The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-01-06
Fire Record.

county.
Fire Record.
NEW YORK HoL0cAUsT-FoUR PERSONS
BURNED TO DEATH AND OTHERS INJURED
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.
New YORK, January ga fire broke out
| this morning in the basement OF Nos. 81 and
GO east Fourth street, known as Turner'S
Hall, and occupied by William Wrinkle as a
ballroom. The building was owned by the
Turner Society. and was damaged $1,000.
The stock was damaged $4,000. After the
fire William Gelb, ten years Of age; Louis
Schmidt, thirty years; Henry Gihweiler,
twenty five years; and Teresa Erhard,
twenty-five years. were found on the top
| hoor-al dead. Wrinkle and his wife were
badly burned, and sent To- The hospital.
Annie Bauer received internal injuries by
| jumping from the fourih-story window.
and was badly burned about the hands and
face. An unknown woman had both legs
broken by jumping from the top floor.
1t was known that William Wrinkle, the
proprietor, with his wife and employees,
slept in the building, and before the heavy
doors could be broken open several Of them
appeared at upper windows imploring help.
Even after the doors had yielded the unf0r.
tunates could not be reached, as the flames
swept up The broad and only stairway. The
firemen went to The roof Of the adjoining
house and tried to release the imperilled
people by means OF the scpttlc, but there
was no scuttle to the building in which
they were confined. A hole had to be cut
through the roof, and by this means only
they were reached. By this time four per-
sons had been burned or sufiocated to death.
The origin OF the fire is unknown. IL
broke out in the basement, and swept up
the broad stairway like flash Of lightning.
During the night there had been a wedding
celebration in the building, but the guests
had all departed by 2 a. NJ. Three hours
afterwards the fire broke out.
| ADDITIONAL NARROWING DETAILS.
Surrounded as they were by flames, and
cut off from all access to safety below by
the burning staircase, several persons sus-
tanned severe injuries by leaping from the
highest stories OF the building. One man,
whose name is unknown, while crying
frantically for aid to the tiremen beneath,
was all the while pushing woman, who
seemed be to resisting, from the fourth-story
window. She finally leaped forth, and
struck the ground on her feet with sick
ening crash, breaking both her legs and
arms, and almost crushing her TO death.
| The fines seemed to be drawn up the
staircase as il by the draught of huge
chimney. and the sleeperS awoke only IN
season TO find heir
ESCAPE CUT OFF. Z
OF twelve or fifteen persons sleeping in
No. Ga. four were burned to death and five
injured.
Nos. 81 and &C clst Fourteenth street,
the scene OF The tragedy, is double house
with large number OF lodge and meeting
rooms. There were no fire-escapes attached
tC the building. There were two stair
WAYS, one wide and one narrow one, and
the wide stairway served as funnel through
which the flames, when the fire broke out,
spread to and seized upon the upper stories.
There had been meeting OF the Turner'S
Society, which had received visiting breth-
rem from YOnkerS, and also wedding party.
| in the building during the evening, but
| these had all gone away before the lire oc-
Cured. At the head OF the wide stair
case were bedrooms. William Wincket,
the ianitor, and his wife Josephine, slept In
one of these, and in the room adjoining
Mrs. Wincket's sister and little adopted
child. William Let's, aged ten years, slept.
They had been in bed since midnight, and 1t
was four hours since Mr.. Wincket had turned
| in. When the fire was discovered, the
alarm failed to arouse the sleeping inmates,
|
and they were
sTuPEFIED ALMOST TO USCONsCIOUsNEss
by. smoke. Ladders were raised to the
roof and the tread Of the fremen aroused
tie Inmates, who endeavored 10 make their
escape, but they were met by rush OF
| flames Then they made for the roOi and
the firemen helped them up, more or less
terribly burned. Before the child could be
saved. however, it was burned almost TO q
crisp Streams Of water were in the mean
time being poured on the burning building.
From the central portion OF the house clies
of agony and shouts for help were also
heard. On The cast side had slept George
Muller, Ernst and Herman Ruhi, LOUIS
Meyer. Henry Gihrweiler, and Louis
Schmidt. waters. and in the west bed
rooms Teresa Erhardt, Annie Bauer and
Rose, servantgirlS. Their floor was
AvAsT SEA OF FLAMES,
and the men and women were seen rushing
wildly about looking for means OF escape.
George Muller and Ernst and Herman Rubl
reached the roof half suffocated and partly
burned. Louis Meyer sprang from win
dow to the yard below, distance OF sixty
feet or more, and was picked up half killed.
Louis Schmidt was found, after the fremen
yentured in, crouching in corner, whence
he had Dee1 unaDle 10 escape, anu was
burned to a crisp. Henry GirhweiIer
Jumped from window into the yard
and was found there, but died in
the poice-station. Every bone in his
body was broken. Teresa Erhardt was
burned to death in her room, and her fea-
lures were blackeued and almost unrecog-
nizable. Annie Bauer sprang from win
dow rather than die in the fire, and fell in
the ward. She was terribly burned, and
sustained internal injuries from her fall. and
il is thought she cannot live. Rose, the last
OF the servants, also jumped from window,
but struck an arbor in the yard. She broke
both legs and arms and received internal IN
iures.
A BRAID.NILL BURNED.
! BOsTON, January 5.-The braid-mill at
South Carver, Mass, was burned yesterday.
Loss, $50, 900 to $4,000; insurance, S4O,O
The Maine MIDDLE.
AUGUSTA, January 5.-The members OF
the Legislature are now assembling, and the
position OF affairs is freely discussed by the
Republican side, but the Democrats are eX-
tremely reticent. A large number OF these
have not read the opinion OF the Supreme
Court, and refuse to give their views OF the