The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-11-23
FAMILIES FORCED
TO FLEE FOR LIVES
At BIG NIGHT FIRE
Twenty Persons Routed at Blaze
That Races Eighteenth
Avenue Dwellings.
FLAMES LEAP ACROSS
CONNECTING BRIDGE
Printing Shop and Stores Also
Wiped Out with Loss Esti-
mated at $4,000.

Five families numbering twenty
peopie fed hurriedly in night attire
from a fire that starting in two-seo's
frame building in the rear of the four
story brick store and fiat house at 4o'
Eighteenth avenue. spread so rapiuis
to that building that the lnnApi'ai's
of that and the adjoining building, az
40 baa M time to save anything but
their lives
The building at 457 is owned by An
ton X. Sweetra and was occupied on
the first and third floor by CharieS
Schleicher,. who kept saloon on tiie
first floor and lived with his wife Oh
Tho third. The second floor was occu.
pied by the printing establishment ol
Mr. Sweetra. while he lived en- tpe
fourth floor with his wife ana three
children. Florence, oliver and Virginia
/ 8 red -. 7 and years respectively. MI.
sweetra also owned the two-stcry
frame building Immediately in thetcar'
which was occupied by the brgan
knitting Company New York con-
csrn. with offices at $40 Broadway, q
which III. #. Morgan is president anu
William K. Russell is secretary.
The three-story brick fiat at 10? is
owned by Charles Knopf, who had MS
srchitect's office on the first hoor aho
lived with his wife and four chiioren
on the second. The Knopf children are
named Edna, Emma. Freda and CARL
and are aged s, 8. 10 and II years re-
spectively. On the top floors lived ME-.
Knopfs brother-in- law, J. Gehrig. nis
wife and one child and the family OF
Carl TRADER, consisting OF himself ana
wife and two sons, aged IA and Il years
respectively. The ground floor stores
we're occupied by the stationery ano
CANDY shop of Mrs H Burghardt ano
the barber shop Of Valentine stocil
THE entire loss is estimated at between
$4,000 and $4,000. with insurance q
about half that amount.
The fire was discovered by Gus Linu'
who lives in the neighborhood, as hs
was passing the building early To-Day
He sent in the alarm from the pox az
the corner of Eighteenth avenue ana
Springfield avenue, and then, Win 'he
aid of Patrolman John Schroeder OIL
the Fourth Precinct, aroused the ram
lilies in the two houses. Acting Bat
TALON Chief George F. Lynch. OF lrucN
No. s. as soon as he reached the fre.
saw InaL IL Was d udh6Si oS'' N>NAS -"
turned in second alarm.
By the time the fire department ar
rived on the scene the whole rear ends
~ both the knitting works and the
Sweetra building were in flames and
the houses filled with smoke.
1--WE were awakened by pounding on
our door," said Mrs. Sweetra today.
"We found the house full Of smoke,
while flames were already leaping
through the door in the kitchen opening
on the back porch. The smoke was
sitting and we had no time to dress.
grabbed the baby, Virginia, while Mr..
,Sweetra picked up the other two chill
dren, and we fought our way through
the smoke down the front stairs to the
street. We had no time to dress or
save any of our clothes, and had to
borrow clothing from our neighbors to-
dav."
Mrs. Knopf, Mrs. Gehrig and Mrs.
Treber. who lived in the adjoining
building, had like experiences and were
forced to carry out their children
clothed only in their nightdresses and
seek shelter with neighbors.
Battalion Chief McDermit made an
inspection Of the ruins this morning
and said he believed the fire started
from a defective electric wire in the
rear end Of the knitting mill. Elec-
tricity was used for power in running
the machinery. The fire evidently
started near the rear wall and quickly
spread to the wooden stairways and
porches on the rear of the Sweetra
building. A covered wooden bridge con-
Meeting the brick building with the
frame one also helped the rapid spread
of the flames From the porches OF
the house at 457 the flames spread to
those of 459.
The greatest loss falls on Anton
Sweetra, owner Of the buildings on the
front and rear of the lot at 457. as well
as the owner of the printing establish
ment in his building. The printing es-
tablishment, with finished stock con.
sisting Of big order of stock calendars
for 1910, is practically a complete
wreck. The stock of. calendars alone is
valued by Mr.. Sweetra at $4,000.
The top floor is gutted, holes being
burned through the roof In many
places while the third floor is also
badly damaged by fire. The main dam
age to the saloon on the first floor is by
smoke and water and does not amount
to much. Mr. Sweetra said he could not
did he know just how much insurance
he carried. though he said it was no.
where near enough to cover his loss.
The Morgan Knitting Mills suffer a
heavy, loss on machinery and wooden
stock, as well as the destruction of a
large quantity Of finished sweaters The
firm is insured. but Emil Goetz, of 311
South Sixth street, the foreman of the
factory. said he did not know the
amount, neither would he estimate the
loss to the company. The fire damage
toathe Knopf building was confined to
the rear porches and kitchens. but the
water damage is heavy. The Salvage
Corps was early on the scene and did
good work in preventing a heavier
water damage All the families in the
Knopf building were fully insured, as
was also Charles Schleicher, in the
sweetra building. Schleicher's furniture
is practically a total loss.