Newark's Multiple Alarm Fires Of 1897

January 8
At 23:47 hours, an alarm from Box 36, at the Market Street Depot (Penn Station), brought Newark’s Bravest on the run to a factory fire in the Wheaton Estate, at 365 Market Street, at New Jersey Railroad Avenue. The fire went to a second alarm as flames spread quickly throughout the five-story brick, multiple-occupancy structure.

The firms involved were: R.S. Redmans, tool manufacturer; G. Magg, saddlery and hardware manufacturer; A. Ohl, machinist; A. Schleuter, die manufacturer; C.C. Schoat, pattern maker, and Baldwin & Hill, hat makers. Damages amounted to $20,000 ($515,776).

January 20
At 07:50 hours, Box 61, at Springfield Avenue and Prince Street, was pulled for a fire in a row of three, attached, three-story frame tenements, owned by Bernard Stern, at 9-11-13 Charlton Street, between Springfield Avenue and Court Street. A second alarm was struck when it was feared the fire would spread to other nearby structures.

The ground floors were occupied by the jewelry store of Samuel Harris, the saloon of Augustus Meister, and Andrew Wolf’s chop house. Losses were estimated at $12,000 ($309,466).

February 4
At 23:57 hours, an alarm was turned in from Box 56, at Market and Ferguson Streets, for a fire in the sprawling Maher & Flockhart Foundry, at 60 Polk Street, at Clover Street. The fire went to two alarms, and losses were placed at $7,500 ($193,416).

March 12
An alarm was turned in at 09:09 hours from Box 51, at Hamilton and Union Streets, for a fire which heavily damaged a Blanchard Bros. & Lane Patent Leather Co. building.

The sprawling complex of large, attached, brick and frame buildings took up the block bounded by Hamilton, Bruen, and McWhorter Streets, and by the New Jersey Railroad tracks.

This plant was no stranger to Newark’s Bravest as they fought many single and multiple-alarm blazes there over the years. This fire went to a second alarm as it threatened to spread throughout the 200-by-300-foot complex.

April 5
Beda Voight, the owner of the three-story frame Caledonian Hall, located at Springfield Avenue and Magnolia Street, left the premises shortly after midnight after extinguishing all fires and lights after a concert. Two hours later, a police officer walking his beat discovered the 200-by-200-foot building to be on fire, and at 02:22 hours, turned in an alarm from Box 616, at Springfield Avenue and Magnolia Street.

The police officer then roused Philip Schneider, an employee who slept in the building, from his sleep. Schneider was forced to drop to the street 15 feet from a second-floor window.

The fire spread rapidly, feeding on truckloads of scenery, furniture, and other flammables in the 10,000-seat auditorium. In the short time it took Newark’s Bravest to arrive, the building was a mass of flames and spreading to nearby dwellings. A general-alarm was struck, bringing every piece of fire equipment in the city to the scene.

A heroic effort was made to prevent the fire from spreading, but not before nine dwellings had been involved in the fire. Located at one of the highest points in the city, the fire was visible for miles in all directions. Nothing could be saved from the hall, resulting in a total loss of $50,000 ($1.3 million). Voight stated that he would not rebuild the hall, but might erect a similar building elsewhere in the city.

Caledonian Hall had been the scene of some of the most famous musical festivals and political rallies ever held in New Jersey. Several important political figures of the era, including President McKinley, spoke there.

August 30
While working in the basement of the New York Cracker Co., at Broad and Bridge Streets, a baker heard a crackling noise and went to the first floor to tell the watchman. Upon investigating the noise, the men found the second floor heavily involved in fire.

The watchman ran out of the building to Broad and Lombardy Streets, where he turned in an alarm from Box 15, at 21:14 hours. The baker ran back to the basement to warn the other bakers to leave the building. The last man barely escaped when the growing flames swept over the exit.

Chief Engineer Kiersted was among the first firefighters to reach the scene and quickly struck a second alarm upon seeing the magnitude of the blaze.

Firefighter George Lacey was overcome by smoke and was taken to him home via a police ambulance.

Despite the best efforts of Newark’s Bravest, the building was destroyed, resulting in a $50,000 ($1.3 million) loss.

October 1
Once again Newark firefighters found themselves battling another blaze in a Wheaton Estate factory building when an alarm was turned in at 21:13 hours from Box 36, at the Market Street Depot (Penn Station). As back in January, the fire went to two alarms.