Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1908-07-15
FIRE AT SCHANTz & ECKERT'S
DESTROYED VALUABLE PATTERNS
Good Work Of Fire
Dept. Keeps
Loss Down.
HAD FINE START

Over 1000 patterns, valued al
$4,000 and representing the work Of
twenty-four years, were totally ruin
ed in the fire which partially destroy
ed an old building at Schantz e
Eckert's foundry and machine shop,
on Front street, at o'clock yester-
day afternoon.
Although the origin of the fire is
not known, Adam Eckert says he be-
lieves that 1t was caused by sparks
from the foundry stack as the work
men were pouring molten metal in
the moulds at that time. The build
Ing was 80 feet wide on Front street
and ran towards the river so feet.
1t was very old and on account of
the shingle roof burned like tinder.
The patterns were stored on the Sec
ond floor and the pattern shop was
on the easterly end of the ground
floor.
Someone noticed that the roof was
on fire and gave the alarm. Charles
Dietzman was standing nearby and
quickly pulled box ~ at the ferry,
BY this time the roof, the entire
length of the building, was ablaze
and until the firemen arrived the
Staten Island ferry house and many
other frame buildings were in dam
ger, as the southerly wind blew the
flames toward them.
Protection Hook & Ladder Com-
pany arrived first and the Washlngs
TONS quickly followed. The latter
had the first stream on the burning
roof, but Lincoln Engine Company
soon had their hose in play. The
firemen did excellent work as in lesa
than fifteen minutes the fire was
practically out. When the fire start-
ed there We're only two men In the
machine shop an nfz.Ss.s.airatea sfhs ksy
manned the hose whfcdl9a mliy the
place, the force was insufidieiit. Mr..
Eckert said this morning that, If all
of the employees had been working,
the fire would never have gained thd
headway that 1t did.
The heat was intense and George
j. Schantz, while trying to chop a
hole through the roof, was nearly
overcome. The little building nears
! by, which was formerly owned By
the Amboy Oyster Company, caught
fire, but was extinguished with chem
icals.
Clouds of thick black smoke arose
In the air and drew a large crowd to
the scene. The fire police were kept
busy handling the mob and had Il.
use their sticks several tiInes.-s
Mr.. Eckert says that the building
was on fire once before and that Il
the machine shop had not had
sheet iron roof It would also have
been destroyed. When the fire start
ed, Thomas Manime, the pattern
maker, was at work in his shop, and
1t was some time before he knew oi
the blaze. He managed to save his
tools, which were worth about $500.
The first floor of the building con-
tanned machinery, but it was not in
1ured, as the flames were confined to
the second story. Among the de-
stroyed patterns were those for eight
large cylinders, many gears and for
most Of the machinery used In the
place. All of the patterns for the
Raritan Dry Docks machinery WI re
burned
The building was insured for $500
and the patterns for $2,100, Pierc6
& Watson and Boynton Brothers be-
ing the agents. Mr.. Eckert says he
will rebuild the shop and have new
patterns made to replace the ones
that were destroyed
Several tugs were lying nearby in
case their services should be needed.
.