River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-01-13
Great Fire i'm New York

A telegram of Jan. 9th, gives the fol-
lowing horrible account of the fire in
New York city. The fire broke out in the
tenement at the rear of James Doyle's
liquor store, No. 80 Madison street 1t
started at the bottom of the stairs that
furnished the only exit for tenants in a
tive-story building, excepting Il 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 a score of persons.
The flames soon found vent also
through the two lower stories, and thus
barred egress by the fire escape. The
tenants panic-sticken, made rush for
the roof, but the scuttle was firmly
hooked and would not yield. The as
cending flames drove the people back
within their rooms. The widest con-
fusion followed. Men and women threw
their children from the windows, jump
ed after them through the flames that
swept across the yard, and set their
clothing ablaze When the firemen OBJ
tanned mastery, the dead bodies of nine
persons who had been burned were
taken out from the building. Severed
were injured in their efforts to escape,
and were sent to the hospital. The list
is given in previous dispatch.
THE SCENE OF THE CALAMITY,
the like of which has not occurred in
the city since the tenement house fire
on Cannon street, year ago, and the
| Turner Hall disaster, about the same
! time, is approached through narrow
alley, hardly wide enough to allow the
passage of portly man, between two
tall tenements, numbers SO and 50
Madison street In the front of house
No.35 is Doyle's liquor store. Its back
door opens directly upon narrow
hallway in the rear Of the tenement
where the fire obtained its start.
Plumbers were at work at the foot of
the stairs, thawing ont frozen water
pipes, and for this purpose used gaso-
line. The vessel was by some means
upset, and becoming ignited, there was
an explosion which blew in the door of
| the saloon. In an instant, black smoke
rolled up the long stairway, drawn on
ward by a draught caused by an open
window in the top story. There was
A MONETARY RUSH,
as the frightened plumbers hurried in
to the yard A man sitting by the bar
room stove slammed the hall door on
| the advancing fire Immediately there
was a wild rush over head and the
sound of breaking glass, and the air
was filled with the walls of imprisoned
men and women, shrieks of frightened
children, and cries for help of the bar
| keeper and plumbers. who ran through
| the street to near by the police station.
| Very soon the clang Of fire bells filled
| the air. and the various ways became
filled with firemen and police, strugg-
ling to bring help to the imprisoned and
burning tenants. They came too late,
however. The fire, finding vent
through the open doors and windows
of the untenanted 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 reach
ing upward toward the floors. where
frightened men and women huddled
together, afraid to venture out ON the
fire escape, which was itself atiame,
while the flames within the house were
plainly visible through ill-titting doors,
fast consuming the inmates.
EIGHT FAMILIES
occupied the house. two on each floor.
On the second story of the building,
the Eagans and Muldoons, at the first
alarm, escaped through the windows.
Mrs. Nancy Eagan, with her four
grown Acknowledgment, Thomas,
Joseph and John-reached the ground
in safety by q quick jump. Mrs. Null
doom. who is over 50 years old, was less
fortunate; seizing her two grand
children-Annie aged 10, and Kate,
aged z years-she sprang from the fire
escape of the building, but in the fall
| sprained or broke her leg and crawled
away with difficulty. On the third
| floor Mr.. Regain. who lived alone,
escaped with his neighbors, the
Mckenna family, likewise, by jump
| ing. James, aged Q, Hugh. aged 1,
and the baby we're thrown through
window by Charles Mckenna, the
eldest brother-a lad of 10 years The
mother was sweeping in tn yard when
| the fire broke out. She rushed to the
stairway but was met by solid sheet
Of flames, and. realizing the danger of
her children, reused them by shout
ing, before they knew of their danger,
Jump Charles, throw them down"
THE AcoSIZED MOTHER
cried, and stretched ont her arms to re-