“Repeatedly announcing the fictitious name on the line emergency fire and bomb in the village Strasice, even though he knew that these allegations are not based on truth. In one case, the fire was well established, “said police spokesman John Tomková Rokycany.

In November, reported a fire in a container lupením, the day after bin fire at the hostel, the next day, the kitchen fire in a family house and the next day the bomb Strasice with the number of claims and then with the bomb in a hostel.

Employed all the rescue services

“At the end of November set a fire in the basement apartment, where he lit the couch, and there was also a fire delayed the wooden cupboards, tables and damage to paint,” explained Tomková.

According to phone calls made on the basis of the trips were made to units of the Fire Brigade, members of local volunteer firemen and policemen and a police officer.

“In cases where the announcement nástražného explosive storage system has been extensive examination of all possible areas, hostels av a case that concerned the local schools were also made evakuace pupils and staff,” added the police spokesman, with the offender to your negotiations said.

Firemen’s Memorial Alpine Cemetery Perth Amboy *Photo by Katherine Massopust

Art Brown 2009 *Photo by Katherine Massopust

         It was just before 6:00 pm when a fire alarm went in from Herman Rudderman’s Junkyard Shop, the Perth Amboy Iron and Metal Company on South Second Street.  A wastepaper basket had caught on fire.  Probably someone threw out a cigarette or live ashes into the waste basket but no one knows for sure.  Neither does anyone know why someone in the office didn’t put out the fire themselves, but the alarm went through to the Davison Avenue firehouse.  The volunteer firemen leaped into action as soon as the alarm went off.  “Torgenson leaped to the wheel, Finan cranked the engine of the combination hose truck and chemical wagon and Kafton, assistant foreman in charge of the truck, as he sprang to the last place on the running board, shouted: “Let her roll!”[1] The Eagle Hose and Chemical Company took off.   

            In 1921 the firehouse was located on Davison Avenue which at the time was five blocks west of the railroad tracks.  The railroad crossing was located between Elm Street and South Second Street and the tracks were street level and monitored by a crossing watchman.  The truck sped east down Market Street toward the crossing used by both the Central and Pennsylvania’s Long Branch Line.  As the fire truck approached the crossing the driver saw three automobiles which were stopped on the near side.  No one knows why they were stopped.  They either saw the oncoming train bound for Lakewood and Barnegat or the vehicles had halted for the approaching fire truck.  The fire truck’s driver, Joseph Torgenson thought they pulled over for the fire truck, so he swung the fire truck over to the right to avoid the cars.

            The crossing watchman, Andrew Thomas was a sixty-four year old Slav immigrant who spoke little English.  In his hut Thomas saw the train four blocks away and the ringing of the crossing bell further warned him of the approaching train.  Then he heard the clang of the oncoming fire truck.  According to the rules of the time, in a situation such as this one, the watchman was supposed to close the gates then rush out to flag the fire truck and if there is still time left, flag the train.  The watchman did not follow procedure nor did he use his head during the emergency.  The train was far enough away that there was time that it could be flagged down standing on a nearby ladder used for an overhead signal tower.  The watchman did not do this either.  Instead he snatched his red flag and dashed toward the oncoming firemen leaving the gates wide open. 

            The driver of the fire truck, Joseph Torgenson never knew what hit him.  Andrew Kafton was the only one who saw the train coming and he shouted “Jump for our lives!”[2] as he glimpsed the locomotive bearing down upon the fire truck.  Kafton rolled off the truck and Joseph Finan followed as did two other firemen.  Andrew Kafton rolled but stopped just before he was against the engine.  Joseph Finan stopped rolling himself as his body hit the chief’s.

            Everyone in the area heard a load roar as the fire truck grazed the engine then hit the locomotive in the combination baggage and smoker car.  The truck recoiled, then it hit one of the crossing gates.  Mutilated bodies were carried 300 feet down the track before they were churned free.  Then the train came to halt.  The fire truck hit the tank of Engine 581 just above the journal box and the front of car 313.  The watchman, Andrew Thomas was caught between the truck and the crossing gate but survived.

            Both Joseph Finan and Andrew Kafton although injured, lived to tell the tale of the crash and clearly stated that the gates were up.  Joseph Finon stated, “I did not see the flagman,” he said, “Until we had passed the automobile in front of us.  I jumped and in doing so bumped into Kafton and rolled in the roadbed with him.”[3]

            One of the witnesses was Dr. Andew Loblein of New Brunswick. 

“According to Dr. Loblein, he was going west on Market Street, in the opposite direction from the fire truck and as the gates were up proceeded to cross the tracks.  He said he saw no fireman or any red flag, but when his car reached the tracks he saw the express almost upon him.  He stepped on the accelerator, he said, not believing he could escape being hit but luckily beat the train.  He said he had no more than crossed the tracks when the fie engine passed him going at a terrific rate of sped.  He said he thought it was making about fifty miles  an hour and believed the train was going just as fast . . . Realizing that a crash could not be avoided.  Dr. Loblein said he jammed on his breaks and looked through the rear windows of his car just in time to see the crash.  There was a deafening noise, he said and then he witnessed the most horrible occurrence he had ever seen.”[4]

            Among the dead were Hans Holt, John Donegun, Jospeh Kutcher, James Anderson, Joseph Torgenson, and Peter Larson.  Victor Jandrup, Jack Mowery, and George Larson would die in the hospital the next day.  Among the injured were E.V. Johnson, Ralph Paulsen, Joseph Finan and Andrew Kafton.  The Larson brothers left behind a number of children.  Morgan T. Larson, (Governor of New Jersey from 1929 -1932) took them in and raised them in his house on High Street.

            Eight years old at the time, Arthur Brown was not certain if his father, volunteer fireman Joseph Brown was on the truck.  Joseph Brown was working all night at his father’s farm and Arthur was not sure if his father had gotten back.  Joseph Brown often stopped at the firehouse after he returned from his father’s farm and someone had said that he was on the truck.  To his relief Arthur Brown saw his father walking down Watson Avenue.  He had got off the bus at Prospect Street coming back from his father’s farm.  Joseph Brown later found out that he was in charge of the funerals.  There was a prayer service at Eagle Fire House led by Mayor William C. Wilson, himself a charter member of Eagle Hose and Chemical Company.   ”He prayed for the recovery of the injured and the repose of the dead firemen.”[5]  A relief fund was started for the families of the nine men who died so terribly.  It was well responded to.

            The engineer, Theodore Brown and the conductor, Arthur A. Ridgeway of Barnegat were arrested on the charge of manslaughter and Andrew Thomas was also arrested for manslaughter while still in the hospital.  “The engineer when questioned by the authorities, it is claimed, stated the gates were not down.”[6]  Moreover, the train was speeding at 40 miles per hour, considered too fast to go through a town. 

            An ordinance was passed the next day to limit the speed of trains passing through town to ten miles per hour.  The final solution came when the train station building was sold to William Michael Stonaker, a track foreman for the Central Railroad of New Jersey who saved the building.  The building is three-stories tall with four high dormer windows and is an exact replica of many other train stations.  The old train station building was moved to 210 Lewis Street.  In 1923 a new train station was built on Market Street where the old one originally stood and the tracks were lowered to avoid such accidents.  During the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the train station got a facelift thanks to a grant from former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman (Governor of New Jersey from 1994 – 2001) and Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (New Jersey State Senator from 1982 – 2001, and 2003 – present).

            There is a Firemen’s Monument at Alpine Cemetery at 703 Amboy Avenue to commemorate the nine firemen who died so tragically.  It is a walrus-mustached fireman in full gear holding the nozzle of a nose.

            Arthur Brown remembers, “And all because of a wastepaper basket on fire.”

Bibliography

“6 Firemen Killed in Crash with Express Train at Market St. Crossing; More Hurt,”

            The Perth Amboy Evening News. 15 June 1921.

“7 Firemen Killed As Truck Hits Train; Safety Gate Open,”

            The New York Times. 16 June 1921.

“Crossing Crash Death Toll Grows to 9 as 3 More Firemen Die in Hospital: Probes Are

            Under Way,” The Perth Amboy Evening News. 16 June 1921

“Pray at Eagle Fire House for Recovery of Victims”

            The Perth Amboy Evening News. 16 June 1921.

“Two Investigations Started to Fix the Responsibility,”

            The Perth Amboy Evening News. 16 June 1921.

[1] “7 Firemen Killed As Truck Hits Train; Safety Gate Open,”

                The New York Times. 16 June 1921.

[2] “7 Firemen Killed As Truck Hits Train; Safety Gate Open,”

                The New York Times. 16 June 1921.

[3] “7 Firemen Killed As Truck Hits Train; Safety Gate Open,”

                The New York Times. 16 June 1921.

[4] “6 Firemen Killed in Crash with Express Train at Market St. Crossing; More Hurt,”

                The Perth Amboy Evening News. 15 June 1921.

[5] “7 Firemen Killed As Truck Hits Train; Safety Gate Open,”

                The New York Times 16 June 1921.

[6] “6 Firemen Killed in Crash with Express Train at Market St. Crossing; More Hurt,”

                The Perth Amboy Evening News. 15 June 1921.

Follow my blog at http://firefighterjourney.blogspot.com/

Follow my blog at http://firefighterjourney.blogspot.com/

Working with the fire department has been a great but sometimes demanding job. When I report to work every third day I never know what kind of day I will have. Some days are slow with a few calls and others days may be busy throughout the entire shift.

I have seen people killed from gun shots, stabbings, hanging, suicide, vehicle wrecks, and industrial accidents. I see dead people or dying people on a regular basis. To do my job sometimes I have to detach my emotions and impulses to do some of the jobs I am called on to do.

My job can be very stressful and demanding and at fires my job requires giving every ounce of energy to fight a fire and then when that energy is about gone hopefully adrenalin kicks in and I get a second wind and go some more.

My job is to save lives and property and employees at my station are always trying to stay up beat and occasionally do something funny like playing a joke on someone. The scariest thing that ever happened to me was when the floor gave way and I fell through the hole and my feet touched the ground about when the floor was level with my rib cage. I bruised my ribs from the fall but that was enough because my ribs hurt for weeks.  

Within the last year, they have stopped $900,000 of fraud insurance cases from being paid out. The court caught on fast and they saved the insurance industry. Fraud happens all the time and it’s not only with cars but also with people’s lives. I’ve seen a lot of stories where people murder their family members or spouse for insurance money. They murder them and try to get the insurance money. I saw a lot of those cases on the court TV. It’s devastating but people will go far for money. I saw a lot of people who murder their spouse for insurance money. It’s out there.

If someone asks you to sign an insurance beneficiary release, you might want to question them to see why they’re doing that. It’s frightening but that’s what going on out there. People are greedy and they want to get their hands on your insurance money. It’s ashamed what our society has become but people are so absorb into money. I was even more shock to see a fire fighter who we call hero burned his own car for insurance money. He created an alibi so that he can get away with it. It’s kind of wrong for people to do that if they are a fire fighter but I guess he didn’t care. This is where you have men in uniforms who will commit crimes.

 Awhile back, it was an officer who stalks a few women and then assaulted them. He got arrested finally but that was kind of frightening. Law enforcement knows your home address and it’s scary to have your home address exposed to them. They might follow you one day. Not all of them will but it’s a possibility if they’re mentally ill. I think that this one particular officer was mentally ill from his previous police training. During the assault he repeats a lot of things that his trainer would say to him, they were a lot of break down messages. The police academy would use mental challenges to train their men and the men are not supposed to be break down over it. They are supposed to stand up to it. Any kind of training like this will make people go mental. Look at Michael Jackson; it turned him into Peter Pan.

I would like to take this moment to console the families of all the victims that I just named. Even those I did not mention. I would like for all of the families to know that, it was God’s purpose for that to happen. We do not know the day or the hour of our time however, we can do what is necessary to keep their memory alive and continue with our mission. Although they are not here in the physical, rest assured they are in the spirit. Be consoled because God is our consoler. May all of you be encouraged and it is my sincere prayer that you continue to know God. Give him all the glory and praise. Rejoice and know that they are in heaven. Try and focus on what they would have wanted done and what our charge is to continue to make the United States “the land of the freee and the home of the brave!” I do not know what pain or turmoil life has been for all the victims, but we are still here and “God bless America! “

Another thing about these work from home using the internet claims, any one can make up a chart telling you how wonderful the program is and guarantees you will have a great success on your hands but just remember there are no guarantees to life. Everyone will succeed at their own pace and not every one is going to have a great success using the internet. Sometimes the internet is not always the answer to our financial success. Do you remember the internet bubble and how it burst? Everything has its day. I do not consider myself an unintelligent person but sometimes the lingo leaves me wondering. If it is so simple a child can do it, why can’t I? I would love to make a living by way of the internet if that were possible. If everyone is at home making a living from using the internet, where will this country end up? Who will be delivering the food, supplies, etc. that we need each and every day? If we are sick, who will take care of us if all the doctors, nurses, healthcare workers are all at home making a living using the internet?

If we need a taxi to get to where we want to go, what if the taxi driver is at home working on the internet? If there is a fire, how will the firefighter put the fire out while sitting at home working on the internet? If a crime is committed and all of the police officers are at home working on the internet, who will stop the criminal or catch the criminal? If we want to go out to eat, who will serve us or prepare the food if the cook or waitress is at home working on the internet? If this country gets attacked, who will protect us if all our armed forces are at home working on the internet? How can you take a vacation and stay at a hotel, motel or resort when the hotel, motel or resort staff are at home working on the internet? Working at home using the internet sounds great and in some cases may be the way to go, but in some cases just not all cases.

In my case, I need to be able to earn some extra money by way of using the internet. Because of all the scams and the trickery that is being used from the work at home programs, I am becoming more and more skeptical. I believe there are honest people who really want to help others but they are few and far between. If I understood all this information that is so simple to understand, Iwould be a millionaire. I am deep in debt, no thanks to the work at home programs and the promises I can not make money if you do not make money words. After you sign up, you keep getting billed and no help from any where. They have you hooked and when you finally get unhooked, you have this huge debt staring you in the face each and every day and no way to pay.

Do you think any of these scam artists give a quack? NO!NO!NO! They got what they want and they move on to the next victim. My advice to any one who wants to earn a living by way of the internet, if possible, find someone you can trust that does just that before you go off the deep end. Even if it is not your major source of income and you just want to do it on a part time basis, you still need to be cautious.