New Britain herald., 1924-11-14
Cause Not Determined,

The fire started from a vet undes termined cause in the office of the company, and in five minutes pre- meated the plant. All employees es- caped without injury.
 A Series of explosions which start- ed with small explosions sounding rapidly as machine gun, threw ter- TOT into the Gammontown section of the city, broke windows within a ra. dius of half mile, and drove resi- dents panic-stricken into the fume- filled streets.
 The fire was reported getting out Of control at ii o'clock and attacking the huge plant nearby of the Amer ican Sugar Refining Company.
 Several hundred children from public schools were rushed out of the building. As they came into the street terrific explosion tore the roof from the salt peter plant hurled the roof fifty feet into the air and scattered it in all directions for several blocks. The children. ter rorized, fled through the streets. Five hundred policemen finally got them to safety.
 Parents and children in tenements in the section were removed in taXicabs and eight smbulanoes to safe regions, while five hundred po- ice on the scene endeavored to calm the panic-stricken population.
 Many firemen were reported to nave been overcome. Fire chiefs found that water was a futile weanx on in checking the salt peter fed flames.
 At 11:2o o'clock the Salt petrs plant had been destroyed and the flames had spread to q block of three story frame dwelling houses close hv and to one building of the Colgate soap factory. The front wall of tbs sugar company's building crashed,
 Help From New York
 A hurry call for assistance to New York city brought the freboats Toh, Purroy Mitchell and New Yorker to the New Jersey side of the river.
 At l1;30 o'clock many ambulances were at the scene. The surgeons were caring for the Is fremen who had been overcome hy the smoke. Only one injured person had report- ed for treatment-a man with 8 broken leg.
 The south wall Of the Sugar Pe. fnery coVed in and the huge plant became a mass of flames.
 On the Jersey City piers several hundred volunteer fremsn bst+ad small hlazes in various buildines and tenements caused by hurting en- bers.
 Explosives Nearby
 Six tons of explosive soap ma terials stored in a tunnel between the old sugar refinery house and the Colgate soap factory threatened to become 8 sou~oe of a greater dis aster The entire hose force of the hrebo3t John Purroy Mitchell was delUgIng ths roof cf he tunnel while heavy force of ire fighters from Hoboken was detailed 10 help keep the flames from i.
 1t noon Fire Chief RoNe called tor tons of dvnamtte with which to blow up buildings in the hope of cutting or the sweep Of the con- dagration.
 City Commissioner Pagan closed one clty reservoir. directing all it's supply to the fire uozz.es. which in- creased the water pressure from g 10 95 pounds,
 Acid EAplodcs
 Stores of su'phuriC srfd in the sugar refinery began exploding after noon and threw blazing debms into groups of fremen. Additional fire lines were brought to bear upon the new danger and other streams were directed on the Lehigh Valley Rail- road coal pockets in the burning area
 Bremen and policemen were fre- qucntly forced to lie down on side- walks to catch a breath of life sav- ing air as the sat petre fumes were driven upon them At the end Of Essex street, hundreds of families with their household goods about them sought safety from their wood- en houses and were moved 10 safer sections Police lines were stretch- ed about the blazing area at dis tanCes of s'v blocks but hystpricsI tenement dwellers hsrrassed the po-