Perth Amboy evening news., 1908-05-19
Five Families and Scores Of BOaders Awakened From
S|umbers to Find Dwellings In Flames Started
From Sparks From Kiln at OStrander Plant
SAVINGS LOST
Fourteen. Year Old Boy, Fred OF.
sen Of FOrds, Effects Thrilling
Rescue Of Infant Forgotten
in Excitement Factory
Had a Narrow Escape.

More than eighty persons were
rendered homeless last night by a
blaze which originated from sparks
from a kiln at the Ostrander fire
brick plant at Keasbey. The foreign
ers who lived in the three houses
which were burned to the ground
were asleep when the fire started but
escaped without injury.
Fred Olsen, fourteen years old, of
Fords, saved baby just before one
OF the houses collapsed. His bravery
aroused great admiration and move
ment is on foot to present the boy
with a medal.
1t was 915 o'clock when sparks
from a continuous kiln at the Os-
trander plant ignited the roof of one
of the three two-story frame houses
owned by the Ostrander concern and
occupied by employees. John Godski,
night fireman at the works, gave the
alarm and the factory whistle blew
for over an hour. The sleeping ten
ants were aroused and rushed to
safety, many of them losing all their
savings.
The first house was occupied by
Mike Micklas and his family and two
other families. These three had, In
I all, twenty-five boarders. Soon the
strong easterly wind carried the blaze
to the house where the family of
John Antoniac and a score of board
ers dwelt. The third house, which
contained John Smiths family and
numerous boarders, also burst into
flames and, in an hour and half,
all three structures were totally des-
trOuad with THAR r0ntanfa
In the excitement 1t was not no
ticed that Micklas' youngest child
| fourteen months old, was asleep OF
mattress on the first floor. The oil
sen boy, who had been the first one
to arrive on the scene from Fords af
ter the alarm was given, caught {
glimpse of the infant, and while the
walls tottered, he rushed into the
fiery furnace and carried the child tC
safety, amid the cheers of the throne
which had gathered from Keasbey
Fords and Metuchen, attracted by the
bright glare and the continued blow
ing of the whistle. just after this
rescue, the house collapsed.
A futile effort to extinguish thu
flames was made by employees of thu
factory nearby, with fire extinguish
ers, and a number Of men from
Fords formed q bucket brigade ant
carried water from the meadows
which the high tide had covered.
Many of the foreigners lost thei
savings. Micklas In whose house th'
! fire started, lost $65. One other In
dividual loss of $45 was reported
Micklas had three children; Antoniac
six, and Smith, four. Had there beel
more houses in the row, nothing
could have saved them, as the plac
is without fire protection of my sort
Mr.. Esberg telephoned at $40 to tn
police of this city, but Sergeant Nc
i Dermott said the local department
could not be called out.
The bucket brigade from Fords
under the leadership Of Philip Fisher
worked valiantly. 1t included Alex
lander Ferguson. William Clidenber
Try, James Halbert, Thomas O'Reilly
Wesley Liddie and one boy, Fred Oh
sen, who Is well known In that vicin
ity as he carries papers daily.
The ruins are within fifty feet Q
1.-THE main building of the Ostrande
works and only 200 feet from the OF
: fee. The plant was In danger durin
! the confiagration because of the hig
: wind. There was no insurance O
the houses.
In addition to the other losses Mrs
Miclzlas had poultry yard contain
ing forty chickens and twelve ducks
All were burned. A COW got ou
safely. The four score and over G
people left without homes were eth
er cared for by neighbors or campe
out for the remainder of the night.