Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-11-07
BIG BLAZE IN
NEWARK HOUSE.
Many Lives in Peril as Flames
Destroy Interior of the La
Grange Apartments.

0AA5AAAatCo q tACNN'
wire on the fifth floor of the III
Grange apartment house, 10 and 81
Lincoln Park, last night, drove twelv'
families pell-mell into the street, kep
the firemen busy for about three
hours, and entailed az loss of about
$40, 600, most of it being due tc
smoke and water. Women and chill.
dren became h~ysterical in the smoke
filled structure, and in getting them
safely out heroic work was done by
Policeman Early, of the First Pre-
cinct: Samuel Bolden, the colored
ianitor of the building, and the lat
ter's son Edward, who runs the eleva-
tor.
Dazed by the volumes of smoke
which poured through the Railways
and quickly filled the entire structure,
the tenants, most of them women,
auickly revived when they reached
the open air. Men in evening dress
helped the fremen in theawork of saw
ing property on the lower hoors'
Among them was UzaldH. McCarter,
president of the Fidelity Trust Com
many. who was spending the evening
with FARMLAND Briggs, who lives on
the first floor. Mr.. McCarter lent his
ala III spreading tdIpduilio ~ t"N
apartments of Mr.. Briggs.
Two alarms were sounded, the sec
ond being sent in by Battalion Chlef
Morgan as soon as he arrived. Inc
three upper stories of the western end
of the building at the rear were belch-
ing forth sheets of flame, and heavy
black smoke was curling from the
windows and doors in the front OF the
structure. The fire was confined to
the western side of the apartments on
the three upper stories. 1t was dis
covered about 10 O'Clock, and was not
extinguished until about l O'Clock
this morning.
All but one of the families were
sheltered by n~eighbors. The flames
started in the apartments OF Clarence
C. Woodruff and had gained consid-
cradle Roadway before being discov-
cred. Above an electric indicator
back in the kitchen of the Woodruff
apartments there was evidence of a
short circuit. Lulu Racer, a colored
servant, was alone in the apartments
at the time. She had gone to her
room, which adjoins the kitchen, and
was about to retire when she felt the
heat from the walls of her room and
opened the door leading into the kit
chen. A burst of flame drove her
back, and screaming "Fire!" she ran
out into the hallway through another
door.
Bolden heard the Racer woman's
cry and running the elevator to the
top floor warned the occupants there,
After getting members of the family
of Charles Kleinhaus on the seventh
floor, east, into the elevator he start
ed down to reach the people on tn
lower floors. BY this time smoke fill
eh Railways and elevator shaft.
Meanwhile Policeman Early, VIII
had Just rounded the corner at Gin
ton avenue and Lincoln Park, hear'
the screams of the women and chill
dren, and saw smoke pouring from
the windows and main door. Earl,
darted across Clinton avenue ant
turned in an alarm from box No. 26
returning to the house and taking IL
q position at the elevator doors. H
reached there as young Bolden land
ed his first load of humanity on tn
first floor. Others, who were too eS
cited to wait for the elevator, ha
Scrambled down the winding staircas
and were huddled about the elevator
some wanting to go back upstairs t
save their belongings.
Early drove everybody into tn
street and then made a tour of tn
smoke-filled apartments.
Mrs. James e. Woodruff, mother o
the man in whose apartments the fir
started, and living on the third foo
west, was overcome by the eXcitemen
attendant upon her removal from he
apartments, and was carried to tn
first floor in a faint. DR.. Livingston
s. Hinckley was on hand and HI
quickly revived her.
Florence Bolden, daughter of tn,
janitor of the building, who had il
charge Helen and Edward MCGEE
children of Mr.. and Mrs. William H
MCGEE, who live on the second flool
west, was partly overcome by smoke
as she rushed to safety with the chill
dren. Mr., and Mrs. MCGEE had been
to a theatre and returned while the
blaze was in progress. Mrs. MCGEE
became hysterical and force had to be
used to prevent her from going up
stairs.
my childreni My children!" she
shouted, as she tried to get by the
police. She was quieted when as
sured that her children were safe.
They had been taken to a drug store
in Clinton avenu
1t was an unusual blaze to contend
with and several times it was feared
the flames would drive the firemer
from their vantage points on the up.
per floors. The Salvage Corps mer
saved thousands Of dollars worth Of
paintings, furniture and bric-a-brac
by quick work in spreading tarpau.
Inns, and a good part of the belong.
ings of families in the western side
of the structure were carried to safe
ty across the halls into the apart