Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1922-04-11

The explosion occurred at 3:20
O'Clock this morning and it was not
until 4:30 that the firemen left the
scene of the fire. The fire was dis
covered to he still burning at 10
O'Clock this morning and pti1l
alarm was sent in for one OF the
companies TO again wet down the
building The damage is estimated
in the neighborhood of $4,000.
Patrolmen Frank Tonghini, Paul
Layden and John Reager had Just
reported of duty and were walking
out State street when the explosion
occurred. According to Officea
Layden's report, they were lifted
on their feet" by the shock. The
officers were on State str9et between
Fayette and Center streets when the
explosion occurred and ~the
thought that enteredsH3foiF heads.
| they said. was that a vault in the
Raritan Trust Company had beer
blown open by burglars.
The three officers rushed to the
corner os State and Fayette streets.
where they saw the entire front Of
the building at 100 Fayette street in
| flames. Slrewn all across the street
were burning particles of boxes and
felt. PatrClman Layden blew sew
eral shrill blasts on his whistle to
draw the attention of the officer at
Smith and State streets in order
that alarm No. 81 might be turned
in from that corner.
| Instead of turning in the alarm
the officer rang for the police ambu-
lance which arrived at the blaze
within few minutes. In the mean
time, however, a resident on Fay
ette had phoned to the police telling
of the fire. The alarm was then
sounded. The alarms sounded a
few minutes after the explosion and
the fire companies were quick in
| responding.
As soon as Officer Layden had
aroused the attention of the PATROL
man at the Five Corners" he. Rea-
ger and Tonghini ran to the burning
| house. Two large plate glass win
dows had been shattered and the
flames were issuing from the mat
tress factory and confectionery store
which occupied the first floor OF
1 the building. These flames covered
the entire face of the building and
spread to the door leading TO the
stairs.
/ The officers, by combined efforts,
broke down the door being scorched
by the flames in so doing. As soon
as the door crashed TO the street,
draught was caused and the flames
wound into the open door, through
the hallway and up the stairs.
The policemen shielding tneti
faces with their arms, and feeling
their way along the smoke filled
hallway, finally stumbled up the
stairs and commenced to rout out
the people, some of whom were stlll
sleeping. Cropping about in the dark
rooms and unfamiliar halls the
Il police finally found a means of get
ting to a back porch which. how
ever, had no steps to the ground.
Il The men, women and children
/ nineteen in all. awakened from .
sound sleep to find their rooms I'LL
ed with smoke, feeling the heat OF
the fire and not kpowing how they
were TO get out OF the burning struc-
ture, were panic stricken
Louis P. Rooz, Jr.. who lives with
in half a block of the building. ar
rived at the scene within a few min
utes after the policemen. He alsc
entered the burning building and a.
sisted in getting the occupants out
to the back porch. Here considor-
getting them to the ground, several
being about to jump from the roef
because OF fright when they were
seized and he'd until they Gained
down sufficiently to proceed with the
rescue work.
One boy. who had been taken from
his bed with practically nc clothing
on. derted away from the rescuers
and into the burning building again
in search of his clothes. He wa1
| overtaken and again taken to the
trear of the house
BY holding the hands Of the occu-
pants who had been rescued and
slowly letting them down from thu
porch it was possible to get theu1
near enough to a shed roof below
to drop them. When the elder pr
Il sons had been lowered in this uAy
one Of their number dropped to tn
ground, secured ladder and 4<1|
back for the remainder Of the o11ll1
and all Of the children Ihero W111
i eleven nen and women 1n4 1|N
children. none OF Hhom h14 M
Itime to put - many clot1@1-
4 were carod - b. ue1x11o11
| The bu1111nE, q fr4me
which was Eoccnfly 1<%ce 2