Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-03-05
A1,Iraster .3ntelltgeattr.
MONDAY EVENING. MARCH S. 1888.
a1RLs ESCAPING FROM rIxE.
4 011nd and all but Fatal Rfds Down .
Burning Elevator Shaft.

01RLS ESCAPING FROM FJkE.
= UMnd and ali bus Fatal RSas Down .
Burning Elevator Shaft.
Several persons had narrow escape
from . fro ct 18 Rose street, New York,
On Saturday, The flames cut off exit by
the elevator shaft aud stairs, and occu-
pants ascended to the roof and from there
passed to adjoining buildings. The build
ing 10 brick, five stories high, about %
1eet front and Is feet deep. It narrows
70 IA feet in the rear. 1t is the first build
ing north of the bridge. The first and
oeoond floors and the basement were occu
pied by Finch & Swan dealers in lubricat-
ing oils. The American rubber paint
company, E. Blunt proprietor, occupied
the third floor, and the fourth and fifth
floors were occupied by Dick e. Stetcher,
publishers of song books. Sixteen girls
worked on the top floor at coloring the
the song books. On the fourth floor were
e. j. 6techer, his son and three employ
ees.
Isaac Cohen, of 235 East Seventy-ninth
street, the engineer, was in the basement.
The elevator was at the Rose street door
way. There was a large quantity Of oil
on the lower floors, paint on the third
floors. The FIRE broke out soon after l
o'clock in the basement near the engine
room. The oil firms employees had no
difficulty in escaping. Cohen jumped on
TO the elevator, ran it up to the fourth
floor, and gave the alarm. The smoke
followed him up the elevator, and flle0
the upper floors. Mr.. Stecher and his en-
ployees hastened to the roof by means of
the scuttle. A wooden stairway ran
from the roof to the roof of 216 William
street. Some of the girls tainted On the
stairway, and men from adjacent houses
carried them down the scuttle. The girls
who were the last to get out were nearly
suffocated by the smoke. Eight went
down through ZIG William street, and
eight crawled over it's sloping roof to %
Rose street. They lost ali their outer
clothing. Mrs. Stecher left even the
money which he was about to pay to his
hands.
Cohen did not follow in the flight to the
roof. He ran back to the elevator, and
the Stecher boy followed him. They de-
scended through the binding smoke and
tried to stop at the ground floor. They
could not see and went half way into the
basement, where the fire was raging
fercest. In a moment the elevator ropes
were burned away, and Cohen was terri
UIy UuTutu dUUuJ Lu0 ldC0 dBu uduuSs uc
boys hands we're burned. Men heard
their shouts for help, and kicked in the
front door and dragged them from the
elevator platform.
James Bunting, on the third floor, was
startled by the smoke pouring in at the
doorway. 1t was too dense to allow him
to 60 up or down stairs, and he ran to the
fire escape in the rear. He descended two
stories, and jumped.
It was 3 O'Clock before the flames were
subdued. None of tho walls fell.
The building, which belonged to Charles
Craske & Co., was damaged to the extent
of $1,000, and was fully insured. Mr..
Stecher said his loss was s24 600, partly
insured. Mr.. Blunt said his loss was
$1,000, insured for 81, 900 Finch & Swans
loss is estimated at SIS, 900, fully insured.
No. 20 Rose street was damaged to the
extent of 81 900 by water.