Perth Amboy evening news., 1914-04-27
TWOF|RES CAUSE
$4,000 DAMAGE;
BOY IS RESCUED
Serious Blaze Last Night Men
aces Block Of Stores in
Heart Of the City.
ORIGIN OF BOTH UNKNOWN
Excise . Commissioner Bird
Saves 7-Year- Old Clark
Ayres from Flames.
SEIZED CHILD FROM BED
Building Filled With Smoke,
Making Work of Fire
Fighters Difficult.

Two fires which started from un-
explainable origins caused a total
damage of approximately $4,000
about 10 o'clock last night, and
Ashortly after 10 o'clock this morn
ikg. The most serious of the two
al 388 State street last night
threatened block of stores in the
heart of the city, and resulted in a
damage estimated at $4,000, the
greater part of which was due to the
flooding of the building with water.
Excise Commissioner John A. Bird
rescued seven year old Clark Ayres,
krandson of Mrs. Levinia Ayres, who
rents the apartments on the second
floor of the building.
The excise commissioner with AL
dcrman John ]. Clark discovered the
building smoking as they we're pass
ing and as Mr.. Clark ran to box 65
and gave the alarm, Mr.. Bird made
his way to the second floor, and
through a stiffling smoke searched
out the bedroom of the boy. He
grabbed the child aid dashed down
the steps to safety with other mem
bers of the Ayres family at his heels.
The fire originated in a closet in
the dining. room of Max Bernsteins s
apartments On the third floor of the
three-story store and tenement build
ing. When the firemen arrived the
smoke had become SO thick that it
~as possible to get hose up the
steps thragh the house to the blaze
Immediately. Fire Chief O'Hara or
dered line to be used through a
side window and had two streams
placed on the roof.
The f1remen forced their way slow
ly through the smoke filled halls up
to the hall of the third story, where
they were finally able to play the
stream on the vicinity of the flames.
The fire had risen through the top of
the closet and ignited the stringers
of the frame structure underneath
the roof through which it soon burst
forth. The fremen made holes in
the roof, but because Of the peculiar
position of the flames were unable to
play the streams directly on them.
Fire Chief O'Hara realized that if
the flames got beyond the control of
the firemen the whole block of frame
and brick buildings would be in i'm
minent danger, SO had the four
creams flood the top of the structure
Regardless of Sthe resulting water
damage. 1t was nearly an hour be-
fore the fire was entirely extinguish-
ed and the water ordered cut off
The water flooded the SECOND
floor beneath, and ran down to the
first floor, where H. Hersh conducts
grocery. The rooms of the Ayres'
apartments formed beds of small
lakes several inches deep, and the
water soaked through the floors to
the stock of groceries In the store
below. The grocer's damage is es-
timated at $500; water damage to
the Ayres' apartments, $500, unin-
sured; to Bernstein's apartments,
$500. insured, and $1,000 to the
building, which is owned by Hugh c.
Reilly and insured.
The fire this morning was also in
q closet in the bedroom of A. Kuram,
a saloonkeeper at Hall avenue and
Penn street in the three-story
frame tenement of L. KruiZer. Much
confusion was caused among the
thirty families in the building The
flames were extinguished by bucket
brigade before Fire Chief O'Hara
arrived with the Mcclellan Engine
Company, who he had ordered out
through a silent alarm. The total
damage is estimated at $500.