Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-19
ARLINGTON PLANT
|SDESTROYEDB BY
100000 BLAZE
Flames from Essex Pearce But
ton Works Threatened Many
Nearby Buildings.

Fire that did 100000 damage COM
pletely gutted the plant of the Essex
Pearl Button Works, at 720 Devon
street. Arlington, last night One fire
man was injured, Chief Charles
Greenfield was overcome by the heat
and houses located a hundred feet
away from the plant were in danger
several times. A low water pressure
added to the hardships of the firemen.
Jacob Rosenbloom. connected with
the firm of H. Himmelstein Co., man
ufacturers of shirt waists. together
with two other employees, had left the
south wing of the building, which is
occupied by the shirt waist concern,
shortly after 10 o'clock They were
hardly out of the building when the
blaze was discovered.
The discovery was made simultane-
ously by the watchman, Robert Mel
and Frank Dawson and Robert Al
bright, who were both on Chestnut
street, a block away Dawson and
Albright ran to box 81, at Laurel ave-
nue. and Beech street. Frizelle flashed
" ora VI IAle 1lIt ~ btdiAN ! AAAAAAf
Bell at police headquarters While
the sergeant was taking the call over
the telephone, the fire bells were
sounding.
Chief Charles Greenfield, in his auto,
reached the scene of the fire a few
minutes later. He saw the blaze had
gained serious proportions and sent
in second and then third alarm
These brought every apparatus and
fireman in the town to the scene
Seeing that the factory blaze had
gotten beyond control, the chief di-
rected his men to turn their streams
en- neighboring houses, which by this
time were "blistering. The intense
heat cracked windows in houses all
through the immediate neighborhood.
Soon after the fire plugs were
opened Chief Greenfield saw tha
NIT a successful combat with the
flames. Former Chief John T. Scott
telephoned to the water works of the
Suburban Water Company and asked
that the supply be increased. More
water was turned into the mains, but
even then the pressure was not as
strong as it should have been.
Firemen who played the hose on the
nearby buildings were scorehed by
the heat. Chief Greenfield, working
like a Trojan, finally succumbed to
the terrific heat, and he was cared
for by firemen. Physicians were
called and attended the chief. When
he was recovered the chief insisted
upon returning to his post. The ply
sicians insisted that he be taken
home, and the patrol. driven by Ser
geant Bell. conveyed the chief from
fhn of tho hInzn 4 GbArt tfTfax,
later he insisted upon returning to the
fire to direct his men, and he sue
eeeded in accomplishing his purpose.
Leo Ray, a member of Central Hose
Company, was overcome by smoke
He was sent to the Stumpf Memorial
Hospital and was allowed to so home
today.
Patrolman John Donohue, of
Kearny, one of the first to reach the
scene of the fire, made hurried trip
through the northern wing to make
sure there was no one within. He
just reached the street when the Sec
tion in which he had been a few sec
onds before became a seething fur
mace.
Il had made my rounds at II
o'clock" Fuzelle, the watchman, said
today, "and a few minutes after that
time passed through the Himmelstein
factory. Rosenbloom and two other
men were working. / went to the en-
gine room to prepare my supper. II
was about 1913 when | heard the men
walking down the stairway.
Il went up and met them and bade
them goodnight. Going to their fac
tory, l opened the door and looked in
side In the place where the three
men had been a few minutes before
l saw fare. | ran to the telephone
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