Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1902-02-14
TEN MILLION FIRE !.
PRINCIPAL BUSINESS AND RESI-.
DENcE SECTION OF RATER-
..sr# .~-. ,"' g W..
SON, N. j., DESTROYED. "a

Paterson, N. j.. Feb. 1O.-Ffre which
broke out in this city at midnight has
burned the principal business and
residential sections and caused loss
estimated at $10,000,000. So far as
known no lives have been lost but
score or more persons have been In
jured. Famed by 40mile gale the
conflagration ragged beyond control
until afternoon, when, after destroying
Is entire blocks, it was checked by
the combined efforts of the fire de-
partments Of all the nearby towns.
The business section of the town,
lying. between Prospect street, Broad
way, Paterson: and Market streets,
was wiped out completely. The resi-
dent portion destroyed extended from
Pearl street to Market street and
from Straight street to Carroll street.
The city hall, all the national banks,
five churches, the high school and all
of the principal business houses and
public buildings were in the ruined
section. The militia is on duty guard
ing property.
An estimate made from general
inspection of the smouldering ruins
placed the number of dwellings and
apartment houses destroyed at 500
and the number of families left with
out shelter at 1000.
The fire began it's work Of far
reaching destruction at the power
house OF the. Jersey City, Hoboken
and Paterson Traction company,
which fronted on Broadway and ex-
tended a block, to the rear on Van
Houten street. It commenced in the
carshed and was burning fiercely
It was leaping through the roof and
the gale was lifting it in forks and
swirls when the fire apparatus came
upon the scene, and, gaining vigor as
it went, burned unchecked down into
the business district.
Every piece of fire mechanism in
the city was called out, but fire and
gale we're masters. There were efforts
to rescue furniture and stock, but the
speed with which the fire moved gave
the rescuers little time. Property
was often moved to a place of pre-.
sumed safety only to be eventually
reached and destroyed. The warning
to many was brief and they were
forced to flee, scantily clad, into
streets glazed over with ice and
swept by the keen wind.
.. Calls Sent Out for Al.
The firemen fought with every re-
| source of their craft and the impulse
of desperation, but the flames found
new avenues in Ellison and Market
| streets and got: beyond all control
Calls for relief went out to every city
jaded firemen labored on through the
hopeless hours Of the morning. :.
| Flying firebrands carried the con
| f1agration over some buildings and
! around others and it therefore burned
in an irregular course. These brands
finally cleared the tracks of the Erie
railroad and Ran1apo avenue, and
alighting on Straight street, started
another great area of fire in which
the destruction and desolation wrought
was nearly as great as in the other.
| This second great fire started at the
angle of Park avenue and Washing
ton street and swept almost unchecked
until on these two thoroughfares there
was no more fuel. On the right hanC
side OF Market street it encountered
Sandy Hill cemetery as q barrier t
! check it, but on the left side at Car
roll street it claimed St. Joseph:
church, great classic stone building
It was on this second great fire tina
the volunteer firemen from the outside
cities did their most heroic and effec
tive work. They fell back only Whe1
they had to and when the natural oh
stacle interposed they seized thu
chance and stopped the fire.
Paterson rests in a valley and thu
contlagration was an imposing spec
tacle from the rim of hills that wal
it in. Columns of flame climbed higl
in the air and shed their light TO-
miles. Hundreds of persons hurried
into the city before daylight to watcl
the work of destruction at close rang
and when the day came thousand
more joined them. The fire becam
a E af+ popular spectacle that elaine,
patrons from New York and ever,
outlying town in New Jersey.
CREMATED IN A HOTEL.