The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-28

The work of the police and firemen'
in quletlng the fifty families around the
Smith plant was equally efficient.
The sudden strain on the fire depart
ment of the city caused by the turning
in of a second alarm from the Smith
fire before the engines had gotten back
from the Salvage Corps put the re-
sources Jf the fire fighters to the sever
est test but they managed at all times
TO keep the city covered. The way the
apparatus was called out and the SUBJ
se0uent redistribution TO meet the
emergency was as follows:
FIre Fighters Kept Busy.
At 12.a8 a. IN. the alarm was turned
in from hox "a for the Salvage Corps
fire, which called out Engine Companies
Nos. 1, ?, and 4, and Trucks ] and :.
AT $50 The NJ A. Smith fire broke
out, the cali being sent in from box
56, calling out Engine Companies 5,
and 16, and Truck No. 4.
At 2:57 the second alarm was turned
in on the Smith fire, calling out Engine
Companies 20, 10 and %, and Truck 3.
Al 3;s5 the freight cars in Lister
avenue caught fire. and Engine Com
panies Nos. T. = and 6, and Truck 8,
responded.
TO keep the centre of the city COW
cred while Engine No. was at the
Salvage Corps, Engine No was
shifted from Wallace place to No. Is
quarters in Branford place.
On reserve were Engine Companies
Q. II, u. IS, Is, II, is, 10 and q, and
Trucks and Z.
Fourteen ffremen saved their lives ey
a margin of seconds early today in
FIRE which swept through the Salvage
Corps building. at 227 and 229 Washing
ton street. Five hofses perished. The
only complete record of the fire depart
ment, dating back to 1857, was de-
stroyed, and members of the corps lost
clothing valued at $1,000 in the blaze
which is estimated to have wrought
$4,000 damage.
Thinks Horse Started Blaze.
The origin of the fire is unknown
SUPERINTENDENT Martin, of the corps
said today that he believed it was
caused by a match which may have
been dropped in the bedding of stall
by one of the department The stamp
ing of d horse would have resulted IN
its ignition and the almost instan'
taneous bursting into flame of the stable
where the fire was first discovered, ne
said. An electric light wire might have
iznited the woodwork, too, but pend
ing a closer investigation he was unable
10 say that either was responsible tof
the fire,
Fireman Robert Arbuckle, who was
on watch. discovered the flames at 1895
o'clock He was sitting in the front
room and, hearing commotion among
the forses, went to the stable, one
story addition in the rear, to investi-
gate. He found the stalls enveloped
in sheets of flame, while the six i'm,
prisoned horses neighed and whined
pitifuly
An alarm was at once turned in, and
the thirteen sleeping firemen Jumped
from their beds to the sliding poles
The four men on the third floor had
better chance of escape than the
nine on the second floor, as the flames
had reached the second story then, but
had not mounted to the third. In q
wild scramble for life they slid down
the poles. Escape by the stairs being
almost impossible, this route was not
attenpted. In ten seconds the two bis
horses, Joe and Feather Eye, which
psere In the front stalls, were standing
.inder the harness, trembling in q
frenzy of fear. but responsive 10 thf
sound OF the gong which they had an
swered for seven years
AFeather Eye" Perishes.
scorched by the flames, Joe dartet
through the doorway to safety in th'
street. A fireman grabbed the halts
OF Feather Eye to lead the frightened
animal outside, but the big horse re
sisted and rushed for his stall, whlcl
was then a mass of fire. He perished
Amid the cracking flames overhead
and to the rear the firemen pulled on
wagon to the street. An attempt Il
reach the horses and the other Wagon
eContlnued on second Page.)