The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-15
Fierce Fire in Box Factory
Destroys Seventh
Street Plant.
BLAZE LASTED HOURS
Eyebrows and flair Singed OIL
John KneIler aad John Geste.
meyer TIVE Alarms Sent
Out-.Plenty of Fuel to
Feed the Flames.

Two men were slightly burned while
saving horses at a two-alarm fire which
called out the majority of fire appa-
ratus and firemen of the city to the
shop of the Newark Box and Lumber
Company at s79-3s9 South Seventh
night, when a fire destroyed the plant.
The loss on the buildings, material and
machinery is estimated at $4,000. but
it is said to be covered by insurance.
AS a result of the fire fifty box and
trunk makers will be idle for some
time.
The blaze lasted for four hours, and
the heat which developed was intense,
for the lumber used for the box ma
terial, being well dried, burned quickly
and fercely. The buildings, which were
quilted, had a frontage of 147 feet on
South Seventh street and a depth Of
1876 feet. One is a three"story brick
structure and the other a two-story
frame.
In the former. John zipfel. jr., the
owner, occupied the first floor and the
box company the Others. Six horses
which were in a stable adjoining the
building where the fire started, were
saved through the efforts of John Knel-
Ter, of 1863 South Seventh street, and
John Gestemeyer, who conducts q pro-
duce store at 11S Sixteenth avenue, OPP
posite the scene.
Both men were slightly burned and
Kneller's haik and eyebrows were
singed. 1t was Kneller who sent out
the first alarm after Mr.. Zipfel, who
lives in a house adjoining his factory,
had telephoned t fire headquarters.
The owner was reading the news
paper in his room when suddenly he
discovered that his factory was afire.
He rushed 10 the telephone and mott
fed the authorities and then hurried
10 the street shouting FIRE." Kneller
heard him and sprinted to box Gal at
Sixteenth avenue and South Ninth
street and turned in the alarm He
rhen returned and aided in bringing
out the horses.
I5neller recently passed the civil
service examination as a candidate
for IRE local polio department. with
an average of 8S.55 per cent.
The IRE was gaining rapidly before
il was discovered by Mr.. Zipfe1. Will
lam Morris, the president of the New
ark Box and Lumber Company. was in
his office in an adjoining building with
his Office help, and knew nothing of
the fire which was closing in on him
until he heard Mr.. zipfel sound the
warning.
1t is believed that a lighted cigarette
Cropped into the shavings by one of the
workmen, smouIdered and finally ig-
nited, causing the fire. A large guam
tity of material, which was cut and
ready to be put together, was carried
into the street before the flames
reached it during the early part of the
fire. When Battalion Chief McDermlt
reached the scene and sized UP the stu
alton he turned in a second alarm. His
Judgment was approved by the throng
which fiocked to the scene, attracted by
the illuminated sky.
Despite the intense heat the fire lad
dies worked continually until the blaze
was under control, and 1t a due to
this that the flames were kept confined
10 the buildings mentioned.
Opposite the factory st. AIMS pa
rochial school is located, and at one
lime there was a ruinor that a spark
which fell on the roof Of 1t set fire to
the cornice, but investigation showed
that. the report was false. The fire.
men worked so effectively that the
blaze was not allowed to spread.