Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-07
RObinson-ROder Mattress Plant
Badly Damaged in Early
Morning Blaze.
EMPLOYEES, In FLAMES,
FLEE BURNING BUILDING
Basement Quilted and Upper
Floor Swept Before Fire.
men Gain Control.

day threatened che lives of inmates
/ OF Newark building and caused a
bheavy property loss. when the mattress
/. factory OF the Robinson Roder COM
pany. occupying half a block on New
Jsrsoy Railroad avenue, and running
back full block on Mechanic street,
caught fire.
Five persons were seriously burned
before they could escape from the
flames, which spread with great rapid
ity The injured are:
Miss Jennie Parrio, % years old. 2l2
Bruce street. Head, arms and upper
part of body badly burned. May die.
Taken to ST. James's Hospital.
Miss Kate Mahalof 23 years old. 1Os
Chambers street. Burned on arms and
face. Taken home by police ambu-
lance.
7 Louis Marsche. 80 years old, 212 Bruce
street. Arms, head and body badly
burned. Taken home by police ambu-
lance
Carmelo Regalo 16 years old, Canal
street Hands and arms badly burned
and face slightly hurt. Taken home by
police ambulance.
Paul Bilksea, 50 years old, 10 Adams
street Left hand burned, Right ankle
sprained by jumping from secondAstory
window. Taken home.
The fire started in the picking room
in the basement on the New Jersey
Railroad avenue side of the building
and spread rapidly through the first
and second floors of the structure.
Working in the piclxing-room at the
time were Miss Mahalof, Marsche and
the boy, Regalo. None of them could
explain how the blaze started. I'VE
were working when suddenly there was
a pun and the place seemed all on
me- said Marsche while his burns
were being dressed.
The three workers ran screaming
from the room and alarmed the other
seventy-five employees in the factory,
who were Just getting settled down to
their days work.
Miss Maholof, with her clothing
ablaze, ran to the street. After the
flames had been beaten out she was
taken to the office Of DIR. William Seid-
Ter. al q Ferry street, where her burns
we're dressed DIR. Seidler also looked
after the injuries of Marsche, Regalo
and Bilksea before they were taken
nome. ~
Miss Parrio. the most seriously hurt
of the five victims, was working on the
first floor directly over where the fire
started.
Her clothing caught fire instantly
and the flames, famed to a fierce blaze
as the girl rushed to the street, almost
sryeloped her. Willing hands beat
ont the flames, but not until she had
heen terribly burned. AS soon as Bat
talon Chief Morgan reached the scene
he ordered the girl rushed to st.
.Jamess Hospital in his buggy There
IL was said that while she Is seriously
burned, she has chance to recover.
Rilksea. wEo was working on the
second floor, lost his head when the
arnoke came pouring up the elevator
shaft and stairway. His left arm was
burned in trying to force his way down
the stairway, and he then ran to a
front window and leaped out before the
fren1en could raise ladder to rescue
him.
The fire had gained good headway
before the firemen arrived, as the priv
ate alarm box In the factory failed to
work properly. 1t was not until Mon
tArue Ha, tnady, a n1otorman, who was
passing, was called in that the box was
made to work As soon as Chief Nor
gan reached the fire he ordered Sec
orid alarm turned in.
Lines were at once attached to the
high-pressure hydrants and the fire
was confined to the first two floors and
basement Of the four-story building
A heavy fire wall protected that part
of the building facing on Mechanic
street
The basement and first floor Of the
forty foot building in New Jersey Rail-
road avenue was entirely gutted, while
the second floor was practically cleaned
out. The property loss of the firm was
heavy on material, but the building
damage is less than $1,000. Superin-
tendent Adams, of the factory, said he
could not estimate on the loss until he
had checked up the partially burned
stock conservative estimate made
by outsiders and the ffremen place the
total loss at about $4,000
The pressure mains did excellent
work and enabled the f1remen to drown
the blaze out in quick order after they
got to work. Passengers on Pennsyl-
vania trains had splendid view of the
FIRE while it was atrits height. but the
blaze remained spectacular only few
minutes.