Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-01-27
A DISASTROUS FIRE IN BROOKLYN.

Three Lives Lost and several 5Peobl
Seriously Tnjuret--A HIotiaof's BRAY,
From the n. Y. Times of Wednesday.
A few minutes before 7 O'Clock las
evening, a fire, which resulted in a sac
loss Of life, occurred In the four stor,
brick tenement house at the southeas;
corner OF 'Hoyt and Pacific streets,
Brooklyn. The flames were first dis
covered in the cellar, and so rapidly die
they spread that E. J. Boedecker, the
proprietor OF grocery Immediately
over the cellar, was obliged to iumr
from the back window of the store te
save himself IT was ten or fifteen min
utes after the fire was discovered be
fore all alarm was sounded, and to this
fact, must be attributed the loss
OF life which resulted. In the uppe,
part OF the house the residents received
their first notification of the fire from
the approach Of the flames to their OWL
apartments. The second floor, imme-
dlately over the grocery store, was occu-
pied III the back part BY the family of
Boedecker, consisting of five persons.
They effected their escape by back
stairway. The third floor was occupied
by Mrs Mary Flood, aged 70; her two
sons, Thomas and John, aged respect
lively 80 and IS, and Timothy McCor-
mick, his son Patrick, and the latter g
wife and family, composed altogether of
SIX persons The fourth floor was occu'
pied by John McGarry and his sister,
and Robert .Deidrick and his family,
consisting of four persons From the
moment of the discovery of the fire a
perfect panic appears tohave seized not
only On the unfortunates imprisoned by
the flames, but upon the people in the
streets. One old woman, Mary Flood,
appeared at the window OF her apart
ments on the third floor, and called in
vain for q ladder or for help Of any kind.
At last, driven frantic by the flames
she stood in the window, she jumped
headlong into the street. The unfor-
tunate woman alighted on her head on
a wooden awning, and crashing through,
reached the sidewalk below mass OF
mangled flesh and bones. An hour af-
terward she died in the Long Island
College Hospital, Mrs Flood had
hardly jumped from the window,
when she was followed by her two
sons, Thomas and John. Thomas re-
ceived severe injuries to his spine and
was also internally injured. John wax
badly, and it is thought fatally, injured
by his fall. A rare presence of MIND
and courage was displayed by Mrs
Mccormick, who resided with her hus
band and his father on the same floor
with the Floods. Procuring rope she
fastened it round the waist of her little
daughter Nelly and proceeded to lower
her to the street When the child had
almost reached the sidewalk the rope,
which was a slender one, broke, and
the little girl, falling heavily, received
severe injuries to her head. Mrs. Nc
Cormick quickly drew up the rope and
making it fast in the room lowered her
self. BY this time a ladder had been
procured and she was safely assisted to
the ground. The father-in-law and hus-
band of the woman were suffocated in
the building. A brother named John
Mccormick succeeded in forcing his
way through the flames and smoke to
the sidewalk. He was severely burned.
When the firemen had the flames suf-
fciently under control to enter the
building the bodies of the old man,
Timothy Mccormick. and of his son
Patrick, were found in back room on
the third floor dead. Neither was much
burned. Strange to say, all the occu-
pants of the fourth floor escaped with
out serious injuries. John McGarry
and his sister were not injured in any
degree. Minnie Deidrick, aged II, a
daughter of Robert Deidrick, had her
eyelashes slightly, and one of her hands
severely, burned. After the alarm
sounded the fremen were promptly
at the scene OF the fire, but at that
time the flames had reached up
through the house, and all who
escaped had lett the build
ing. Seeing that with the force first
summoned it would be impossible to
subdue the flames, the Chief Engineer
ordered second alarm. Even then the
house was completely Quilted before the
fire was put out. To the poor people
who escaped nothing was saved. Their
furniture and all their personal proper
ty, none of which was insured, is an
Boedecker estimates his loss at So, 900,
and is insured for $4,000. The build
ing, which is owned by Edward
Van Brant Nissan, was damaged
to the extent of about $40,
The insurance could not be ascertained.
Fire Marshal Thorne has not yet been
able to determine the cause of the fire,
but it is supposed to have been caused
by fire l-indled in the cellar for the
use of some plumbers, who had been
engaged during the day mending the
water pipes. The bodies of the two
NcCormack's were removed to the
Third Precinct Station. Up to late
hour last night large crowds were in the
vicinity of the fire, and good deal OF
excitement prevailed.