
were controlled tWenty-six city
squares were burned over More
than 900 persons were made home
less. Three hundred apartment
houses and dwellings, in addition to
business and public buildings. fed
the flames. The CITY hall, all the
national banks. FIVE churches, all the
principal commercial structures and
public buildings, the high school and
scores OF other blocks, comprising
the heart OF the city, were burned.
The city was placed under martial
rule. When it was seen that the fire
threatened to assume proportions OF
calamity Mayor Hinchliffe ap-
pealed for aid in maintaining order
to the military authorities. \ gale
from the north blowing forty miles
an hour prevailed.
From every CITY and town within
a Journey of two hours came quick
response TO the calls for aid Mines
of powder and dynamite were placed
under solid. unframed structures.
that the fire. when it came, might
find nothing upon which to feed
PATERSON y j. February 1O.-The
fierce conhasration which burned its way
through the business center of Paterson
yesterday, has completely spent its force
and * quickly dying out in the ashes and
broken brick Of its ruin. The firenen who
hurried from other citiss To save the Ell
d angered city have gone back 10 their
homes. and several companies of the local
department have been ordered 10 their
houses for the res and refreshment they
s. sorely need. Conservative opinion in
ciineC today to cut S2.@soCuO from the ag-
Gresate loss Of 10000. 900 agreed upon yes
terday. and 100000 will probably be ac-
cepted finally as the actual cost of the fire
No tabulation of Individual losses that can
be accepted as reliable has yet been made
a@d it will be several days before satfsfac-
tory figures can be prepared. Equally in
complete is the estimate of insurance II
was stated here today that the insurance
amounted to between Si0op 600 and s. Gl0-
Z
vas not clear. Several of the largest losers
SAID that they had not yet had an oppor-
tUntty to examine their policies and that
meantime they could not tell what amount
they carried. Probably no fire of equal
magnitude and widespread destructiveness
ever produced an equally small casualty
list. Dozen of fireTen anu the volunteers
who labored with them were slightly in
JIred by falling bricks and timber. burned
by flying frebrands or temporarily over
come by smoke. but only few Of them
needed either surgical or medical attention
The small casually list is explained by the
fact that the people had ample warning and
time 10 abandon their homes before the
names came upon them.
Bread and Coffee for Destitute.
y bread and coffee famine was averted by
outside aid A Newark bread company
early this morning started wagons loaded
with 5000 !oayes Of bread for free distrfbu-
ticn in the stricken city. Wealthy resi-
o5nts Of this city ordered large supplies of
coffee and provisions from Passaic. Newark
and New York
The ladies' relief committee has estab
HSheG its headquarters in ST Paul's Epis-
coral Church. on Broadway. and will pro-
Gnce. " '''
In the hospitals are sfxty-three persons
dIJured IN the long fight against the flames
Two deaths We're due 10 the calamity. One
was that or an Old woman who fell down
stairs In her anxiety to view the fire. The
other was a woman who had just become
n mother and who died as the result of
being removed from her home
The sternest feature which Mayor Hinch-
c!tfIe and his coworkers find confronting
them today is the necessity of providing
employment and permanent homes for the
destitute.
The fact that the great silk mills escaped
the ravages of the flames is most imnor-
Jih.. as SIX making is the principal in
duStry Of the city. About half the popu-
latlon depends upon the silk trade and if
thelr occupation had been taken away the
s'tEatl"n would have been appalling
Another important industry .; that of loco-
motive building and il was equally -fortu-
Eate that these works escaped the flames
Factories Running as Usual.
The great Rogers Works and the Ameri-
can Locomotive Works give empioynent
to thousands and these are running as
usual today
Just before daybreak the militia arrested
IN one haul eleven men caught loo,ing a
building. Companies A G and NJ of the
9th Regiment, Company A of Passaic and
fifty deputy sherins We're on guard all
nlSht. They had orders TO club any one
who did not obey orders tn move on The
10 members of Paterson's police force
went on duty at $ o'clock, relieving the
miiitiamen.
The anarchists who have made this city
their HEADQUARTERS mourn the loss of their
favorite meeting place. the Office of La
Questione Sociale- The office of this news
parer was In Market street. and 1t went
down IN the path of the flames The home
OF Miss Ernestine Cravella. the Young
woman who attracted attention after the
murder of King Humbert by her infiam-
matory speeches in public meetings was
also burned
The homes Of many others of the Pater-
son anarchists were destroyed though
Bartholdrs Hall. which was the boarding
house of Bresci. The assassin OF King
Iiumbert was untouched by the fire The
houses near II Straight and Market
streets were all burned 10 the ground.
Made No Progress During the Night.
The fire made no headway during the