The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-01-13

PnPe.s VI TIC GLASS; NJ tue mead OF which
The Nation stands Charleston .Netcs and
Courier.
TERRIBLE WORK OF THE FLAMES.
A Human Holocaust I'm New Yorls--Nino
Persona Burned to Death I'm MadIso,
Street.
AT SIS, on the morning of the 4th
instant, fire broke out in tenement
house in the rear of James Doyle's louor
store, at Madison street, in New YORK. in
which nine persons perished. 1t started
ut the bottom of the stairs that furnished
the only mode of exit for the tenemcnts
Of the live story building, barring outside
hrc escapes, and in less than five minutes
swept through the stairway to the roof,
cutting oil the escape of score of per.
sons. The suddenly imperiilcd tenants
made rush for the roof, but the scuttlc
was firmly hooked and would not yield.
The ascending flames drove them back
In their rooms aud scene of the widest
confusion ensued. Men aud women threw
their children from he windows and
jumped after thcul through the flames
that swept across the yard and caught
thcir clothing. When the firemen mas
tered he -ag::S element, The dead bodies
of nine persons who had been burned
were taken out. Several were injured in
making their escape aud were sent to
Chambers Street Hospital.
Ihe scene OF the dreadful holocaust.
the like of which has not occurred in
New York since the tenement house fire
Ill Common street more than year ngo,
aud the dreadful Turner Hall calamity
about the same time, i1 approached
through narrow alley, ,.ardly wide
enough to allow the passage Of q portly
man, between two tall tenements. No. 35
aud 33 Madison street. In front OF No.
30 is Jumes Doyle's liquor store. It's
back door opens directly upon the mar.
row hallway in the rear tenement, where
start was given to this mornings fire.
Plumbers were busy at the foot of the
stairs thawlng out frozen water pipes, and
for this purpose used gasoline apparatus.
by some means it was upset and the in
flnmmabie maleriui ran OUT. There was
binding flash Us of an explosion. that
blew in the door Of tho saloon, and in nn
instant black smoke welled up the long
stairway, irnpelled by the draught setting
towards the open windows in the tor
story. The fire finding yer through the
open doors and windows of the untennn-
ted ground floor Of the house, 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 frightened men and women hud.
died together, afraid to venture out upon
the flreescape that seemed TO lead into
the very jaws of death. Eight families
occupied the house, two on each floor.
On the second flour the Egans and Mul.
doons had the first alarm and escaped
through the windows. Mrs. Mary Egan,
widow, aud her four grown children,
Margaret, Thomas, Juseph and John,
reached the ground in safety by quick
jump. Mrs. Muldoop, who is over eighty
years old, was less fortunate, seizing her
two grand children, Annie, aged 10; and
Kate. aged Z; she sprang from tho fire
escape, but in the fall sprained or broke
her leg, and sue crawled away with diff.
Guilty.
On the floor above, Mr.. Egaa, who
lived alone, escaped with his neghbors.
The McKana family likewise by Jump
ing; Jumes, aged 9; Hugh, aged 4, and
baby; we're thrown through the window
by Charles, their eldest brother, lad of
Is. The mother, Mrs. Kama, was sweep
ing in the yard when the fire broke out );
che rushed to the stairway, but was met
by solid sheet of flame and realizing
the danger of her children, reused them
by shouting before they knew of the
approach OF the deadly visitor. "Jump,
Charles, and throw them down." the
the agonized mother cried, and stretched
out her arms to receive them, as three
little heads looked over the window sill
beside their brother. The lad measured
the distance with his eyes. 1t was more
tIai twenty feet, anu ho Ahran1 from the
venture with drend of instant death.
But the smoke was already filling the
room and pouring through the window.
The children now cried and stretched
their bands towards their mother. The
baby's call, "Mama Mama !" was heard
above Inc roar of the iire and clamor of
tho streeis- The mother cried "Chnriia
for Gods sake, jump |" and the boy flung
The baby into Der arms. The other chill.
dren ioIlowed--himself ieapins last, eii
reaching the ground in safety. On the
fourth floor lived the Cassidy family aud
the Egans, another family but of the
same name as those on the frat floor, and
in the filth and topmost story Mrs. Ellen
Sheridan was ut breakfast with her four
children. The men, as in ali the other
families, had gone TO their work. AT the
first alarm Mrs. Sheridan ran to the door.
and, seeing the hallway efIectually block.
ed, turned TO the window. The flames
there met her also, and in despair she
rushed for the scuttle on the roof. II
was firmly hooked, and her strength.
desperate as she was, did not suffice to
open. Returning to her room she closed
the door on the advancing fire, but too
late--the rooms were filled with smoke,
growing more dense every moment, in
which he woman and her children
CROPPED about, yainly seeking the window.
They were found dead. evidently choked
before tho flames reached them. The
Cassidy family had attempted to escape
by the roof, also, and falling had reached
the Windows sud flung themselves out
only two of them, Charles and Thomas.
boys of six and eight years, were LEFT.
They were suffoca.ed, and when found
their clothes were burned. OF the Egan
family ali were saved. A little girl of
two years escaped by throwing herself
into the yard, but Mary Egan was badly
injured in the fall and was taken to the
hospital. The whole was over in leta
time by far Than it takes to tell il. Tbs
yard was filled with writhlng bodies OF
| ocorched and Injured women, and police