The New York herald., 1878-02-05
SUFFOCATED IN BED.
FIRE IN AN EAST SIDE rENEMzNr-FoUR
CHILDREN KILLED By THE sMoxE-ExcITINo

FIRE IN AN EAST SIDE TENEMENr-FoUR
CHILDREN KILLED By THE sMoxE-ExcIrINa
SCENES.
Que Of those fires, the mysterious origin OF which
is rarely solved discovered The six story
ment house, No. 55s Sixth street, about eleven
O'CLOCK last night, causing damage of about $40
in money and tho loss OF four lives. No 554
10 a tenement house, with stairs so narrowly con-
structcd that Two persons oil ordinary hardly
pass, and had not the fire been providentialy dts
covered when IL WAS the hvcs Of the thirty
occupants OF the building would have been
placed in jeopardy, II not lost. AS II was, the
timely discovery OF the Ore prevented more than an
ordinary panic among the inmates OF the house,
although four children whose father attep pding g
to his business below and whose mother was out
spending the evening. suHocated 10 death In
their beds
On6cer Mayiorth, OF the Seventeenth precinct. was
standing the Of Sixth street and avenue l.
when he was startled bv hearing cries OF ''FiIcI"
coming from OF The windows the second floor Of
the tonomont house. He ran to signal box No 274 and
sounded an alarm. it was quickly responasd 70 oy
line Of hose was carried into the buidtng by dozen
or more drcmeu. The IRE had broken out IN
mattress in the 'front.' the second door IN tho
apartments occupied by Thomas Cassidy q junknan,
whose store was in The basement OF the building At
the time tho fire broke there asleep in
adjoining room Mr. Cussidy's children, four boys,
aged rcspectivey-Joscph, nve years; Thomas, tour
years; John, two years. and James fourteen months
The rst one who discovered tho re was Maria ins-
try, servant employed by Mr. Cassidy. who was
about to retire for the night. Mr. Cassidy was
on tho flight OF stairs below when the servant
discovered the smoke and gave the alarm, which
heard by The officer. The father on bong apprsed OF
the danger became frantic, and, s said, was unable
10 repder any assistance.
BRINGING OUT THE CHILDREN
Edward Mclain. young man. residing at No. b3s,
same street. was standing al his and heard the
ALARM and rushed into the burning room and carried
out Thomas and Joseph in an unconscious condition
Tho other two children had been taken out BY
tho servants q minute before. They wero also
UNCONSCIOUS. Information was quickly carried to the
Seventeenth precinct station house, and Captain
RED 10 the scene and rendered valuable assist
ancs In rescuing the other inmates from their
perous position on tho upper noors An ambulance
telcgraphed for from Bellevue Hospital, which ar
rived in charge OF Dr. Leveridge DR.. Thompson. OF
meantime and on examining tho children promo unced
John and James to be dead and the other two probably
dying.
Maria Knstery the servant was examined by
Captain MCCULLOUGH, 10 whom she made tho
following statement About scven O'Clock Ibis
evening l went up stairs with the children and
put them to bed remained thore until they
ore all asleep, after which went to tho basement,
whore stopped until few minutes after eleven,
whom ! lett TO go to bed. Before leaving the room
the snd.ea SLEPT ss ssnsuSsd ,ha nS
where they wero found whom the lire WAS
put OUT There was fire IN tho stove in
thc room wucre NY poo was Iouno Oh mr.. all w
abe to say how " broke out am sure that there
were no matches In the either Whom I
reached tho second flight OF stairs l discovered
smoke and / at once oponcd the room door
an found The apartment nlled with smoke. made
my way TO the front window aud gave the alarm, al
ter which l went 70 the bedroom wnerc
the children slept and took tho Two youngest
in my arms and carried them oown stairs
and gave them into the custody OF one OF the neigh
bors. was about TO return to the room for the
others when met young man who was carrying
them down stairs in his arms. ! afterward learned
that the had carried down had been sufIOcated
TO death."
The burning mattress was cxtnguishod by the nre-
men, the loss occasoned by It's burning will not
exceed $40 Mrs Mary Cassidy, the mother Of the
un fort unatc children, had left her house to visit a
friend did not learn Of her sad bereavement until
her return somo timo later.