The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-02-06

smoke. the puny streams OF the Shohola
were as nothing. Although there had
been no preliminary explosion heard
within the warehouse. when the fire
started series Of minor popplngs indi-
Gated that the iron tanks were beginning
TO go There was no naphtha or gasolene
in the warehouse. else the explosions
might have been serious.
4 strange freak oi the fire manifested
itself shortly after the hrcboats got TO
work. From the burned doorway on tn"
dock sid" OF the hniding two thick streams
Of black oil each almost a. thick as on"
of the garden hose lines of pipe which
the Weehawken volunteers were trying
to string ran out and over the dock 10 IN"
edge. There they bent a. lead PIP"
would bend, without breaking, and
dropped down into the water. In"
streams poured ont from the cauldron
of fire thus for half an hour without
ignitng
The smoke by this time had mounted
thousand feet and more into the heavens
and was being piled in Cumulous heaps ny
he stiff western wind. For part of IN"
time II drove straight against IN" Metro.
poltan tower in Manhattan rs II II would
daub the white monolith with oily SCOT
from tip to roof Whenever the wind died
down tn. smoke bulged out over IN"
river, completely obscurlng tn" Manhat-
tan shore from the view oi those on the
Weehawken side.
When all of the roof had fallen in and
thra" of IN" walls the volunteers oi IN"
Weehawkan department Nentur.d 80 turn
their lit,l. streams on tn. edges Of III"
rcd circle which showed occasionally b"-
meath the weight OF smoke. When IN"
fire was communicated TO ireiRht car
which stood loaded with filled lubricant
tanks by the northern sid" OF the ware
house some of the tugboat streams were
t cd "A % lint II blaItst UNI II
| little but the trucks w"I" lett
There was not wharf room Tor all the
| tugs that were ready to help. The firebonl
| Duane found a place whenc. could
| protect the coal trestle from further
damage. From that point on mp 10 m"
fIirh.st hose reach from the blaze on IN"
north side there we're banked four l.acka-
wanna fire tugs. the Lehigh tug l.u2erne,
Standard Oil tugs Nos. $. IA. 10 and II.
two Pennsylvania and four New York
Central tugs and the Erie boats Roch"s-
| ter Waverley, Buffalo and Shohola.
All the water that was pumped IN on
tn. building seemed TO have no effect
upon the fire and the burning oil was
prevented from floating ont on the sur
| plus by the remnants OF the walls which
restrained II. There were several sticky
| pools of water and unburned oil that
formed in the hollows about the railroad
tracks during the later course of the
| fire however. and into one OF these SINKS
| two Of the Weeha vixen volunteer fremen
came 10 grief These were James Bra
vadis who is an architect when he is not
| in helmet and slickers. and Thomas Nc
! lntyre. a milkman They fell up TO their
waists in one of these Shiny pools and
| they looked like well fabricated spindle
| shafts when they were pulled out After
their brethren had scraped them of with
| sticks they went back To the work again
For more than an hour after the fire
, mmenrad there was no attamDf al
police lines and people from Hoboken
/ and the Weehawken heights clambered
| over and under cars and through the
| tangle of tracks to vantage points just
a. near the fire as they dared to get
Finally Chief Of Police McGann of Wee
hawken got on the ground with httle
hunch OF policemen and Capt John
| Flatary came up from Hoboken with a
squad. though the fire was technically
out of his territory Then the crowds
were pushed back 10 take their chances
with the switch engines on the maze of
tracks az the foot OF the Palisades
| General Superintendent Stone of the
Eric Railroad heard of the fire in his home
AZ Leonia at o'clock Impatient OF
trolevs or trains. he mounted a horse and
| rode the twelve miles intervening in fast
time After he had conferred with Super
intendent Grymes Of the Erie's marine
department and O'Rourke. the agent AZ
| the marine wards Mr. Stone said that he
thought the loss To the Vacuum Oil Com
panv in stock consumed would be about
$50. 900 and that the Erie company losi
would be covered by $4,000.
James Quinn. an Erie Railroad brake
man who lives AT l24 Tenth avenue. Man
haitian. was the only one hurt He was
removed 10 the North Hudson Hospita
After he was treated he was removed I,
his home