Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-16
FIRE LOSS MAY
REACH S3SO,OOO,
ESTIMATE SHOWS
Baker Factory Revised Figures
Place the Damage at
That Amount.
WORKING HARD AND FAST
TO RESUME OPERATIONS
y according to Mr.. Baker the
Jaraitor Sought to Check the
Blaze in Its Incipiency.

Blaze in Its Incipiency.
Within week 1t is expected that
majority of the persons most of
whom were girls, who were thrown
out of employment on Saturday when
Ere swept the Baker building, 69-73
Clinton street, will be back at work.
The building housed the Baker Print
Ing Company and the H. & w. Com
pany, manufacturers OF corsets.
Today William A Baker, president
Of the printing company, with a
large corps of workers, was busy in
new quarters on the top floor of 253
Market street, which property ad-
Joins the front of the Baker build
ing. Just as soon as they would be
permitted, they would get back to
their burned building, he said.
IF the fire adJustors would per-
init us, we'd be in there now" he
told a reporter for the Evening Star.
1--WE would be getting things back
into shape. I don't believe it will be
more than very few days before
we will be back there" he said.
1t is expected that by tomorrow
the II. & w. company will be in tenn
porary quarters. Edward Malley,
superintendent of the concern, has In
view several buildings which may
house his concern while the wrecked
building is being put back into shape
for occupancy. He asks that the EN-
ployes keep in close touch with him
In order that they may get back to
work as soon as he is ready for them.
Revised Fire Loss Estimate.
Revised figures on the losses sus-
tanned in the fire show the damage
by fire may reach S3S0,000, which is
almost double the amount estimated
by heads of both concerns when the
fire was still raging, Superintendent
Malley of the Fl. & w. firm, esti-
mates the loss to that company at
100000, while President Baker. of the
printing company, estimates the loss
to his company at $50 900.
An inspection of the building today
proved that it was the flre-escape and
the quick action of rescuers that were
responsible for not single life being
lost in the fire. The staircase lead
ing to all of the six floors was of
wooden construction and was COM
pletely wrecked. Between the fourth
and fifth floors it had burned up COM
pletely and left nothing but a vacant
space. Between the other floors it
had been so badly wrecked that 1t
would have been impossible for a
persno to have descended the stair
way with safety
Mr. Malley said today there were
500 machines of all kinds in the
building. OF this number there is
not q single one that can be used, the
iron parts of them having been
iron parts of them having been
twisted by the fire in such a way as
20 render them useless.
Employees Recount Experiences.
The vicinity of the fire today was
The meeting place for nearly 200 OF the
,irls employed by the two concerns,
who gathered to discuss their expert
ences when the alarm of fire was
sounded. Throughout the gatherings
he chief topic of discussion was the
bravery and courage of Miss Emma
T. Weber, forewoman for the Fl. &
W firm.
Not alone did Miss Weber counsel
he girls when the fire broke out, but
while the building was blazing, she,
with Superintendent Malley, walked
through each of the six floors of the
building to make sure that no one had
been left behind. 1t was while she
was making this tour that purses of
the working girls We're collected by
her. A number of these were identi-
fed today and restored to the owners
How the Fire Spread.
According to the story related by
William Baker the rapid spread of
the fire was due to the failure of Will
lam Jaenack, of 49 Lille street an
employe, to turn in an alarm immedi-
ately upon discovering the blaze.
Mr.. Baker says Jaenack was at
work in the basement of the Clinton
street building when he discovered
the fire. He set about himself to
check the flames When a pail of wa
Ter kept there for fire purposes failed
10 put out the blaze he turned on a
stream of water from the standpipe
connected with a Price fire fighting
apparatus This also failed. Becom-
ing frightened, Jaenack fled.
Ii was not until the smoke had
penetrated the upper floors and the
heat of the flames had set off the au-
tomato fire alarm system that the
employees of the building were aware
that the building was on fire. Mr..
Baker says Jaenack returned to the
building later. His face, hands and
head had been badly scorched in his
efforts to eXtinguish the blaze.
Not since the High street factory
disaster when thirty lives were lost,
has Newark experienced such dan
yerous fire as the one on Saturday.
Fire escapes from both ends of the
building and daily fire drills figured
IN the saving of lives The excellent
work of the fire department under
the direction of Fire Chief Paul Moore
m preventing the flames from spread
i-g and the handling of the police
forces by Captain Michael Ryan, of
the First precente, came in for their
- ~ nraiSe in connection with