Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-02-13
AL0SS Of Ten Millions.
The Best Portion of Paterson, N. J.,
Reduced to Blackened
Ruins by Fire.
LOSS IS ESTIMATED At TEN MILLIONS.
The Entire Business Section and Hundreds
of Residences Destroyed Firemen
Powerless. In the Face of a Strong Wind.
to Stay the Progress of the Relentless
Flames.

Paterson, N. D., Feb "a great
fire swept through Paterson to-day,
and in its desolate wake are the
embers and ashes of property val
ued in preliminary estimate at ten
million dollars. 1t burned its way
through the business section of the
city and claimed as it's own a ma
jority of the finer structures devoted
commercial, civic, educational and
religious uses, as well as scores of
houses. There was but small tribute
of life and injury to the confagra-
ton, but hundreds were left home
less and thousands without employ
ment.
A relief movement for the care of
those unsheltered and unprovided for
has already been organized, and
Mayor John Hinchcliffe said tonight
that Paterson would be able to care
for her own without appealing to the
charity of other communities and
states. The great manufacturing
plants of the place r safe and the
community, temporarily dazed by the
calamity, has already commenced the
work of reorganization and restor-
alton.
The fire came at last midnight and
was only checked after a desperate
fight that lasted until late this after
noon. Every city and town within
reach of Paterson sent firemen and
to the relief of the threat
ened city, and it took the united eff
forts of them all to win the battle.
A northerly gale gave the conha-
grafton it's impetus and carried it's
burning brands to kindle the blaze
afresh at other points. The iremen
made stand after stand before the
wall of fire, but were repeatedly
driven back, and when victory fl
nally came to them they were grimed
n OBJ.
A partial list of the properties de-
stroyed follows:
Public buildings: City hall, public
library, old city hall, police station,
Number 1 engine house, patrol sta
bles, high school, school No. 10:
First Baptist, Second Presbyterian,
Park Avenue Baptist, St. Marks
Episcopal and st. Joseph's Roman
Catholic churches; First national,
Second national PARTIALLY, Paterson
national, Silk City trust, Hamilton
t. list and Paterson trust banks; Y.
NJ. c. A., Knights of Columbus, Pro-
gress, St. Joseph's hall and Hamilton
clubhouses; Romaline, Katz, Mar
shall & Ball, Coin, Old Town Clock,
Old Kinnebeg and Stevenson office
buildings; Western Union and Postal
Telegraph companies buildings; the
Garden theater, the Evening News
and Sunday Chronicle newspaper off
ices and "a business blocks.
An estimate made from a general
inspection of the sm%ouldering ruins
placed the number of dwellings and
apartment houses destroyed at 500
and the number of families left with
out shelter at 1000. A. later estimate
when order succeeds confusion may
alter those figures.
The fire began its work of far
reaching destruction at the power
house of the Jersey City, Hobollen &
Paterson Traction Co., which fronted
on Broadway and extended a block to
the real on Won Houten street. 1t
commenced in the car shed and was
burning tiercely when one of the EN-.
ployes detected it,. Tit was feaping
through the roof, and The gale was
lifting ii in forks and swirls wher
the fire apparatus came changing into
Broadway, Main and VAN Houton
The firemen tried to hem it in. but il
speedily crossed Van Houten street
in one direction and Main street in
another, and gaining vigor as il
went, burned unchecked down into
the business district. Every piece O.
fire mechanism I'M the city was called
out, but the fire was master. A great
torch rose high in the air, lighting
the country for many miles and car
rying a threat and warning to the
people and property in its path
There were efforts to rescue furni
ture and stock, but the speed with
which the fire moved gave the res
cuers little time. Property vas otter
moved to a place of presumed saftey
only to be eventually reached ant
destroyed. The warning to many
was brief and theywereforced to flee
scantily clad, into streets glazed ovel
with ice and swept by the keen wind
Main street was soon arched ovel
with a canopy Of fire for a blocl
and then for two blocks, as thu
flames fastened themselves upo1
building after building. The firemel
fought with every resource of thei,
craft and the impulse of desperation
but the flames found new il
Ellison and Market streets and go
beyond all control.
Calls for relief went out to ever.
city in this portion Of the state, an
the jaded firemen labored on through
hopeless hours of the morning. TIL
city hall, u magnificent structure
surmounted by a great clock tower
situated on Washington, Ellison an
Market streets, finally caught, an
with IT all of the splendid bushes
structures that surrounded it. The
made a great furnace of fire tina
burned with a fierce roar.
There vas a series of explosion
md scores of walls fell when tn
fire left them strengthless. FLYNN
fire brands carried the conflagratio
W some buildings and around OIL
ers, and it therefore burned in an il
.~-r- Tl-.- 1871 n--rI