Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-08-10
The D. L. 3 w. r. RS Termin.
al In Hoboken Entirely
Destroyed.
The Big Hamburg-American ana North
German Lloyd steamship Docks
VIII he Very lieavy-Flro
Started on q Boat.

quarters of an hour late tonight fire
swept away the Delaware. L~ackawanna
L. Western Railroad company's terminal
in H%oboken, seized two ferryboats and
practically ruined them and for half an
hour threatened a confagration of the
entire water front in the vicinity. includ-
ing the big Hamburg american and North
German Lloyd steamship docks at which
several big ships were lying. II is i'm
possible to estimate the property damage
at this hour. but II will be heavy. So far
as known no lives were lost.
For over an hour. huge tongues OF
flames leapcd from the wooden structure
on the Lackawanna docks. lighting the
New Jersey and New York water fronts.
For a time it promised a loss greater
than that of the big dock fire Of several
years ago.. when the North German
Lloyd piers were destroyed with q great
loss of life.
Blazing ferryboats. cut from their docks.
foated in the river. wandering fire ships
which for a time endangered shipping in
tho river.
The fire started on an old wooden ferry
boat and. swept by a northerly breeze
communicated with the ferry house.
spread 10 the main building of the Lacka-
wanna and then to Dukes house. a IA
nous frame Hoboken hosiery.
BY this time the flames were spreading
in all directions utterly beyond the con-
troll of the few first fire fighters who ap-
pcarcd.
Following tho hotel. tho structure Of tho
Public Service corroration-the street Car
Operating compan Of Hoboken. Jersey
City and near by cities. went down before
the flames.
At / a. M. the fire was under control.
tho big steamship piers had been saved
and a rough estimate placed the damage
at between s4oo, on and 100000.
FIRE WAS VERY RAPID.
A remarkable feature was that in
side of 90 mute after the blaze
started, 1t had seized upon the Lack
awanna's terminal and swept its 600
feet of train sheds. booming them.
The flames started from an unknown
cause on the old wooden ferryboat
IIopatcong. which had been tied up in
the open slip between the Hamburg
docks and the Christopher street ferry
slips.
The fire was discovered about eleven
o'clock. 1t was then lcaping from the
boiler room below the main deck
through the engine room and attack
ing the wooden su~perstructure.
\ Waterman on tho ferry dock turn
ed in calls for the city department
also for the Lackawanna fire brigade.
Almost before the company's men
could lay a line of hose and before
the city fircmen could reach the scene
the flames had leapcd to the ferry Of
flee building between the piers and
then to the brand now ferry boat
Binghamton, which was lying in the
northern slip of the Barclay street
line. From these ii leaped in "A few
seconds to the high frame structure
above the waiting rooms and in five
minutes after the fire was first seen
the entire building. covering many
acres. was burning. Twenty minutes
tower which surmounts the building
crashed down. all ablaze.
There wcrc four slips with high pillngs
and these burned ferccly and sent the
fire southwark rto tho freight piers.
These had been DESTROYED for the most
| part by a grea. fire or May %, 1904. and
had just been rebuilt.
From the waiting room the flames
leapcd into tn" train shed and so rapid
was the spread there that engines which
were drawing out the cars there to he
ready for use in the morning had to be
| hurried out. Seven coaches were l.ft be-
| hind but there had been time enough to
| save about thirty others.
ONE BOAT SUNK.
The two burning f%erryloats were lowed
| out into the stream by tugs. The fIopat-
| ccnG mi later.
The Hopatccng when she took FIRE was
| tied agairst the Hamburg American dock
three.
The flames licked TIE sides OF the pier,
! bat did not set it on Are.
The wind was blowing somewhat out of
| the north and that carried the flames on
| the Hopatcong away from the pier and
into the superstructure OF the ferry ter
lninal.
Aid was quickly summoned from Jersey
City and New York. tho former city send
ing all available engines and the latter
dcspatch,ns two fire boats. With this
extra force the Hoboken frenen were
able TO prevent the fire from spreading
through lower IIoboken. while the fire
| boats held the flames in check along
the water front.
/ While the fire was held by the fremcr
to the north and west. it was spreading
| along the freight piers to the SOUTHWARK ,
where only tugs and freboats from Man
haitian could attack II. Here 1t caught
the now immigration station, This build.
ing was of brick and stone and had hccr
occupied only two weeks. 1t was soor
a mass OF tire, the interior burning rapid,
ly.
Only n few persons were In II at tho
time Of the outbreak and they were hur.
ricd out.