New-York tribune., 1902-02-10
STORIES OF WATCHERS.
THEY SA " BLOCK AFTER
BLOCK BURN UP.
STREETS FILLED WITH HOUSEHOLD
ERS AND BUSINESS MEN REMOv-
ING THEIR FURNITURE
AND GOODS
AND GOODS
IBT TELEGRAPH TO rHE rR1srNr.J


company. was staying at the Franklin House
His description of the FIRE is interesting He
said
Il was sitting in the hotel when at 11:45
o'clock. the fire broke out. I went to the corner
of Main and Van Houten sts.. and saw the car
barn burning The fire worked one block west
TO Main-st., taking in it's path a dozen other
buildings. Then knew that big condensation
was on foot. The fire crossed the street, con-
sumed the splendid Boston Store and then
jumped to the steeple of the First Baptist
Church The hremen powerIess to put out
the fire on the steeple- The blaze then crossed
to the police station and by o'clock it had
crossed to the old City Hall. Then it flew down
Main-st. in the direction of Passaic. The new
City Hall took fire about o'clock in the morn
ing At 1:S0 O'Clock the fire burning in five
different parts of the city 1 saw five separate
fires at time distant six blocks from each
other The wind blowing from forty TO
fifty. miles an hour. IT very cold and we
frequently had to go inside the Franklin House
to warm ourselves. The streets were filed with
people moving away their property. Shopkeeo-
ers were removing their effects, while the fire
was still five blocks away from their property
Every one seemed to be quite cool in spite Of the
fact that he knew that his property was doomed
| I jeweIler hustling his watches and jewels
| into wagon at 1:30 a. m. We laughed at him for
his fear. because at that time the fire was many
blocks away. Several hours later the walls of
his store fell.
FIREMEN LIKE SANTA CLAUSES
II pitied the fremen from the bottom of my
heart They were working as hard as they
could. but they could do little against the gale
that was blowing. They were covered with ice
and looked like so many Santa Clauses. 1t was
so bright about where that one could
have picked up penny four blocks away. Op-
posite where we stood a large drug store took
fire. Then the United States Hotel went down.
We hardly knew these places were in the track
of the flame until they fell in heaps. Build
ings seemed TO go down while ones hack was
turned. The engines from Passaic came about
2:So o'clock Nine out of ten people in the
streets were carrying vaIuables. furniture books
and money until 3 o'clock in the morning
| "As far one could see they were stacking
goods in the street The people seemed to be
moving toward Passaic.. 1 saw no one. injured
| There was not single ambulance in sight No
| fire lines were established Had there been the
two hundred transportation wagons would not
4 have been able to save so much property The
Second National Bank stood the fire test won
derfuIly. 1t stopped the fire on that side OF the
street. The silk works. as far as could learn
suffered nothing from the fire. The burned dis
| trict included the most handsome business
| blocks in the city. The dwelling houses which
went down were owned by people in moderate
| means. These owners were mostly irish Jews
Italians and slavs.'
! PROBABLY MANY ROBBERIEs
! There must have been a lot of robberies dur.
| ing the night. but IL impossible TO tell who
was carrying his own another mans property
About o'clock in the morning stood upon the
roof of the Franklin House. The wind was
blowing such gale that had to hold on 10 a
| chimney to keep from being blown away.
was near Waterbury when the recent disastrous
1 he ind
violent then than last night. II was much colder
| here.
| Max Herzog a friend of mine was one Of the
| sufferers He left his entire property to the
mercy OF the flames. saving only his Skye ter
riers and pair of canary birds. I asked him
why he did not take his new piano. He said
| that he would leave that for the musicalIy in
clined fremen.
Il heard three distinct explosions in the paint
| store owned by the John Norwood Co When the
| store collapsed it made a wonderful picture
Mr.. Fuld, who had a fine shoe store next the
| Boston Store. sitting with me in the Frank
lin House, when his place of business took IRE
He said simply, It's going with the rest. Aren't
those iremen doing well?' As for me- wouldn't
have been fireman last night for 81, 600. I was
glad to see that good hearted citizens gave them
hot coffee. They could have done no better with
| fifty engines. At Waterbury the buildings de-
stroyed were more valuable than those which
went down here"
| Il hundreds Of people hurrying to the
armory and TO the Erie station for shelter The
way people helped each other was truly refresh
ing 1 understand that the Paterson Traction
Company, whose barn started the blaze. lost by
fire several weeks ago another building Of a
| similar character.
ESTIMATES LOSS AT S7.OO0OOO
J. F. Boise. fire insurance and real estate
broker. whose Office is in the Second National
Bank building, whose upper stories were badly
burned. said that in his opinion Paterson would
lose fully STO0OOOO. twice the loss at
Waterbury, Conn. Sitting in his Office, which
had suffered no injury. he said:
You see. the fremen still pouring water
on the City Hall at $50 D. m. I am afraid the
building is a total wreck. 1t cost 100000. All
city property we'll insured. E 7. Bell who
was intimate friend Of ex-Vice-P President H1-
BART is president or the First National Bank.
James Jackson. president of the Second Ma
tional Bank, practically owned the building. The
Paterson Savings Institution was freproof, and
tional Bank is in ruins Ex-Attorney General
John w Griggs is president of this bank and
had office there
THE GRIGGs HOME SAFE.
His house in Twelfth-ave. and Twenty-fourth.
ST. was some two miles from the confagratfon.
and so escaped injury. The First National Bank
will be opened for business tomorrow at No. 100
Broadway. The Savings Institution. I under
building tomorrow morning. The old Rogers
Locomotive Company. at Market and Spruce
| sts was in no way injured The Romaine
| Building, at Ellison and Washington sts a
| handsome FIVE story structure. is a Complete
wreck. Quackenbush & Co. and the Boston