The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-12-10

ENTIRE BLOCK OF RElNFORC-
ED CONCRETE BUILDINGS
BURNED OUT BY
FLAMES
5000 PEOPLE
OUT OF WORK
As the inventor Stood Watching
Flames He Said ''I'n Start AN.
Over Again Tornorrow."
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WEST ORANGE, NJ. r., Dec. 9!-Fire
destroyed virtually the entire main
piant OF the Edison company hare To-
nien., causing damage estimated ut
nearly $7.O00.000 with insurance that
10 expected Will reduce the loss TO
approximately $4,000, 900.
AN entire square block Of modern
reinforced concrete buildings which
were supposed to be flrenroof Vpa
burned out by the flames. The onIv
building saved In the block Wna tl,e
laboratory building, containing yaIu-
abba scientific machinery under in1uoe-
diate superintendence OF the fnyea,tnr
Ihomas A. Edison. Especial Efforts
made to save this structure were sue
cessful. - : - -
1t is estimated that 5000 men and
women will be temporarily thrown
out OF work because, or the fire. :. /. In
all about 1000 persons were eInnicyed
at the plant, but as the storage hate
terry building acrcss the street frosl,
the main plant was saved With otEar.
buildings nearby. is Will he pcaaIbie
70 Keep something more than half the
force employed -
Four firemen Were injured fiRhtinr
the blaze and were taken 20 & iiospisai.
Although I am more than on year,;
OF age, Ill start aIl over AGAIN to-
morrow" !" said Mr.. Edison ssI slrn prat-
ty well bhrned out tenight, but Do.
morrow there will be mobifizatioii
here and the debris will Be clanrcd
away IL 1t 10 cooled sufficiently, ana i
will go siGht e snss 70 Fe6ssaat1ss..assgs
the plant"
The inventor expressed himself thus
as ne stood watching the fieuies tick
up building after building OF his mann
moth electrical plant, started, Il Is
thought probable. by an explosIon In
the inspection bp.'ding, one OF tha
smaller frame structures, This bpiId,
Ing was quickly macs &c ae:sSz= An,
the fire spread rapidly 60 other etruc-
lures. Chemicals In some OF the buiid-
ings made the fire fighting extfemely
difficult. Explosions occurred fire.
quently. All employees at work IN var
ious buildings escaped.
In all eleyoa taildings In the muin
plant were destroyed. The buildings
destroyed included those oceupfed nv
the New Diamond Disc Company, the
one occupied by the Kinetcph hone COM
pany and the building which housed
the Bates numbering macliinas. to-
gethef with the Edison prinfasy i,at-
terry building. the talking lnschine
building and the administration hniid-
ing. y y
Fire departments from Grange. East
and South Orange, Bloomfield, Mont
clair and Newark responded to q cail
for help, but were badly liandfcabned
by lack Of sufficient pressure. Electric
light wires Of the town went ont OF Z
commission when the power hcrsa at
the Edison plant was DESTROYED.
plunging the place into darkness.
From the blazing electrical plant IT,
self. however, there SHOT up towerinx
flames which illuminated the country
for miles around.
Mr.. Edison was not at the pianS
when the fire started, but he seou
appeared and assumed personnl
charge OF directing the forces combat
ting the flames. He was especially
anxious regarding the Jlaboratory
building and when he found that it
probably would be impossible TO save
the greater part OF the rest OF the
plant he had the effort OF the are
fighters centered upon this BsStructure.
In the meantime much OF the valuable
scientific apparatus, drawings, models
and other treasured possessions or the
inventor in this building as could ne
readily moved were carried 10 q. place
Of safety. s s
After the fire MIR. Edison raade tie
estimate OF the loss entaiied.