The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-01-05
Fire in n Tenement House i'm Now
York Caused by the Upsctting of n
Gasoline Apparatus-A Descrip-
tl0n OF the sad scene-Names
OF the Unfortunate Oc.
cupants of the Dead
Iy Man Trap.

James Cassidy, Mary Oman and Charles
Walsh.
Another account says at $40 o'clock
this morning FIRE broke out in
a tenement house in the rear of
james Doyle's liquor storc, at No. 35 Madison
street. Ii started at the bottom of the stair,
that furnished the only mode of exit for the
tenants of the iiye-story building, barring the
outside fire escape, and in less than Ave min
utes swept through the stairway TO the roof
cutting off tho escape of score of persons.
Suddenly imperiled, the tenants made q
rush for the roof, nut tho scuttlo was firmly
hooked ard would not yield. The ascending
flames drove them back to their rooms, and
scene Of wild con usion onsued. Men and
women threw their children from windows
and jumped after them through the flames
that swept across the yard and caught their
clothing,
When the llremen stopped the raging elo-
ments the dead bodies Of nine persons, who
had been burned, were taken out. Several
were iAiured in making their escape, ard
were sent to the Chambers street hospital.
The scene of tho dreadful holocaust, the
like of which has not occurred in this city
since the tenement house Are in Cannon
street msrs than year ago, and the dreadful
Turner'S hall calamity about the same time,
is approached through marrow alley, hardly
wide enough TO allow the pasIag Of a portly
mau between the tall tenem9nts Nos. 35 and
81 Madison street.
In iroot of No. 35 is James Doyle's LIQUOR
store. Its back door opens directly upon
tho narrow hallway in the rear tenement,
where tho start was given to this morning. 5
fire.
Plumbers were busy at tho foot Of the
stairs taking out frozen water pipes and for
this purpose used y gasoline apparatus.
By some means it was upset and the inAam-
msblo mater ran out. There was binding
fash, as of an explosion, that blew in the
door of the saloon, and in an instant black
smoke swelled up along tho stairway, i'm.
PEELED by the draught setting toward an
open window at the top story.
The fire finding vent through tte open
floors and windows Of the untenabted ground
floor of the house had seized upon shutters
window frames, and tho wooden enclosure
of the balcony outside, licking
them up like so much tissue
paper and reaching upward toward thy
floors, where the frightened men and women
huddled together afraid TO venture out on tho
fire escape that seemed to lead into the very
| jaws of death.
Eight families occupied the house, two on
each floor.
Or the second floor, the Egans and the
Muldoons had at the first alarm escaped
through windows.
Mrs. Mary A. Egsn, widow, and hel
four grown children, Margaret, Thomas
Joseph and John, reached the ground il
safety by quick jump.
Mrs. Muldoon, who is over 80 years old
was less fortunate. SeziDg her two grand
children, AnEio, aged 10, and Kate, aged 7
she spraug from the fire. escape, but in Tn,
fall sprained or broke her leg, and crawleC
away with difficulty.
On the floor above, Mr.. Eagsn, who livet
alone, escaped with his neighbor.
The Mckenrs family likewise escaped b.
jumping. james, aged 0, and Hugh
aged A were thrown through a window b,
CHARLES, their eldest brother, aged 16
The mother, Mrs. McKenna, was sleeping il
the ward when the fire broke out. Sh
rushed to the stairway, but was met by
solid sheet Of flame. Realizing the DANCE
: of her children, she aroused them by shout
, ing before they knew of the approach of III
deadly visitor
Jump, Charles Throw them down,
tho agonized mother cried and stretched ou
! her srms to receive them as the three littl
heSds 10 ked over the windowsill besid
their brother.
The lad measured the distance with hi
eyes. 1t was more than twenty feet and h
shrank from tho venture with tho dread G
instant death, but the smoke was alread
filing the room, pouring through the wir
dows.
) The children now cried and stretched thei
heads toward their mother. The baby's cal
''mama, mama" was heard above the nois
of tho fire and the clamor Of the street.
The mother cried "Cbarlie, for Gods SAX
iump," and tho boy flung the baby into be
: arms. The other children followed, himstl
a leaving last. :,
On tho fourth floor lived the Cassid
: family and the Egan's; also another fami,
: but of tho same name as those on tho fir
\ floor, and on the fifth and top story Mr.
Q Ellen Sheridan and four children wei
, breakfssting.
The men, as in sll the other families, hs
f; gone to their work, Az the first alarm Mr.
Sheridan ran TO the door, and seeing the hal
way sffectually blocked turned to q window
The fumes there met, and in her desps
she rushed for the scuttle on the roof.
4 was firmly held and her strength, despora
o as she was, didn't suffice to open 1t. RI
r turning to her room she closed the door Q
!. tho advancing FIRE, but too late. The room
q were filled with smoke growing more dem
A every moment, in which the women al
: children groped about vainly seeking u
windows. They were found dead, evident
choked before the flames r sched them.
The Cassidy family had attempted to q
n cape by the reof, also failing. They hi
: reached the windows and flung thensely
y out. Only two of them, Thomas and Charl'
d, a boy S years old, were left. They were 81
,,r focaied, and when found their clothes we
10 burned off.
70 The Esgan family were all saved b
O. Mary, little girl aged 2 years, escaped
g. throwing herself in the yard, and was bad
injured in the fall. She was taken to I
hospital.
The whole FIRE was over in less time tn
q it takes to tell II.
O. Another victim of the FIRE was found y
evening in the person Of babe Of Mrs. VI