The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-24
TERRIBLE CALAMITY IN NEW YORK.

from the Windows-Inquest by Coroner Cover
The Fire Of Incendiary 0rigin-A Reward of
$4,000 offered for the Discovery Of the Perpe-
traitor.
From the NeiO York papers of TO day.
A terrible and heart-reDdng calamity occurred
yesterday morning, in the burning of a tenement
house, by which an entire family of i've persons
perished by tire, and several Others were severely
injured by leaping from the third and fourth,
story windows. The following are the facts of
the case:-
DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.
About 2 o'clock yesterday morning, Officer
Waters, OF the Seventeenth Precinct, while on
post, discovered that the fourstory brick tene-
ment-house No. 1S8 Avenue A, on the corner of
Thirteenth street, was on lire. he ran down
and tried the door leading up stairs, finding it
closed, but unlocked. He opened it, and dis
covered that the stairways, both front and rear,
were on fire and nearly destroyed. He immedI-
ately sounded the alarm raps to summons as
sistance, and then, with great courage and
presence of mind, sprang up the blazing and
Crum bling stairs
y on reaching the second floor he broke in all
the doors and alarmed the inmates, and then
proceeded to ethrd floor. where he did the
same thing. BY this time the smoke had be-
comtlso dense that the intrepid patrolman was
unable to make further progress; so finding
that those sleeping on the fourth floor were
awake and alive to their danger, ne started
back TO make good his escape. To Lis horror
Waters discovered that the flight of stars lead
ing from the second to the third floor had
caught fire. and were unable to sustain his
weight. In this desperate strait the officer
made leap TO the floor beneath, and was not
moment too soon, for he was struck in mid air
by falling BEAM the blow from which diso-
Gated his right thumb and completely disabled
his arm. The beam also struck his right foot
tearing the heel and sole from his boot, but
leaving the foot uninjured. On recovering his
feet Waters found that the first fight of stairs
were gone, so he passed through q rear window
q gn IUifh
out further injury.
In the meantime several officers of the Seven
teenth Precinct had answered the alarm raps
given by Waters and they procured mattress
and feather bed which they placed on the side
walk on the Thirteenth street front of the ourn-
ing building, in preparation to aid the escape OF
the imprisoned inmates. 1t will now be neces-
sary to give list of the occupants OF the build
ing, in order to simplify the narrative.
THE ESCAPE OF THE OCCUPANTS.
The police and citizens on the sidewalk were
not idle. They shouted to those persons show
ing themselves at the windows not 10 lump
until they could get ladders. Engine Company
No. had been prompt to answer the call OF
one of the members who heard the police give
an alarm, and were on the ground in very few
minutes, and some time before the bells rang
part Ot the building and soon eXtinguished the
flames there. They were then sent inside by
Chief Engineer Kiugsland. citizen rour ding
the corner saw q man holding child out of the
window on the fourth floor as though he was
about to throw it down. He was hallooed to-,
and told 10 mold on until they could get some
ladders.
These were no: readily procured at that early
stage of the fire, so the citizen shouted to the
man to throw down some bedclothes, which he
did. -Four men then grasped these bed-covers,
and the man, who sub -equently proved to be
Mr.. HartZ, carefully dropped his daughter
Catharine aged eight years. she being caught
in safety by those below. Hartz then threw out
his sons Edward, nine years of age, and Adolph,
Opn n W
but they sustained severe though not dangerous
injuries. The police having procured bed, the
father then threw out his little daughter Amelia,
two years OF age, who was roughly shaken and
slightly bruised.
Mrs. Catharine HartZ was the next to follow,
the parents having witnessed the comparative
safe descent of the children. The husband
seized his wife by the wrists, and lowering her
as Tar as possible by his outstretche1 arms, let
her tall. She struck fairly upon the bed, but
her weight was such that the fall caused several
severe injuries. Hartz then followed his family
but he did not take sufficient precaution, and
overlapping the bed, striking heavily upon the
sidewalk, and receiving severe injuries. His
shoulder was dislocated, and two of his ribs
were fractured. The whole family were re.
moved 10 Bellevue Hospital for care and treat
ment.
In the meantime those living ON the second
| floor, who could reach the awning on the avenue
| front, Jumped out, and so reached the street in
comparative safety. Mr.. Georgie's family and
| Mrs. Kopp and her two daughters escaped by
| these means, all being compelled to do so in
| their night clothes, so imminent was their peril.
| The Malone family all jumped out of their win
| dows upon the awning and others upon the
| beds, two of which had been procured by that
| time. Those who jumped on the awning re-
! ceived severe contusions, and were taken to
| Bellevue Hospital or the nearest drug store.
| The Growve family all spranglfrom the fourth
| story windows on the avenue front, lighting on
| the awning, which broke their fall and lessened
| the extent of their injuries. One or two persons
| leaped from the fourth story windows on the
| Thirteenth street side, and were received in
| safety on the bedding.
DISCOVERY OF THE DEAD.
The flames having been eXtinguished, all fur.
| ther interest in the matter was being abandoned
| by the spectators, who had gathered near the
| scene. Their attention, however, was soon re-
| awakened Dy the startling news that five per
SONS had been discovered burnt to death, on
| one of the upper floors, and the excitement
| grew apace. The news proved only too true
| though many doubted it at first. II appears that
| Mr.. Gerquel, the foreman of Engine Company
| No. 5, made Al investigation through the build
| ing to see that the fire was really out. He an6
| his attendants found it difficult to reach the
| upper floors, so precarious was their footing
but they ascertained that the flames were al
| extmguished.
On reaching the fourth floor the firemen were
hori6ed at discovering the dead bodies of five
persons, q man, a woman, and three children
The two adults were tightly clasped IN eacl
others arms, at the foot of the scuttle ladder
one the children lying at the head OF the stairs
| while the other two were huddled near thei'
parents. All had evidently been suaocatet
before the flames had reached them, thougl
even then their forms were not much disfgureC
| by the flames.
The dead were soon carried down ladder
| into the street, when il was ascertaIned tha
they comprised the entire Rotegier family, VIII
| resided in the front part of the third floor
1 nAmaa oil