The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-12-18
FIRE IN A TENEMENT.
Frightened Men ana Women Lenping
From the Wlna0ws.

Frightened Men ana Women Lenping
From. the Windows.
NEw YoRK December l6.-The panic
which invariably attends fire In the great
hives Of tenement houses on the east side
resulted yesterday ia consequences less
disastrous than might have been expected,
but sufficiently harmful 10 emphasize the
lesson OF caution and coolness which a
score Of such occurrences have taught. A
little before two o'clock in the afternoon
the rear room OF the first floor OF Nos. 10
and lie Suffolk street, caught fire. The
structure is biz double five story tene.
ment house, chiefly occupied by Germans
and Bohemians, and is crowded up to It's
fifth story with families more or less
numerous. When the flames burst forth on
the lower floor II great volume Of smoke was
carried upward, and to the inmates Of the
building in tho apartments above it seemed
as though stairways and bulls were wrapped
in flames. Soon the fire reached the
second story, where u couple OF Bohemian
families resided, aud where an Internal
hubbub was at once raieed, which soon
filled the streets about tho burning build.
ing. ses r uE.5. 4
u HOW IT ORIGINATED.
1n the room where the fire originated
eight young women were employed making
dried grasses and feathers into busters and
bouquets, under the direction OF Jacob
spero, & manufacturer Of notions. 1t was
Mrs. Spero who had unintentionally started
the lames. On going to the crate to rake
tip the embers burning coal had fallen
on pile Of dry grasses, which ignited and
communicated the fire to the apartment.
The girls all escaped and it was their cries
which first gave.the alarm.
The smoke rushing up through the hall
way to the topmost floors frightened from
their rooms the occupants living there, who,
tnding their passage to the street barred,
made straightway for the roof, from which
they. were able 10 piss to other houses. Mrs.
.letta Tobias, who was alone on the top
floor, and three women, named Muller,
kringel and Reinfad, got out through the
scuttle, but domestic employed by Mrs.
Muller was unable to follow them. In her
fright she turned TO window in one OF the
rooms and found that ladder had already
been raised and fireman was mounting
it. She succeeded in lowering herself into
his arms and SO reached the ground.
@f..5 IN, FRANTIC WITH FRIGHT.
The inmates OF the lower part OF the
house had become fairly frantic with ex-
citement. Safety by the iron fire escapes
was not to be attained, as the flames were
ilaring out about them and the lower floor
was like a furnace. All the occupants Of
the rooms ran to the front windows and
found below them the quickly increasing
throng aud tile fire laddies, who we're the
first to arrive
One woman set m excellent example OF
presence OF mind. Mrs. Caroline Scherer
threw from the third story n mattress, on
which, when il was spread upon the side
walk below, she threw her two children,
aged respectively three and five years.
Both were picked up in safety, aud the
mother following herself received only
some slight bruises. Another woman,
named Mrs. Fosterchiel, made avail OF the
same expedientand threw her two.year.o
child from the window. Before she could
leap from it, u fireman reached her and
took her down. Mrs, Wutgc let her infant
drop from the second story into the arms Of
u fireman and reached the ground herself
without any serious injury, and the men,
bers Of two Bohemian families, named
Losc|s and Koch, were rescued from harm
III the same way.
IT WAS THE CAT.
The fire was marked by other remarkable
experiences, and one incident excited con-
siderable enthusiasm among the onlookels.
A scorched but thoroughly drenched cat
crept out upon a sill Of the window on the
top floor, looked fearfully about and slip
ped down to the fourth story, where it
clung to shutter. It's woe.begone appear
ance attracted general sympathy and a
ladder enabled a fireman to reach it and
bear it to the street.
When the ire companies arrived and IN
attempt was first made to render the startled
inmates Of the tenement some assistance an
incident occurred which, happily, had no
disastrous consequences. The lremen had
drawn upa ladder and had raised it against
the house aud Foreman Searless had run
up, followed by Firelnen Drogan and
Crakow. As the first neared the upper
rungs the ladder suddenly tipped and weAt
over, and the men clinging to it were flung
OIL. Both Brogan and Crakow came to the
ground and received few bruises, but
Searless, who was far up, struck agains. the
house and reached a. cornice, where lie
clung. He also came down in safety. Once
the fire engines were on the ground Quick
work was made with the flames, which were
soon extinguished. #'l
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