Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-09-09

| DduIdSt tACSeulIS P4p,OOU Wds
caused at the New Jersey Terra Cot.
! ia Works, and the entire section OF
J the city known as North Amboy was
menaced early yesterday morning by
| one of the largest an most spec
tacular fires here in recent years
Several fremen and employees of the
terra Gotta company were injured in
| fighting the flames and endeavoring g
to save property. A weak pressure
Of water and absence of fire hose
caused the fire to gain much head.
way and practically destroy a new
brick building which fremen and
factory officials say might have been
saved. In that event only the press
ing shops, consisting of three one
story frame buildings and contents
would have been all that was
burned, it is contended.
Origin Is Unknown.
The origin is unknown, but fac.
tory officials have divers opinions
concerning it. One is spontaneous
combustion, which one official SAID
might have been due to matches in
wet clothes. The fire started in
pressing shop No 2 on the easterly
side of Catherine street near the
gate house shortly before 1925
O'Clock. Ferdinand Larsen, the
watchman, gave calls for the factory
whistle and ran to box Sc at Hall
avenue and Charles street and
turned in an alarm. A short time
later 1888" was rung in and every
piece of fire apparatus in the city
was pressed into service.
For more than three hours after
the sounding of the alarm the fire.
men and factory employees battled
with the flames. At first the blaze
was most spectacular and illumi-
mated the sky to such an extent that
it could be seen for miles around.
AS the day dawned the brightness of
the flames diminished and long
trail of black smoke could be traced
southwark from the scene for sew
eral miles
| Three Buildings Burned.
| The departments affected are the
pressing rooms, modelling and mitre
cutting departments, but principally
the former. Three Cne-story struc-
lures and hundreds of terra Gotta
boards were consumed, a tWo-story
brick building was practically de-
stroyed and damage was caused in
the Office building. draughtlng and
mould-making departments. Thou
sands of gallons Of water were
poured on the flames, but weak
pressure, even with three engines at
work, made the firemen helpless for
time to check the consumption of
the brick, modelling, pressing and
mitre cutting structure, the newest,
largest and handsomest building on
the premises,
None of the Men win be Idle.
Practically one-half of the plant
was destroyed but officials declare
not one of the $50 employees will
lose a days work if the men are will
ling to take the work assigned to
them. They will receive their regu-
lar ray no matter what kind of work
they do.
The flames swept the section Of
the works lying between Catherine
and Cortlandt streets, starting at
the northerly end of the works and
working southwark to the office and
mould making building at the south
erly end of the yard. The DANES
consumed buildings and contents on
eleven city lots and were stopped as
they reached the latter structure
and did not cause damage to the
dryer and kiln departments between
Catherine street and the Central
railroad The fremen did good
work. Before the three steamers
were put at work properly it was
impossible to send a stream on a
second-story roof and this, some of
the factory officials contend, caused
the principal damage to the new
brick structure south of the frame
pressing buildings.
Three Steamers Pumping.
Dead ends of water mains in
Catherine and Cortlandt streets were
pressure from the factory hydrants
and for a weak pressure even with
the steamers at work. Lincoln En-
CINE Company's steamer worked al
the southerly end of Cortlandt street
and sucked more rapidly than the
main could suppl. and therefore
could not give the proper pressure
firemen declare. Mcclellan Engine
Company's steamer worked to good
advantage at Catherine street and
Hall avenue and the Garfield En-
gine Company's steamer pumped
from a hydrant at Cortlandt street
and Hall avenue, from which fire
men declare it could not secure ar
ample supply to give suitable pres
sure. The engines were working
properly and were supplied with fue
from the terra Gotta plant, after the
supply carried had become exhaust
ed. They proved a valuable asset
it was seen, as without them the fire
could in no way have been handled
! firemen state.
The water pressure fire. became oi
value when the water department
I shut a gate on the line extending In
to the hill section in the vicinity OF
Hall and Amboy avenues. After
that operation the water became sc
muddy as to clog the engines and
disconnections were made to clear