Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1881-01-13
A FIRE HORROR.
Terrible Fate of Ten Occupnnts Of n Tene-
ntent-HOuse In New York CIty-WOmen
and Children Obliged to Leap from Lofty
Windows to the Pavement Below.

windows to the Pavement Below.
NEW YORK, january
AT 1915 this morning q fire broke out in thu
tenement in the rear of James Doyle's liquo
store 35 Madison street. 1t started at the bot
tom of the stairs that furnished the only eXi
for tho tenants in the tlYe-story building, eX
cepting the hre-escape attached to the build
ing outside, and in less than five minutes
swept through the stairway to the roof, cut
ting off the escape of score of persons. Thu
flames soon found vent also through the two
lower,stores, and thus barred egress BY the
tire-escape. Tho tenants panic-striokcn, made
a rush for the roof, but the scuttle was firmly
hooked and would not yield. Ascending, the
flames Grove the people back within Their
rooms. The widest confusion followed Men
and women threw their children from the
windows and jumped after them through the
i flames thatswept across the yard and set their
clothing ablaze
When the tiremen obtained mastery, the
dead bodies of nine persons who had been
burned were taken out from the building.
Several were injured ntheir efforts to escape,
and were sent to the hospital. - -
the scene Of the calamity is approached
through q narrow alley Cnardly wide enough to
allow the passage of aportly NAM between
two tan tenements, Nos. 35 and 80 Madison
street In front of the house No 35 is DOylo's
| liquor store. Its back door opens directly
upona narrow hallway in the rear Of the tene-
ment where the fire obtained its sUart.
Plumbers were at work atthe footof the stairs
thawing out frozen water-pipes and for this
purpose used gasoline. The vessel was by
some means upset, and, becoming ignited,
there was an explosion, which blew in the edoor
| of the saloon. # +
In nm instant black smoke rolled lip the
long stairway, drawn onward by the draught
caused by an open window in the top story.
There was momentary hush as the fright
ened plumbers hurried into the yard. A man
sitting by the barrOom stove slammed the
hall door on the advancing fire. Immediately
there was a wild rush overhead, and the air
was filed with the walls of imprisoned men
and women, shrieks Of frightened children,
ana cries for help.
The bar-keeper and plumbers ran through
the street to the nearby police station. Very
soon the clang Of ire-bells filled the street,
and the narrow alley became filed with fire.
men and police struggling to bring help to the
imprisoned and burning tenants They came
too late. The fire, finding vent through the
open doors and windows Of the untenanted
ground floor of the house and through the
door, had seized upon the shutters, window.
frames, and wooden floors of the balconies
outside licking them up like so much tissue
paper, and reaching upward toward the floors
where the frightened occupants were huddled
together! H
Eight families occupied the house, two on
each floor. From tho second floor the Eagans
and Muld0ons had at the first alarm escaped
through the windows. Mrs. Mary Eagan
widow and her four grown children, Marga-
ret, Thomas, Joseph and John, reached the
ground In safety by Il quick jump. Mrs. Mul-
doom, who is over eighty years Old, was less
Fortunate. Seizing nor two grandchildren,
Annie, aged ten years, and Kate, aged seven,
she sprang from the fire-escape, but in the fall
broke her leg, and erawled away with difIi. 4
Guilty -f.t...
On the third floor Mr.. Regan, who lived
alone escaped with his neighbors, the McKep. !
ma family, likewise by jumping. james, aged
niue, Hugh, aged four, and the BABY were
thrown from q window by Charles McKenna,
their eldest brother, q lad of fifteen. The |
mother was sweeping In the yard when the fire
broke out. She rushed to the stairway, but |
was met by solid sheet of flame, and reaiz- |
ing the danger of her children, reused them |
by shouting, before they knew Of their danger. |
Is Jump, Charles; throw them down." the ago
nized mother cried, and stretched out her
arms to receive them as the three little heads
looked over the window sill beside their broth
er. The mother appealed to Charles to throw
the children to her and then to jump him
self. The boy quickly measured the dis
tance to the ground from his third-story
perch, and taking the baby up first, tossed it
out and 1t fell into the arms Of its mother
who caught the other children as they were
sent to her one by one, and finally broke the
fall of Charles as he leaped, and all escaped
lnhurt.
On the fourth floor lived Cassidy and an.
other family of Eagans. Tho Cassidy family,
unable to escape to the roof, flung themselves
from the window Two OF the children,
Charles and Thomas aged six and eight years, 4
In the roomsand were burned to II
learh. The Eagan family also leaped tot
yard, except child, aged two years, that was
jutrocated. Mary Eagan, in the fall was badly
injured.
On the fifth and topmost story Mrs. Ellen
Sheridan was at breakfast with her four chill.
lren. At the first alarm she gathered to.
Jether the children and sought to escape by
he stairs, but the fire had possession Of them.
There was no suecor from the street, and she
ought the seuttle In the roof, but 1t was i'm
Movable. She shrank back from the leap to
he yard, ave stories below, and, closing the
oOr of her apartment to keep out the rapidly
flame herself and children were
by the smoke rapidly filling the
oom.
A youth named Donegan, through an adjoin-
1g house, had reached tho roof of the burn
lg building, and, with an AK demolished the !
cutie, Kate Sheridan with a child In nar
rms, endeavored to escape. Her clothis.z
-as abIaze. AS the girl nearly reached the top
he extended her arm to Donegan, who ,
rasped H., but the flesh peeled from the bone
nd the girl and child fell back into the flames
leCes of the charred flesh remaining in the
ands Of DOnegan.
Another victim Of the fire was found this
ftornoon, making the total ten. This addi-
on to the number is the babe Of Mrs. Cas-
dy, which was discovered wrapped in a
anket and clasped to the breast Of its dead :
other.
Timothy Harrington, the plumber, is arrest :
!. His hands are burned. He charges the
hole disaster to the careessness Of his boy J
elper named MoGloan, who has disappeared. :
heir employer, Mr.. Patten, has also been ar. :
sted
OpulatlOn of States and Territories. o
The Superintendent of the Census makes n
Q following approximate statement of the h