Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-03-03
BIG BLAZE IN
CABLE WORKS
RUBBER PLAN 7
Spontaneous Combustion Be-
lieved to Have Caused Fire
Early Yesterday Morning.
DAMAGE EXPECTED TO
BE PLACED AT $1,000
Watchman Discovers Flames
in Pile of Cord--Patrick
Dwyer Hurt by Fall.

A fire, which 1t Is believed orig
mated from spontaneous combustion
caused in the neighborhood OF
$1,000 damage to the building and
stock Of the rubber plant of the
Standard Underground Cable Works
at DeKalb avenue and High street,
about ! o'clock Sunday morning.
Most Of the damage was caused by
the water which was poured into
the building and flooded much or
the contents. The fire was confined
to one end of the braiding depart
ment, where was packed hundreds
Of balls of cotton cord for the wrap
ping OF the cables. A large hole was
burned in the floor, but the effective
work OF the firemen prevented it
from spreading to the other stories.
The watchman discovered the fire
among the balls of cord about 1
o'clock and Immediately ran to box
Al at the corner of Washington and
High streets and gave the alarm.
Washington Hose and Chemical
Company arrived ON the scene first
closely followed by Mcclellan and
Lincoln Engine companies and the
Protection and Liberty Hook and
Ladder companies. The Lincoln
engine WIS placed at Washington
and High streets and the McClel-
Ian steamer at Washington and Me-
chenic streets.
The hose lines were run through a
gateway in Washington street about
forty yards to the fire, which was in
the southwestern part of the third
floor. A ladder was extended to one
of the windows, after being placed
on a one-story shanty Just below the
scene of the fire. The inside of the
building was filled with a suffocat-
ing smoke and the firemen had to
fight the flames for long while
standing on the ladder. The posi-
ton was trying and tiresome one
for those holding the nozzle OF the
hose.
Patrick Dwyer, foreman Of the
Mcclellan Engine Company, In at
tempting to enter the building slip
ped and fell. He cut his right hand
badly against the glass Of broken
window in trying to keep himself
from falling.
The Protection aerial truck was
raised on the north side OF the
building in DeKalb avenue, but the
fire being on the other side OF the
huildine. the ladder was not used.
AS the dynamo of the plant had been
closed down over Sunday there was
no light on the third floor and the
firemen had to work In the dark.
After fighting their way through the
smoke to the switches of the cir
cults they found there was no cur
rent, and the only light they had
was from their lanterns and reflec-
tors. The shanty on which one lad
der was placed was not OF suffl-
cient strength to hold another and
until entrance was gained to the
building only one hose could be
used.
1t was one Of the hardest fires
to get at that they ever saw, de-
clared a number of iremen. First
Assistant Chief William P. O'Hara
directed the different companies un-
til the arrival of Chief Comings.
Although not enrolled as a fire
man. Louis Booz proved a heroic
the blaze, He caught the powerful
hose after 1t got away from one fire.
man and got the stream back on the
fire. Until the blaze was under con-
troll he held the hose despite the fact
that he wore only his overcoat and
every day clothes. He was soaking
wet when he came down from the
ladder.