Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1902-02-12
BIG FIRE At PATERSON, Nd.
$1O,OOO,OOO ESTIMATED LOSS
Destructive Flame Swept Business
Portion of City-Only One Death
Rep"rted-Heavy Gale BIew-City
VIII Look After the HomeIess-
Mayor Issues Proclamation.

Hio o"tpt thiuuBH IdtcTSou SunuaS
and in its desolate wake are the EN-
bers and ashes of property valued at
SlO.00O,OO0. 1t burned its way through
the business section of the city and
claimed as its own majority of the
finer structures devoted to CONNER
cial, civic, educational and religious
use, as well as scores of houses. There
was only small tribute of life and in
jury to the conflagration, but hun
dreds were left homeless and thou
sands without employment. A relei
movement for the care of those un.
sheltered and unprovided for has al
ready been organized and Mayor John
Hinchcliffe says that Paterson would
be able to care for her own without
| appealing to the charity of other com.
munities and states. The great manu-.
featuring plants of the place are safe,
and the community, only temporarily
dazed by the calamity, has already
commenced the WORK of reorganiza.
tion and restoration.
Scores OF persons were hurt and
burned, but the loss of life is moi
thought to be great.
Many persons are reported to be
missing, but in the excitement and
fright most of these are supposed to
have been separated from their fam.
lilies and friends.
Reuben Islib, while serving coffee to
the exhausted firemen, was hit on the
head by falling beam, and it is doubt
full If he will recover. He was carried
away by the firemen as they made
their retreat from the doomed school.
house.
George Fitzmaurice, a fireman, who
has been acting as driver for Fire
Chief Stagg, is also dying. He was
driving an engine from Passaic, when
the horses bolted and before Fitz-
maurice could get them under control
| they brought the apparatus against al
electric pole, and Fitzmaurice, who
had not waited to strap himself in,
was hurled out on his head. There Is
no chance of his living.
The fire lasted over twelve hours
Every city and town within reach OF
Paterson sent firemen and apparatus
to the aid of the city. and 1t took thei,
united efforts to win the battle.
A northerly gale gave the conhagra.
tion its impetus and carried its burn.
ing brands to kindle the blaze afresh
at other points. The firemen made
| stand after stand before the wall OF
fire. but were repeatedly driven back,
and when victory finally came to them
they were grimed and exhausted.
A partial list of the properties de.
stroyed follows:
Public buildings-City hall, public
library, old city hall, police station.
No. 1 engine house. patrol stables,
high school, school No. 10.
Churches - First Baptist. Second
Presbyterian. Park Avenue Baptist, st.
Marks Episcopal, st. Joseph's Roman
Catholic.
Banks-First National, Second Ma.
tional tpartially), Paterson National,
OIL City Trust, Hamilton Trust, Pater.
son Trust.
Clubhouses-Y. NJ. C. A., Knights of
Columbus, Progress club, st. Joseph's
hall. Hamilton club.
Office buildings--Romatine building,
Katz building. Marshall & Ball, Cohn
building, Old Town Clock, Kinne
building, Stevenson building.
Telegraph companies-Postal Tele-
graph, Western Union.
Theaters-The Garden.
Newspapers-The Evening News.
Sunday Chronicle.
Stores-A large number.
An estimate made by general in
spection of the smouldering ruins
places the number of residences
burned at 500 and the number of fam
lilies left without shelter at 1000.
A re-estimate after the confiagration
is abated may alter those figures.
The fire began its work of destruc-
tion at the power house of the Jersey
City, Hoboken &c Paterson Traction
company, which fronted on Broadway
and extended a block to the rear OF
the car shed and was burning fiercely
when one Of the employees detected it.
1t was leaping through the floor and
the wind was tanning II into forks and
swirls when the fire apparatus came to
the scene. The firemen tried to hem
the blaze in. but it skipped across Van
Houten street in one direction and
Main street in another, and. gaining
vigor as 1t went, burned unchecked
down into the business district. Ey-
cry piece of fire mechanism in the city
was called out, but the fire and gale
were masters.
A great torch of fame rose high in
the air. lighting up the country for
many miles and carrying a threat and
warning to the people and property in
its path. 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 place OF presumed
safety, only to be eventually reached
and destroyed. The warning to many
was brief and they were forced to fee,
scantlly clad. into streets glazed over
with ice and swept by the keen wind,
Three relief meetings we're held dur.
ing the afternoon, the principal one OF
which was attended by Governor Muir,
ply and Mayor Hinchcliffe. Within a
few moments $500 was handed to the
mayor for immediate relief use. 4he
chief magistrate said that while the