Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-05
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Fire in a New York Tene.
ment House.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN PERISH,
Daring Leaps from Upper Windows
narrowing Scenes.
ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE RzconD-usIos.l

out this morning in the rear of No. 80 Madi-
son street, IN four-stoiy tenement. Nine
lives were lost, as follows: Ellen Sheridan,
aged 4S years; Kate Sheridan, IA; Maggie
Sheridan, 8; Martin Sheridan, 3; John
Walsh, 10; Thomas Cassidy, 6 Charles
Cassidy, S; girl named Egan, aged 2, and
Mrs. Sheridan, age unknown. Several per-
sons were injured, among them James Cas-
sidy Mary Egan and Charles Walsh.
DETAILED ACCOUNT.
| The fire. broke out in the rear of James
| Doyle's liquor store. 1t started at the bottom
of the stairs that furnished the only exit for
the tenants in the tve-story building, except
the fire escape attached to the building
outside, and in less than FIVE minutes swept
through the stairway to the roof, cut
| ting off the escape Of q score of per-
sons. The flames soon found vent, also,
through the two lower stories, and thus barred
egress by the fire-escape. The tenants, panic.
stricken, made q rush for the roof, but the
scuttle was firmly hooked and would not
yield. The ascending fumes drove people
back within their rooms. The widest con.
fusion followed. Men and women threw
their children from the windows and jumped
after them through TIE flames that swept
across the yard and set their clothing ablaze.
When the firemen obtained mastering of
the FIRE the dead bodies of the nine already
mentioned were taken out. of the ruins.
Several were injured. The scene of the
calamity, the like of which has not occurred
in this city since the tenement house FIRE or
Canon street, year ago, and the Turner
Hall disaster about the same time is ap-
preached through narrow alley (hardly wide
enough to allow the passage Of portly MANI
between two tall tenements, Nos. SO and So
Madison street. The back door opens directly
upon narrow hallway in the rear tenement,
where the FIRE obtained its start
CAUSE OF THE FIRE.
Plumbers were at work at the foot Of the
stairs, thawing out the frozen water-pipes,
and for this purpose used q gasoline vessel,
which was by some means upset, and becom-
ing ignited, was the cause of the explosion,
which blew in the door Of saloon. In an
instant black smoke rolled up the long stair
way, drawn inward by the draught caused
by an open window in the top story. There
was a momentary hush as the frightened
plumbers hurried into yard. A man sitting
! by the bar-room stove slammed the hall door
on the advancing fire. Immediately there
was wild rush overhead, and the sound of
breaking glass, and the air was filed with
the walls OF imprisoned men and women.
The shouts of frightened children. and cries
for help of the barkeeper and plumbers, who
ran through the street to the nearby police
station, the clang of fre-bells, filed the
street, and the narrow alley became filed
with fremen 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 shut
| ters, windoR frames and wooden floors of the
balconies outside, licking them up like so
much tissue paper, and reaching upward to
| floors where frightened men and women hud
died together, afraid to venture out on the
fire escape, that was itself atiame, while the
flames within the house were plainly visible
through the uplifting doors, then being fast
consumed. Eight families occupied the
| house, two on each floor On the second
floor the EagRns and Muldoons had at the
first alarm escaped through the window.
Mrs. Mary Eagan, widow, and her four
and John, reached the ground in safety by
| quick jump. Mrs. Muldoon, who is over so
years, was less fortunate. Seizing her two
randchildren-Annie, aged 10, and Kate,
aged 7-she sprang from the fire escape but
ia her fall sprained or broke leg, and
crawled away with difficulty. On the
third floor, Mr.. Regain, who lived
alone, escaped with his neighbors, tie
McKenna family, likewise by jumping.
james, aged 9; Hugh, aged 4, and the baby
were thrown through window by Charles
| McKenna, their eldest brother, lad of 15
The mother was sweeping in the yard when
the FIRE broke out. She rushed to the stair.
way, but was met by
SOLID SHELF OF FLAME,
And realizing the danger of her children,
reused them by shouting, before they knew
of their danger. The mother appealed to her
son to throw the children to her and Jump
himself. While the baby, frightened by the
| cries of others who were alarmed at the
smoke which was fast filling the room, con-
stantly cried, with its little arms outstretched,
"Mamms, ma, ma, the boy quickly meas
ured the distance to the ground from Ills
perch, and taking the baby up first, tossed it
out, and it fell into the arms of it's mother
who caught the other children as they were
sent to her, one by one, and firallv broke the
fall of Charles as he leaped, and all escaped
unhurt Cassidy and others of the family of
Egans lived on the fourth floor, Mrs. Ellen
| Sheridan and four children on the fifth. At
the first alarm she sought escape with the
children by the stairs then tried the scuttle
of the roof. Both failed to afford exit, and
closing the door of the room she and the
children were suffocated with the smoke.
All of the Cassidy family jumped except two
boys, 6 and 8, who were burned to death.
The Egans also leaped except the child 2
years old, who was suffocated. Officer
Thomas Barrett saved two children from the
story by the fre-escape, but the flames drove
him away with burned hands. The fire only
lasted half an hour. The bodies were recov-
cred and presented horrid spectacle Some
| instances Of remarkable bravery and quick
wit were developed during the progress of
the flames.
THE PREMISES DESCRIBED.
/ On each side of the hallway on every floor
of the building were small living room and
two bedrooms, each barely sig feet square
The living rooms all had two windows enter
ing on the cours, and one OF each set of bed
rooms also fronted upon it. while the remain.
ing bedroom in each suit Of rooms was dark.
fire escape led from the roof to the first floor,
with balconies connecting with the suites of
rooms upon each floor. A corridor on each
floor led from the narrow cramped entry of
each floor to the balcony. The stairs by which
the families reached their rooms were not wide
enough to allow two persons to comfortably
pass each other, and they were also full Of turns
to economic space. A scuttle led to the