The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-10

mental plant at West Orange. N. J., was more than half destroyed by fire Hast night. Ten buildings of the plant were wiped out. including some Of the finest and most recently con strueted in the Edison tract. The Ed iaon Experimental Laboratory and the storage battery buildings were the only ones of importance saved The loss was esti mated at from $3,000, 900 to 1000. .000-
 Although am over ST years old sI,ll start all over again tomorrow am pretty well burned out tonight but tomorrow there will be a mobili- zatton hero and the debris will be cleared away, if 1t is cooled sufficient ly. andsI will go right to- work to re- sconstrtcf the plant, said MT. Edison as he watched the flames destroy building after building
 or tEe 4,5eG men and women err- ployed. all escaped nninjured. as far as could be learned, except one man reported missing. Several nremen were hurt in fighting the flames which had gained uncontrollable headway before the first apparatus arrived The fire departments of west orange Orange, East Orange Newark, Bloomfield, and Montclair responded to the alarm
 The fire began a few minutes be- fore k.s0 o'clock with a. treme endous exp1os4on in the film finishing build- Ing In the centre or t16, p1ss1al- NO one knows what caused the explosion but 1t ts thought that some of the chemicals used in finishing the Edi- son moving picture films became ig nited or blew up in spontaneous com bustaon.
 The explosion was the first warn ing The heavy detonat1on was heard all sovex West Orange, and every building in the plant was rocked by a violent concussicn- Flames leaped film building. which was two stories talls The walls Werec racked by the force of the explosion
 Tne large quantity Of film in the building burned with almost tie ra-I ptdfty of gunpowder. Its highly com bustfBze nature made each roll flash like a quick fuse. Almost as soon as many who felt the explosion discover- ed the exact location of the fire the fi4rE building Was destroyed and the flames had spread to the surssolnd-5 ing struetures.
 In them the fire made the same terrific heHdWay, for they toe were filled with highly tnflarnmaba1e ma terda1s- The rubber used in the man ufact1re or talking machine records velopfng and finishing processes of many Of the Edison products ha d only ] to be heated to take fire. Thus it was, that although many the
 
 and were consid q cred the last N ord in modern. fire-proof factory construc- ton. the flames literally ran wild from cellar to roof in them
 The heat from one burning building breaking through the windows of an other many times causes coInbustion3 that in moment made; a mass of roaring flames The nremen were helpless in the greater part of the plant. They did not have an ordinary fire to light. They threw their dreams of water on concrete and iron and. composition So hot that the water was tnrued to steam Their hopeless effort was not to check flames, but to stop what were really successive expIo-3 sioas. & 6s
 The employees saved $4O000 worth of finished talking machines and talking. machine cases. Never was the value Of fire dru more emphasized The. alarm gong sounded throughout the entire plant 3 second after the expko- sion in the film building. At once, in all the eighteen structures, the en- plOyes fell into line. They could see the flames Ieaping from the windows In the building near them, and they knew their drill this time was < no mere practice. But, with few excep- tfons, they waited as calmly 4fors the signal to march. and marched as sreadily when ordered as they had ever done on practice days.
 sd9Zenz or more girls in different buildings lest their heads in the ex- cttement and tainted, but there was never a suggestion Of panic. Those who tainted were carried out by their companions .and they were soon re- vfved z None of them, it was said suffered Ill after affects
 The9 Edison fire brigade maintained at the plant was the first to attack the flames The ernDIoves went 4o
 
 fuI training, but no power that they had avaiied anything. The West Or ange dremen were soon on the scene but they were likewise inapotent t. Then from the other towns the frernen came, but their efforts were useless, except on the laboratory and power buaIdfngs.
 It was seen that the only important buildings that could be saved were the experimental laboratory and the st0rage- battery building, and all at tention was given to them The rz- Inainder of the plant was permitted to burn as Vesuvius is permitted to beIch forth its lava
 Mars. Thomas A. Edison hersef4 eaved many valuable papers from the office building Of the allied Edison companies The Edison home is just across the Valley Roadlfrom the office building, and when Mrs Edison saw the flames she led the first ones into the building. She carried ont ar1nfuls Of books and papers until the James tnsthe building made further work in 1t nposstble-
 Mr Edison was in the experimental laboratory when the fire began He helped in the salvage work, and when that was finished he went to the stor- age battery building and directed the protection or filat structure The fire mag did not have the fire under con- <ss1 uFsts midnight, and MT. Edison was at his post then No persuasion ou1dsTnale him leave His wife stood guard over the piles and boxes of pa- per in her own fzont yard.