Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-04
kilograms to The Star.
A NEW YORK HORROR.
Tenement House Fire.
Nine People Burned.
THE TELEGRAPH WAR.
A FIGHT WITH THE SIOUX,
Tenement House Fire.
Nine People Burned.
THE TELEGRAPH WAR.
A TENEMENT HOUSE HORROR.


Nine People Burned to Death.
NBw YORK, Jan. A fire occurred this
morning In the rear OF No. s. Madison street,
foul. story tenement house. Nine lives were
lost. The victims are Ellen Sheridan aged 49,;
Katie Sheridan, aged IA; Maggie Sheridan, aged
.: Martin Sheridan, aged 8; John Walsh, aged
ID; Thomas Cassidy, aged g. Charles Cassidy,
aged s. and girl named Egan, aged 2, and Mrs.
Sheridan, age unknown. Several persons were
injured. among them James Cassidy, Mary
Egan and Charles Walsh.
Erightful Fate Of the Women and
Children.
At Sis this morning. fire broke out In the
tel ement house in the rear OF James Doyle'S
liquor store, at No. So Madison street. 1t
started at the bottom of the stairs that fur
nisled the only mode OF exit for the tenants of
fiye-story building, barring the outside fire
escape, and In less than five minutes swept
through the stairway to the roof. cutting off
inperilltd tenants made a rush for the roof, but
the scutt!e was firmly hooked and would not
yield The ascending flames drove them back
in their rooms. and a scene of wild confusion
ensued. Men and women threw their children
from the windows and jumped after them
through the flames that swept across the yard
and caught their clothing. When the hremen
mastered the raging element, the dead bodies
OF nine persons who had been burned were
taken out. Several were injured in making
their escape 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 fire in Cannon street, more
than year ago, and the dreadful Turner Hall
through narrow alley, hardly wide enough to
allow the passage OF portly man between the
two tall tenements, Nos. 35 and 80 Madison
street In front of No. 35 is James Doyles liquor
store. It's back door opens directly upon the mar
row hallway In the rear tenement where the
start was given to this mornings fire. Plumb
ers were busy at the foot Of the stairs thawing
out frozen water pipes, and for this purpose
USED gasoline apparatus. BY some means 1t
was upset and the inflammable material ran
out. There was binding flash as Of an explo.
sion that blew In the door OF the saloon, and in
an instant black smoke welIed up the long
stairway impeled by draught setting towards
The open windows in the top story. The fire
finding vent through the open doors and WIN
houses, had seized upon the shutters, window
frames, and wooden floors OF balconies outside
reaching up toward the floors where the fright
ened men and women huddled together afraid
to venture out upon the fire escape that seemed
to lead 1nlO the very jaws OF death.
Some Narrow Escapes.
Eight families occupied the house, two on
each floor. On the second floor the Eagans and
Muldoons had. at the first alarm, escaped
%aow .n and hep four Children hn &aq
garet, Thomas, Joseph and John, reached the
ground In safety by quick Jump. Mrs. Null
doom, who is over SO years old, was less fortu-
aged 10, and Kate, aged I, she sprang from the
e-escape, but, In the fall prained or broke
her leg and crawled away with difficulty.
A Thrilling Scene.
On the floor above, Mr.. Regain, who lived
alone, escaped with his neighbors, the McKen-
Ia family, likewise by jumping. James, aged
.; Hugh, aged 4, and the baby were thrown
brother, lad OF Is. The mother, Mrs. McKen-
ma, was sweeping in the yard when the fire
broke out. She rushed to the stairway. but
was met by solid sheet of fame and realizing
the danger OF her children, reused them by shout
ing before they knew Of the approach of the dead
~ visitor: Jump Charles; throw them down."
her arms to receive them as the three little
heads looked over the window still besides
their brother. The lad measured the distance
with his eyes, it was more than 20 feet, and he
shraDk from the venture with the dread OF in
sfanFdeath. But the smoke was already filing
the room aud pouring through the window, the
children now cried and stretched their hands
towards their mother The baby's call Mama"
Mama" was heard above the roar OF the t1re
and the clamor in the street The mother
cried, Charlie, for Gods sake, jump!" and the
The other children followed, himself leaplng
last. All reached the ground In safety. On the
fourth 1ioor lived the Cassidy family ana the
Eagans, another family, but OF the same name
as those On the first floor and in the nth
and topmost story, Mrs. Ellen Sheridan
was at breakfast with her four children.
goIe to their work. At the first alarm Mrs.
Sheridan ran to the door and seeing the hall
way effectually blocked turned to the window
The flames there met her also. and In despair
she rushed for the scuttle on he roof. 1t was
firmly hooked, and her strength, desperate as
she was, did not suffice to open 1t. Returning
to her rooms, she closed the door on the adj
Vancing fire, but too late-the rooms were filled
with smoke, growing more dense every mo-
meDt, In which the woman and her children
CROPPED about, va1nly seeking the windows
They were found dead evidently chOked before
the flames reached them.
Frightful Scenes.
The cassidy FANNY had attempted escape by
the roof also falling had reached the windows
and flung themselves out; only two OF them
Charles and Thomas. boys Of and s years were
left. They were suffocated, and when found
their clothes were burned. OF the Eagan fam
lily all save little girl OF two, escaped by
throwing themselves into the yard but Mary
Eagan was badly injured In the fall and was
taken to the hospital The whole was over m
less time by far than 1t has taken to tell it.
The ward was filled with Writhtng bodies of the
scorched and injured women and children.
The police and f1remen quickly removed these
and made heroic efforts to gain the uppar
floors, whence issued the cries Of those vet Inn.
pr1soned. They were beaten back each time
Officer ThOs. Barrett reached the second floor
On the fire escape and assisted In the rescue of
two children before he himself was compelled
to jump for his life. In half an hour all was
over. The house stood scOrched, blacked and
dripping from roof to cellar with the torrents
OF water that had flooded 1t. The damage to
the house was estimated at 900. The build
Ing is the property Of Mrs. Eagan wealthy
resident OF an uptown street, and was fair