Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-06
Garry Them in Blankets from
POwers=Farr Residence on
Orange Mountains.
VALUABLE ART WORKS
SAVED BY SERVANT
Mansion Completely Destroyed.
Hose Failed to Reach Blaze.
Building Cost $4,000.

Fire raging so high up on the sides
of the Orange Mountains that it was
plainly visible in Newark and New
York destroyed the handsome home of
T. H. Powers-Farr, the banker and
president of the West Orange Board of
Education, on the outskirts of that
town this morning. The two small
children of Mr.. and Mrs Powers Farr
were snatched from their beds by serv-
ants and carried to safety in quilts,
while still asleep. The same servants
succeeded also in bringing out many
valuable paintings and some ancient
furniture.
But the damage to the house itself
will be $4,000. An investigation is be-
ing made to determine if the blaze was
not started by a mosquito disirfecting
machine, just installed in the cellar.
The burned villa is famous as having
been Washington's headquarters dur
ing his campaign that led to the sur
render of the British in New Y9rk.
Mr.. and Mrs. Powcrs-Farr in New York.
Mr.. and Mrs. Powers-Farr were in
New York last night attending a social
function, and they had given over the
two children, Marie, aged 10, and Will
lam, aged s, to the care of the maids
until Mrs. Farr should return this
afternoon.
The servants apparently exercised
extraordinary care. for the blaze had
hardly got a foothold in the cellar be-
fore it was discovered by Fred Pedro.
the gardener. He saw the walls burn
ing about the spot where the mosquito
disinfecting plant stood and he yelled
to Patrick Garrett, the coachman.
The coachman telephoned in an alarm
and the two men began rushing water
down in buckets. They were still rush
ing it without amy appreciable effect
| when the blaze broke through on the
| floor above and soon was eating ur
kitchen and dining-room.
Maids Rescue Children.
While the men servants fought the
! fire the maids ran to the rescue of the
| two sleeping children. Mollie Cum
mings caught up the daughter of the
house while she still slept and hurried
her across the lawn wrapped in quilt
to the home of Theodore Douglas Rob-
inson, a nephew of the ex-president
Elizabeth Travers, another maid, fol
| lowed with the lad William, similarly
clad, in her arms. The third maid
Della Welsh, saw that there was nc
more chance of loss of life and she
began a lone fight to save the old ar
works which adorned the entire frs
| floor. The fire was blazing all about
| her as she worked, but the young
woman was able to rescue so much tha
her employer said today he believed
she had saved to him the greater par
of his treasures.
Hose Not Long Enough.
| Meanwhile the West Orange fire de
partment was hurrying to the scene
but when it reached it after the Ions
climb it was absolutely helpless. II
order to make less load for their horse,
in the steep drag up the mountain
slope TIE firemel had thrown off hal
their hose. They arrived at the burn
ing villa to find that their longes
stretch of hose fell fifty feet short O.
the nearest main, and all they could dt
was to shoot chemicals into the flames
The chemicals were useless, because
the house was now a mass of fire. tht
flames shooting from each of its thre'
stories and from the dozen or mort
cupolas at the corners. So brilliant wa,
the blaze that 1t was plainly seen fol
twenty miles. The firemen were forced
to sit around and watch the magnif1cen
structure consumed. So were the Theo
dore Roosevelt Robinsons and othel
wealthy neighbors of the Powers Fairs
who hurried over from adjoining estate:
TO see If they could not lend aid.
The house was completely destroyed
Mr. Powers -Farr estimated his loss tC
the villa alone at $4,000. 1t is possible
the interior damage is as much more