Station 243 at Straight and Essex Streets was pulled at 10:20 PM for a major fire at the Doherty and Wadsworth at Beech and Essex Streets
June 8 1889: Editorial calling for a paid fire department
June 8, 1889: Letter to the editor from a Paterson Volunteer fireman
June 8 Morning Call
February 14, 1895
Station 24 located at Market and Vine Streets was pulled at 7:53 PM for flames spotted at the huge (200' long) Doherty and Wadsworth Mill located at Beech and Essex Street. The mill was one of Paterson's largest silk mills and employed > 350 persons. Soon after arrival Chief Stagg called for a General Alarm which brought all of Paterson's fire apparatus to the scene. It was Paterson's worse conflagration since the destruction, on the last day of Paterson's Volunteer Department, of the Washington Market in 1899. Firefighting was hampered by frozen hydrants and low water pressure created when al steamers began to pump. Several firefighters escaped injury when the massive walls collapsed into the street as the building collapsed. The entire massive building was destroyed within two hours. Chief Stagg and the department received numerous accolades for their efforts.
Unfortunately the Doherty mill suffered a previous disastrously large fire on June 3, 1889 which in part led to the replacement of Paterson's Volunteer department with a reorganized paid fire department