Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-06
Ri.ey-K.otz Factory Is
Wiped Out with
100000 Loss.
SISTERS PREVENT PANIC
In ST. JOHNS SCHOOL
Girl Telephone Operator Hero
ically Stays at Post to Spread
Alarm Through Building.

- rs C&< 81
A three-alarm fire. which swept the
RileyKlo Manufacturing Company,
1913 Mulberry street. today. doing dam
age amounting to more than $1D0,06e.
was marked by several narrow escapes
from death and caused injury to four
persons who were caught in the build
ing and who were taken TO a hospital.
A report that a fireman had stumbled
across the bodies of two persons could
not be verified, and poll OF the 200
persons who made up the working force
of the plant is being made to see ie
all were saved
The injured, all OF whom are In St.
James's Hospital. are:
Ernest Beyer, 63 years old, FseDs
mount and Sixteenth avenues.
overcome by smoke, burned on the
scalp, may have inhaled names con-
difion serious.
Patrick Lint. 45 years old, 2s4
Ddnk 8tEftt3 0ttEc0mf DF 8AVk0<
burned ON hands and back; cen-
dition serious.
Anthony 0sterfae. ~ years old.
31s Littleton avenue, overcome by
smoker went home.
Otto Dietrich, sIishtIy overcome
by smoke.
H. W. Clark. superintendent of the
raue~ru as noca x.~a. ftx. -tof.ru.rf
TINT he feared that some of the girls
employed were burned to death or suf-
located.
ssThe girls had their locker on TIE
third seor Of the buiIding,r said MT.
Clark. ssShea / ram from the building
I saw seme of them rush back for their
wraps. cautioned them TINT the nre
was spreading, and that they had bet
ter get out, but they did not heed my
warnfng. 1 am hopeful that they got
out safely, but fear the WORST
1t was one OF the most spectacular
and exciting fires that has visited ths
lower section of the city fn years.
Thousands watched the firernen fight
the flames, while relatives and friends
of the men and women who worked in
the plant-the plant employed thirty
five girls-added TO the excitement by
dashing through the crowds seeking
their relatives.
Three doors south of the blazing
building. on Mulberry street. is the
parochial school of st. John. All
through the blaze the sisters in charge
of the school kept. the little ones In
check, and although the building was
within the dead line set by the fire de-
partment the children never whimpered.
The control Of the sisters was most re-
markable.
William NJ. Clark. president of the
Riley -Klotz Company. was one OF tho
first TO discover the pungent smoke as
it came from the basement. where it
is believed an explosion took place.
Clark and Louis A. Kempf, the book
keeper for the concern. ran through the
building giving the alarm to the en-
ployees.
Ella II. Bender. the telephone opera
tor, was informed OF the blaze. Miss
Bender never before worked the
switchboard so fast getting in touch
with the different departments.
There's a fire sweeping up from the
basement" was her injunction as she
made connection from one department
to the other.
In a fash every one of the 200 ern-
ployees IN the building was on the
move The girls were at work on the
third floor and had to make a wild dash
for the stairway. Several of them left
so hurriedly that they did not gather
up their wearing apparel and ran
screaming and half-clad into the street.
Meanwhile A W. Underwood, vice
president of the concern. ran TO the
Centre street engine~house and gave the
alarm. 1t was at once seen that the
building was doomed as the flames rosa
through the building enveloping every
one of the floors. An elevator which ran
through the centre of the building
served to give them great impetus.
A second and a third alarm was quickly
sent in.
Anthony Ostertag delayed leaving
the building until the fremen arrived
He wanted TO see that all had left the
building and also to get his coat on
the fourth floor. When he got to the
fourth floor he found he was hemmed
in by the flames and smoke.
When the hook and ladder companies
got to the fire a groan went up from
the assembled thousands as Ostertag
was seen through the smoke and flames