The sun., 1904-05-30
BIG JERSEY FIRE.
Continued from First Page.


of the barge Clarence watched his cargo OF
240 tons of upstate buckwheat go up in
red glare and brown smoke and wept bit
terly.
Wall OF LOSER.
"Ef 1t halter burn. said he, "why couldn I
| 1t awaited till got it the other side Of the
river and got paid for me. iob'"
Skipper Hubert Heaney Of the good
barge Hudson was separated from his
wife Laura early in the alarms The two
disconnected the police and fremen greatly
by promising to assault violently anybody
who would not find the other. and by maxim G
strenuous arguments with policemen and
fremen who would not at once. laying
| aside all other business. devote them
selves to reuniting the Heaney family.
| Up to late hour last night there had been
no reunion.
COAL CARS RUN ASHORE.
Piers 10, 0 and were coal piers with many
tons of coal on them and hundreds Of tons
more on barges moored alongside. Pier0
was recently finished at a cost of something
like 5000 900, 1t was equipped with a device
by which great coal cars could be run up to
the top of the loading chutes and be emptied
into waiting barges at the rate Of twenty an
hour.
Every pier went up in flames and black
smoke. The Lackawanna men could do Moth
ing but look on and groan The tide was rising
in the river. Az the blocks which held some
of the cars on the floats burned, the cars,
tipped up by the rising tide, ran back into
the freight yards. blazing They stopped
when gravity would take them no further
and burned themselves out.
Those who went down into the Yards to
study the fire found these burning heaps
of ashes and rubbish glowing away here
and there at their own sweet will, with
only now and then a stray Jersey City fire
engine squirting a vagrant stream into
them,
Jack Shultz. who for years has had the
privilege of supplying the Lackawanna
coal barges with fresh water, managed by
an almost miraculous exercise Of his non
agenarian abilities TO get his little scow
out under the spray Of Jersey City fire
engine, where he kept it until all danger
was over. He said last evening that he was
1goin' to sue the comp'ny for not notfyin'
me sooner that there was goin' to be
fire"
APPEAL TO NEW YORK FOR HELP,
The great fight Of the day, the fight that
probably saved the city of Hoboken. came
at Pier s. When the fine coal pier with it's
costly equipment began to 60 up in the
air in great blaze, as a treat FOR the sight
seers on both sides OF the river. the Jersey
to Chief Croker in New York for ali the
New York fireboats" Mr.. Croker an
swered that he could not leave the water
front Of New York unprotected. but he
would send the Mcclellan. the newest and
best Of the boats, and the next best, the
New Yorker.
On the way over the Mcclellan fell in with
lighter under tow and on fire. She stopped
and put out the blaze by few squirts Of
her powerful streams: Commenting on
the fire Chief Croker said afterward:
1T is impossible to put out a dock fire
without freboats 1t must be attacked
from the river. The last time had talk
with Chief Conway asked him why jersey
City, with her long stretch OF valuable
What's the use. as long as we can get
yours to help us out in an emergency
Besides the ifireboats, Deputy Chief
IAngford, who had his weekly day Of
duty. went over, and gave the Hoboken
and Jersey City departments valuable sug-
gestions. Chief Croker went down to the
Christopher street ferry and stood ready,
Z the situation got sufficiently serious, to
propriety Of helping those who will not
nifcent work done at Pier s. Croker went
home satisfied that New York would not
have to 60 to Jersey City's rescue.
At Pier S, finally, the fire was stopped,
The fight at this pier was as fine bit OF
battle drama as often comes to mans
eye to see in a land Of peace and quiet.
The five Erie tugs, the Buffalo, the Vest
Elmira steamed into the narrow strip Of
water between Pier T. the grain pier" and
Pier 5-there is no Pier 8. Their spouts,
squirting geyser-like streams, were turned
the pier. 1t is almost brand new. 1t was
opened just before the new, patent coal pier,
8, which was put in use on March Is.
The fire swept up to the grain pier, a third
OF mile from it's starting point, overspread
cost c. a s27s 600. The stun stored in it was was
worth 81 600 900. The fierce heat blistered |
the paint on the sides Of the Erie's tugs. |
The men who were directing the streams |
from their decks fairly steamed as they |
ran along the decks.
PLUCK OF THE TUG FIREMEN
They worked in their undershirts, and |
every little while the spectators at the |
line could see a spark strike one |
of the men and see circle Of burning cloth |
grow big on his back until it was slapped
out. Never slap or whimper. though,
interfered with the sacred business OF |
keeping at work.
Men working for the Iackawanna fire
pa rtment were doing even braver work
on the grain pier. They were equipped
with buckets on the ends Of ropes and they
ran up AHu uoWl bNutlSiHhS CNciy uutlS
fire that started along the pier. They
could not, however, stop the burning Of
the outer half Of the pier.
The fire on this pier was one Of the finest
sights that anybody In this neighborhood
was ever privileged TO see. The pier was
built up to the height Of three story house
for the purpose OF carrying coal cars
The whole great framework Of timbers
made a roaring network of giant kindling
wood; flames, purple and red and yellow |
and green, rose up in sheets and assailed |
the sky, dying down only to jump up again
in different colors.
FLAMES CARRIED INTO HoBoKEN.
1t was beautiful to look at, but it threat
ened the existence of the city OF Hoboken. |
Pier S, by the work OF the Erie navy was |
kept 80 soaking wet that only spot here |
there on the roof could get started, !
only then to be snuffed out most unceri- !
moniously. But, just as happened at the |
Baltimore fire and he Rochester fire, the |
flames leaped thousands Of yards eyond |
this barrier.
The cupola of the Lackawanna ferry |
house in Hoboken caught fire twice. The |
awnings Of Andrew Carnegie's Hudson |
Trust Company, more than a third Of a
mile from the fre, fickered up and turned |
to ashes and fire.
The Hoboken cork factory, even further |
from the burning piers than the trust COM
pany. caught fire more than once. The |