Essex County, NJ
Fires and other Disasters Reported in the News

September 9, 1875 - An explosion took place yesterday afternoon in a celluloid factory at Newark, about thirty men being in the building at the time. Three were taken out by the firemen, one being dead and the other two fatally injured. Twelve or more are supposed to still be in the ruins without hope of rescue. The building was destroyed by the explosion and the wreck caught fire. Several adjoining buildings were also burnt, and the loss is estimated at $175,000. [The Bucks County Gazette (Bristol, PA- Submitted by Nancy Piper]

Jan. 15, 1882 - Coroner Reed, of Newark, began an inquest on Wednesday, in the case of Lena Fritz, a cook employed in Charles Maurer’s hotel at Montclair, who was burned to death in the destruction of the hotel by fire on January 19th. Two witnesses testified yesterday that just previous to the fire they heard cries of “murder” in the house. Maurer, who was arrested on Tuesday night, was present at the inquest. He was committed to jail pending the results. [The Hopewell Herald - submitted by Shauna Williams]


January 24, 1883 - A woman was found burned to a crisp in her apartments in a Newark, NJ, tenement. [The Hopewell Herald - submitted by Shauna Williams]

February 7 1883 -- In Newark, NJ., on Saturday, a man, name unknown, saturated himself with benzene, set fire to it and was burned to death. [The Hopewell Herald - submitted by Shauna Williams]

---

©Genealogy Trails