Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-03
Street
STORE Quilted
Early Morning Fire of Un-
known Origin Sweeps Amer
ican Bakery
LOSS REPORTED HEAVY
Children Carried Out of Burn
ing Building Blaze Starts
Anew This Morning

An early morning fire of unknown
origin gutted the building at 1888
State street, occupied by the Amer
lean Bakery Company of which Mar
tin Metzger is the manager. Flames
were discovered at LAS o'clock this
morning by Thomas Cattano, a taxi
driver, who turned in the alarm of
fire from bcX 81 at Smith and State
streets.
The fire had gained such headway
that the firemen, although they made
quick time in responding to the call
found the entire building in flames
and threatening to spread. The
building in which the fire originated
Is one story frame structure owned
by j. Philip Goldsmith and only the
fact that the two adjoining buildings
were of brick construction prevented
the f1ames from setting fire to them
also.
For a while it looked rs though
the laboratory and photo room of
Barnekov & PETE. whose drug store
is on the north of the bakery. would
be ignited and destroyed.
The fire apparently started in the
rear or the bakery as it was in that
part of the structure where the fire.
men found it hardest to extinguish
the flames. When the firemen ar
rived the interior OF the building was
like a roaring inferno. huge columns
OF smoke were issuing from the store
and flames leaping through holes
which had been burned through the
roof.
Families live in the brick houses
on either side of the store occupied
by the bakery and the thick smoke.
heat and threatening flames made it
necessary for these persons to rush
from their homes scantily clad after
being hastily awakened by police and
fremen. Two children were
carried from the apartments at 335
State street by officers who arrived
at the scene a few minutes after
the fire was discovered.
The damp, sticky weather caused
tho smoke to keep close to the
ground and as a slight north wind
blew the clouds of smoke along the
street, it gave the appearance of
fire that would seem worse than it
really was. The smoke, passing
over Smith street and continuing
south to that residential section of
the city. attracted many to the blaze,
they believing that the fire had as
sumed unusually large proportions.
AS soon as firemen had arrived
and found that the worst part of
the blaze was in the rear, one of the
trucks went around to Fayette
street and two lines of hose were
run through backyards so as to fight
the flames from the rear. In the
meantime other lines were taken in
the front door of the building while
f1remen on the roof worked down on
the flames.
Excellent work was done in pre-
venting the flames from spreading to
the numerous frame sheds, garages |
and buildings situated close to the |
rear of the bakery.
The interior of the bakery was
completely gutted. fixtures being |
ruined and the building itself badly |
damaged. The loss is estimated at |
$4,000, according to reports received |
by tie police.
Among the police officers present |
at the scene of the blaze were Ser
geant George Kozusko, Patrolmen |
Marinus Ludwigsen, Stephen Grega,
William Heating. Joseph Dwyer, |
John Kurpiel and Archibald Mason. |
Shortly after s o'clock this morn
ing an alarm was turned in from
ooX % at State and Commerce
streets. The fire was in the build
ing at the corner of High and Com
merce streets, which is known as
Wards Hall. A small blaze was
discovered in an apartment on the
second floor and chemicals were
lsed to extinguish same.