Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-02-08

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the building occupied BY Silborman &
Todes, the house Of Alien & Sons, which
has hardly been completed, while next
to 1t was the establishment of NJ. Moses
& Co. On the corner Was the building
occupied by Messrs. Sugar e. Shear
and several other smaller concerns.
All of these were swallowed up in
fame, and, in fact, the whole block was
nothing but a, caidron OF fire.
Mullins hotel, a seven story struc-
ture at Liberty and Baltimore streets,
was soon in flames from garnet to cell
lar, and the great height and narrow
ness acted as a torch, which, as a sort
of fiue, converted the doomed building
into a huge and dreadful torch. All
the guests of the hotel had been order
ed cut of the building shortly after
the fire broke out in John Hurst's place.
There w-asgno panic br confusion, and
no one was injured. (
Though every bit of fire fighting ap-
paratus in the city was called into req
uisition, as the flames continued to
spread the firemen realized that they.
had a.task before them which vas too
great for them to combat. kilograms
for FIRE engines were sent to Washing
ton and Philadelphia. and six engines
arriving from Washington and four
from Philadelphia Joined in the battle
with the flames. ~
Engines from stations in Baltimore.
Howard, Anne Arundel and Hartford
counties also arrived as soon as posi-
BILE, some of the apparatus travelling a
distance of thirty miles and more.
Water plugs in every section within
Ia radius of half a mile from the fire
were in use, and it is roughly estimated
that there were $50 hose lines all play
ing at one time upon different parts of
the conflagration.
Owing to the great congestion Of fire
apparatus, the crowds of people and
the general confusion many of the en-
gines from out of town We're unable to
find a place where they would be of
any service.
All kinds Of wires had to be cut to
clear the way fer the fire fighters. The
block bounded by German, Liberty,
Sharp and Baltimore streets was early
found to be doomed, and the firemen
turned their attention to saving the
buildings on Baltimore street east of
Sharp. ii
The fire was beyond their control, and
the flames ran from one building to an
other in spite of the fact that the fire
mon had done their best to check the
progress of the flames by soaking the
structures with water.
A tremendous explosion of about $50
barrels of whisky stored in the upper
floors of "a Hanover street hurled tons
of burning matter acros the street on
to the roofs of the buildings opposite
which the firemen were drenching
with water in a vain effort to make
Hanover street the eastern boundary
line of the conflagration. The flames
q~uivered for a few moments unde
the water, but Don ate into the build
ings ON the east side.
Two truck wagons caught fire and
were consumed, and an engine was
buried by a falling wall, the fremen
fleeing for their lives.
The whole city was notified of the
contagration by a terrific explosion.
A sharp, splitting roar went up with
reverberating thunder. This was fol-
lowed by a peculiar whistling noise
like that made by a shrill wind. The
churches in the central section of the
city were filled with worshipers, many
of whom became frightened, and while
no panics ensued hundreds of men
and women left their seats and went
outside to see what had happened. In
n few moments the streets and pave
ments all over the city We're crowded
with excited people. Another deafen-
ing crash occurred, and dense columns
of cinders and smoke shot up over the
General section of the city and in a
huge brown column moved rapidly to-
ward the northeast. /.
The fire department was helpless
with flames steadily travelling east
ward on Baltimore and Fayette
streets. The Union Trust building soon
lcil III. liz SdIlOiitVtl 4hOANA AhNi
caught. The Herald and News build
ings being apparently doomed, the oc-
cupants moved out. The Sun also was
forced out of it's Office. Clouds of burn-
ing cinders cover the whole city.
The fire soon reached the Continent
nj Trust building, a sixteen story
structure, in which is located the main
office of the Postal Telegraph 'compa-
ny, and Manager b. II. Moore of the
Postal company ordered the employees
to leave the building.
The fire swept east OF Fayette
street, which Is within a short distance
of the courthouse, that occupies the
block bounded by Fayette, st. Paul,
Lexington and Calvert streets. Oppo-
site is the ~postofiice, and adjoining this
is the temporary custom house, and
opposite to this is the city hall. The
Calvert Office building at Fayette and
st. Paul took fire, and the Equitable
building, which adjoins it. is threat