The Jersey City news., 1903-06-22
ERIE STATION
AFIRE
There Wasn't Much Damage
Done Though There
Was Great. Smoke.
II ess.
FUN FOR THE COMMUTERS
They Didn't Mind Being Late
for Their Business With
>such q Good Excuse.
FUN FOR THE COMMUTERS

1t looked for few minutes this morn
ing about Z O'Clock as though the Erie
| Railroad might have immediate use for
its new terminal Improvement bond is
sue. A fire that threatened to be serious
broke out in the station between $50 and
O'clock had things its own way for a
| time, as it was more than quarter Of
an hour after the alarm Tas given befoSe
the Jersey City 6remen go fully into ac-
ton. Baggage smashers, trainmen and
conductors, together with station en-
ployes, after they began to get some or
der and direction out of their first cha
otic and scrambling but we'll meant eff
forts did whole lot of useful work in
holding the flames in check and cooperat-
ing with the firemen, so that the serious
aspects of the situation soon disappeared.
From start to finish the blaze was the oc-
casion of whole lot of fun for the
swarms of communities.
The fire started in the lower rooms at
the northeast corner of the frame struc-
ture. which contains the offices, waiting
room and baggage rooms. The tower
entains five stories, and the fire broke
out in the top floor, used as storeroom-
The north wind that was blowing made
the situation ticklish if the flames got out
of this tower or spread to the lower floors.
AS it happened, however, the actual
resultant damage from fire and water,
apart from the loss of some valuable rec
ords, was inconsiderab able. Several pow
erful railroad tugs pumped large qanti-
Ties of the North River into the building,
and after the fire was out the northeast
corner of the building, in which the bag
gage rooms are situated, was place of
considerable dampness.
An excited baggage smasher ran
across the plaza between the station and
the ferry slips about $50 o'clock, shout
ing "Fire!' at the top of his voice. He
had seen light films of smoke curling out
under the caves of the tower and headed
forthwith for the nearest hose. Other
employees took up the cry and set about
the duties assigned them in such an en-
ergency, while in the interior of the sta
,tion the fire gongs clattered warning
to occupants. For the next twenty
minutes the ferryboats went out with
lighter loads than usual, for commuters
from fast arriving trains gathered in the
plaza to "see the old thing burn" and tell
one another how much better the volun-
teers in their suburban towns, from Arl-
ington to Singae fought the fires that
came their way. The commuter is jo-
cose person when he has an excuse for
lettering on his way to the Office.
Two lines of hose were got up into the
tower before the fremen arrived. Until
level headed conductor from subur-
ban train took charge of things there
were some ludicrous incidents, however.
The one which appealed most to the risi-
bles of the commuters was afforded by
baggage handler who had Skinned with
alacrity up an iron column to the roof
that projects from the first story of the
station and found himself alone with a
hose in his hands through which water
was squirting and threatening to come
with force enough at any moment to
make it job for two or three men to
hold the nozzle and keep from being
knocked off the steep roof. Guyed by
the concourse of commuters the Jealous
volunteer gave the eastern facade of the
tower plentiful washing down, but the
water did not get anywhere near the
room where the fire was. Some serlsi-
Bile chap turned off the water and pres
emily the hose was raised by rope to an
upper window through which it was led
to point of vantage for playing on the
flames.
Hook and Ladder, No. 2 and hose
cart were the first Of the Jersey City
Fire Department organizations to arrive.
They were on hand about 7.05 o'clock.
Then came Chemical Engine 6. There
J We're several lines Of hose up in a few
minutes, but it was not until the railroad
tugs got at work that the iremen had
ian effective supply of water. The FIRE
was under control before 7.15 o'clock
though huge clouds of smoke from burn
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