The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-05
A SHOCKING DISASTER.
Nine Lives Lost by u Tenement House
Fire fn New York Yesterday.
WILD CONFUSION AND TERRIBLE sCENEs-DE-
TAILS op THE APPAIR-NARROw ESCAPES
NOBLE WORK OF TUE FIRENEN, &C., &C.

NEW YORK, January "A fire occurre
this morning In the rear Of 30 Madison
street by which four-story tcnement-hous
@as DESTROYED and nine lives were lost. tn
vicrims are Ellen Sheridan, aged forty
three; Katie Sheridan, aged fourteen
Maggie Sheridan. aged five; Martin S1erl
dan, aged three; john Walsh, aged thir
teen: Thomss cassidy, eyed six; Charlie
Cassidy, aged eight; gifl named Edgan
aged two; and Mrs. Sheridan, age un
known. Several persons were Injured
Among them were J1mes Cassidy, Mary
Egnn, and Charles Walsh.
| Another account says "At HOLD this
morning. a fire broke OIL, in tenement
bOuseIn the real OF James Doyle's IiqnoI
sore at % Madison street. II started at the
bottom OF the stairs that furnished the only
means OF exit. The fire in less than five
minutes swept through The stairway 20 the
roof. cutting of tbe escape OF a score OF per-
sons. Suddenly The Impcrlled tenants made
rush for the roof, but the scutile was firm
~ hooked and would not yield. The as
eending flames drove them back u their
rooms. A scene OF widest confusion en-
sued. Men and women threw their chill
dren from windows and jumped after them
through The flames, which swept across the
yard and caught their clothing. When the
tiremen mastered the raging element The dead
bodies OF nihe persons who had been burned
were taken out. Several were Injured in
making their esclpe and were sent TO the
Chambers Street Hospital"
The scene OF the dreadful holocaust, the
like OF which has not occurred in this city
since the tenement house hre IN Cannon
street more than year ago, and the dread
full Turner Hall calamity about the same
time, Is approached through narrow alley,
hardly wide enough 10 allow the passage Of
q DOrty man between two tall tcnemcntS,
Nos. 33 and So Madison street. In front Of
No. 81 is james DOylt's liquor-store; its
back door opens directly upon the narrOy
hallway in rear Of the tenement where the
start was given 10 This mornings fire.
Plumbers were busy az the foot OF the
stairs thawing out frozen water-pipeS, and
for this purpose used gasoline apparatus.
By some means it was upset, and the in
fl .mmabe material ran our. There was Il
binding fash, Il Of an explosion, that blew
in the door 81 the saloon. and III an instant
black smoke walled UP the long stair
way, impelled ~ the draught setting to-
wards the open windows in the ;Op story.
The fire, finding vent through the open
doors and windows OF the untcn1nted
9rOundflOOr Of the house, bad seized upon
shutters, wlGdOW.irames, and wooden floors
OF The balconies outside, licking them up
Ike so much tissue paper, and reaching up
ward toward the h0CrS, where frightened
men and women budllcd together, afraid
to venture Oul upon the tire-eSclpe that
seemed 10 lead INTO the very jaws OF death.
Eight families occupied the house, two
on each floor. On the second floor
the EaganS and MuIdoons had at
the first alarm escaped through the
windows. Mrs. EigIr, a widow, and her
four grown childrcn-Margaret, Thomas,
Joseph. and John-reached the ground in
safely by a quick jump. Mrs. Mnldoor,
who is over eighty years old. was less for
tnnatc. Selling her two grandchildren
Anne. aged ten, and Kate, aged -iX-<hc
sprang from the iirc-e>cape. but in the fail
she spraned or broke her leg, and crawed
away with difficulty. On the floor above,
Mr.. Regan, who lived alone, escaped with
his ncighb0rS, the McKenna family, like
wise by jumping. James, aged nine,
Hugh, aged four, aud the baby were
thrown through a window by Charles,
their eldest brother, lad OF fifteen
The mother Mckenna was sweeping
in the yard when the fire broke out,
and she rushed to the stairway, but was
met by solid sheet Il flames, and real
izing the danger OF her children, reused
them by shouting, before they knew Of the
approach OF the dearhly visitor, "Jump.
Charles, throw them down." the ago
nlZed mother cried and stretched out her
arms to receive them Is three little heads
looked over the windOw-sill beside their
brother, who measured the distance with
his eyes. 1t was more than thirty feet, aad
he shrank from the venture. But the smoke
was already filling the room and pouring
through the window. The children now
cried and stretched the;I hands towards
their mother. The baby's call for Mama"
was heard above the roar OF the fire and the
clamor in the street. The mother cried,
" Charlie, for GODS sake jump" and the
boy flung the bIbg into her arms. The other
children followed. himself leapng last. All
reached the ground in safety.
On the fourth floor lived Cas>idy's fami-
ly and Elgan's, and in The fifth and topmOst
story Mrs. Ellen Sheridan was at breakfast
with her four children.
The men, As in all the other families, had
gone 10 their work. At the fist alarm
Mrs. Sheridan ran 10 the door, and seeing
the hallway etlectuallv blocked, turned 10
the window. The fumes there met her
also, and in despair she rushed for The scut-
lie on The roof. 1t was firmly hooked,
and her strength, desperate aS she
was, did not suffice TO open it.
Returning 10 her room she closed The door
on the advancing fire, but too late. he
rooms were filled with smoke growing
more dense every moment, in which the
Woman AID her children CROPPED about,
vainly seeking a window. They were
found dead, evidently cloked before the
fl Imes reached them. The Cassidy family |
had attempted 10 escape by the roof, and |
also failing had reached The windows and |
flung themselves out. Only two Of them, |
Charles and Thomas, boys Of six and eight |
years OF age. were left. They were >uiio-
Gated, and when found their clothing was |
burned. OF The Eagan fsmily there were
two saved. A little girl OF two years !
CscapCd by throwing herself into the
ward, but Mary Eagan was badly
injured in the fall, and was taken 10 the
hospital. he whole fire was over in
less time by far than it takes to tell it. The |
ward was filled with writing b0die. OF the !
scOrched and injured women, aud the pO- !
lice aud tircmen quickly removed these and
made heroic efforts II gain The upper tlOOls, |
whence issued the cries OF those get impri- |
soned. They were be1ten back each time.
Ofhcrr Thomas Barrett reached the second !
floor on the tire escape, and assisted IN the !
rescue OF TWO children before he himself |
was competed to jump for has lie. In "A |
half hour all was over, when the house |
,i0od scorChrd. backehed, and dripping |
rom roof to cellar with The torrents OF water !
hat had flooded it. The damage to The |
house was estimated at $4,000. The build |
ne is the property OF Mrs. EIgan, a wealthy |
re- ident OF an uptown street, and was a
lair type OF hundreds of structures in the |