The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-03-22
300 MADE
HOMELESS
BY FIRE
Blaze Sweeps Six Three
Story Dwellings in
Boyd Street.
TENANTS SCANTILY
CLAD TAKEN TO STREET
Women and Children Exposed TO
the Cold Until Neighbors
House Them.
--s-----~--
MAJORITY LOSE ALL
THEIR BELONGINGS
-'-.----------
Flames Start in Cellar and Shoot
Up Through Walls
to Roofs.

Lhii ~ -AottitACos tOiiRlAoih6 liCoi ~
800 men, women and children, are home
less today, as the result of a fire that
gutted out a row of six three story
double frame buildings from 14s to 1853
Boyd street shortly after midnight.
The blaze was so rapid that only a
few Of the tenants had time to don
much clothing, and the Strong and Bit
ing wind made the refungees shiver.
especially the children, as they were
carried to the street
That no lives were lost was due in a
large measure to the Fourth Precinct
police and citizens of the neighborhood,
who worked hard and quickly in arous-
ing the families from their warm beds
and hurried them out of danger.
Only Two Insured.
Nearly all of the families had their
household effects detroyed, either by
fire or water, and only two of the FAM
lilies had any insurance. All are thank
full today that they are alive, and kind
neighbors are making the people as
comfortable as possible under the CIR
cumstances
The damage to the buildings will be
about $4,000. and as much more to the
furniture OF the orcupants.S
There was much criticism about the
fire alarm box, No 6S, at Boyd street
and Eighteenth avenue. which could
not be opened, by Abraham Kreighder.
OF New York, who was visiting rela-
tlves in the neighborhood He was one
of the first to discover the fire, and. not
knowing the location of the fire alarm
boxes. spent several minutes trying to
locate boxs 6s. When he tried to open
the door he could not and halted a
West Kinney street trolley car. The
motorman, when he learned what the
trouble was, tapped the door of the
box with an iron switch rod, which
Jared the door open, and then turned
in the alarm.
In the meantime someone had run to
the Fourth Precinct station, two blocks
away, and the reserves. under the COM
mand of Roundsman Seipel, hurried to
the fire.
Battalion Chief McDerTnitt was the
first of the firemen to arrive and when
he saw the flames shooting ut of the
roofs Of several of the bul 'ings he
went to box 6S and sent in Y second
alarm. which brought Chief Ashley,
Deputy Sloan and Battalion Chief Ex-
all to his aid and about dozen fire
apparatuses. BY the time the firemen
arrived the policemen had cleared out
all of the occupants Of the houses.
other Buildings Threatened.
The fire was found to be burning
tiercely in the cellar of 154 Boyd street,
where lot of paints and varnish were
stored for the redecorating of the in
terror Of several. of the buildings. The
fire got in between the walls of 154 and
1856 Boyd street, and spread up to the
roof, and then 1t spread to the roofs
of the adjoining buildings and was
eating its way down into the buildings
when the firemen got to work.
: AT one time 1t looked as though the
blaze would spread to several large
tenement houses In Livingston street,
but the large force OF firemen worked
like beavers, and they succeeded in
keeping the flames confined to the six
buildings In Boyd street, but it was
not until FIVE hours later that the fire.
men were sent home
Among the families that were af-
fected by the fire were Samuel Lowen-
stein and Losskind, who lived on the
second floors at '14S:l Jacob Mosskowitz.,
Henry Zimmerman, Solomon Letmyer,
Ambrose Carl and Samuel Ortosky,
who, with their families, occupied No.
i50
Charles Ferretta, Moses Susskind and
Emanuel Mosskowitz lived at 152.
Isaac Garfield had a boarding house
at 154 and in the same house were the
families of Robert Lawrence, Moses
Kalfus, Leo Miller and Mrs. Charles
Ball.
No 1856 was occupied by Max Green
berg. Jacob Wasserman, Abraham
Meisner, Louis Franks, Charles Bell
and William Schwartz.
No. 1855 was tenanted by Moses Kra-
mer, Abraham Leveen, Julius Lentberg,
and Adolf Klein.
Among those who gave temporary
shelter to the homeless people was
Jacob Hodes, who took care of nearly
100 women and children.
Mrs. Minnie Herman, who has q gro
Gerry store at III Boyd street, also took
care of several of the families, and, be-
sides, served a large number OF the fire.
men with hot coffee.
The. homeless are being cared for in
the homes Of relatives and friends In
various parts of the city
The fire alarm box was tested by Fire
Commissioner Stratton today, and he
found It working an right
i.