Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-21
PLAN NEW CHURCH
AS OLDONE WORTH
100000 BURNS
Many Liberal Subscriptions Of
fered by Wealthy MontoIair
Flock.
BELL TOLLED AS EDIFIcE
IS ENVELOPED IN FLAMES
Chapel, Valued at $4,000, and
Surrounding Houses, Menaced
by Sparks, Saved.

spectacular fire last night, will be
begun Immediately, trustees of the
church asserted today.
A meeting of the trustees and dea-
cons of the church has been called
for tonight in the Montclair Club.
Plans for the new building will be
discussed then. Rev. DIR. Charles S.
Mills, pastor, said today sev <al
members of the congregation already
have approached him and offered to
subscribe money for the construction
of new church building. DR. Mills
said the new building, of course, will
be placed on the site of the OIL one,
South Fullerton avenue and Plymouth
street.
The First Congregational Church
is regarded as the wealthiest Congre-
gational parish, and one of the
wealthiest churches of any denomi-
nation in the country. Among it's
members are many millionaires, and
practically everyone whose name is
on the church roster is a person of
wealth. The church building was in
sured for 100000. 1t was said today
the other 100000 which will be neces-
sary to build structure as fine as
the one which was burned will be
subscribed in day by wealthy mem
bers of the church.
Two OF the stone walls today are
all that remains of the beautiful
structure in which Montclair Congre-
frame of the high steeple and the
stone cross that surmounted it stood
for considerable time after the fire
men had finished their labors at 2:35
a. m. today, but this fell with a re-
sounding crash soon after
The fire was discovered by Ishmael
Robinson, sexton of the church, at
GAS p. m. Robinson was preparing to
close the church after a meeting of
the Pioneer Club AN organization of
Boy Scouts, which Emerson Brooks,
of the board of trustees, had conduct
ed there in the late afternoon. Mr..
Brooks said today when he walked
through the church with the sexton
fifteen minutes before the fire was
discovered there was no smell of
smoke or any other sign that blaze
was smouldering in the church.
Gesssed Wires Blamed.
Crossed electric wires are said 10
have caused the blaze, which seemed
to have its origin behind partition
which hid the wires. Firemen today
said the fire probably had been
smouldering for long time before it
was hONlCtu although ctlI DOSSlIllt
speed was used in getting the Mont
clair motor apparatus to the church,
the gallery that runs around three
sides of the burning building was all
ablaze by the time the first hose line
was led in.
As soon as Frederick e. Williams,
chief of the Montcleir fire depart
ment, arrived he turned in second
and third alarms, and in short part
sNF. L.
tuS in the town was on hand.
The firemen dragged their hose
lines into the church and directed the
streams on the burning gallery. The
flames, however, crept up the walls
and to the ceilings and drove the fire.
men to the street. When the firemen
rushed helter skelter from the build
ing, dragging out their hose lines,
Chief Williams announced to DR.
Mills and the little group of trustees
of the church, which was clustered
near the fire lines. that there prob |
ably was no hope Of saving the
church.
Bells Toll a Kneu.
Then came the most impressive |
scenes that could be imagined at a |
fire. Robinson, the sexton, hurried |
into the bottom of the church tower, |
which the flames had not reached yet !
Selling the bell cord, Robinson set !
the big church bell booming the death |
knell of the edifice in slow rhythm !
As the deep tones of the bell rang
out above the cracking of fiames the |
shouted commands of the firemen, the
sizzling of the streams of water and !
the snorts of the engines, the vast !
crowd which had assembled to watch |
the fire stood with heads bowed and !
hats in hand.
Five Houses Set Ablsze.
Sparks leaped sky high from the |
burning structure. endangering sur |
rounding houses. fost of which are of
wood When Chief Williams saw
the danger from this source he ap- |
piled to the Glen Ridge Fire Depart
ment for assistance in fighting the |
flames. Scarcely had he sounded this |
alarm when five fires broke out al |
most simultaneously in surrounding |
houses.
Membes of the two volunteer de-
partments and other citizens aided in |
extinguishing these fires. which oc-
CURED in the homes of Robert M. |
Boyd, 81 South Fullerton avenue; DR.. |
James Spencer Brown. 43 South Full
lerton avenue; Mrs. r. H. Rathbun, |
AZ South Willow street, and Arthur r. |
Johnson, 40 Union street.
The Glen Ridge fire apparatus ar |
rived shortly. Even with two fire de- |
partments working, however, it was |
well long toward midnight before even |
the danger to surrounding houses |
from sparks was overcome. 1t took |
an hour longer to get the fire under |
control, and it was close to 3 o'clock |
today when the firemen lessened their |
efforts.
When the hrement saw the main |
building of the church could not be |
saved they directed their efforts prin- !
cipally to checking the advance of the |
flames TO the Wide Memorial Chapel, |
built at a cost of $50, 900 by Mrs. Sam |
uel Wilde in memory Of her husband. |
Although this was attached to the |
main church building, the fire was
prevented from spreading to it, mostly |
because of the direction of the wind,
which directed the blasts of flame |
away from the memorial chapel.
The church suffered a particularly |
heavy loss in the destruction of its
valuable stained glass windows. Some |
of these windows were installed by
Mrs Roswell C. Smith in memory of
her grandchildren; Mrs. Henry Lang
in memory of her mother, Mrs. Annie /
Rand; by the parents of Sinclair Pick |
ering; Mrs. Charles II. Thomas and |
Mrs. Charles II. Gray, of New York,
in memory of their father, George II. |
Mills; by Mrs,e Charles Fl. Johnson In |
memory of her husband, charter |
member of the church, and long SUI
perintendent of the Sunday school, |
and by Mrs. Edward Street in mem