New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-02
pURNED ON AN UPPER FLOOR
MOTHERS INCOMPLETE RESCUE.
~wo cu,tpprN AND AN OLD MAN BURNED TO
WV DEATH IN wATER-sT.

Two CHILDREN AND AN OLD MAN BURNED III
DEATH IN wATER-ST.
p.,,asmar John Mccarthy and Officer Cotter
sc,a walking along the north side OF Water-s',
shortlv after a. M yesterday, on their way 10 lne
oohce station in Old slip. when their attention was
Svan Inv cries of pain seemingly over their heads;
iool iuv mn they saw the figures oi woman anu
two children crouching on the edge OF the rool Oh
lie six stored brick building No - Watsr-st;
pnr,inns of the woman's clothing were hhame. ana
she was tearing IL from her body, behind her'
rising spitally in the ayr, wasa column ol smohe;
The two men To- NO time In speculation hui rappoh
prumptly with their clubs. They We're WITHIN my
feet of the staton-huuse. close ny anu Wlllu
sight arc the quarters ut Hook and Ladder loul-
many No 10. aud the raps brought out the nteinel
aud the police simultaneously. Meanwhile NJ,
Carthy aud Cottor had entered No, III and mauo
tbrtr way to the roof IN order to rescue the woman
auJ children, The ROOF of No. 81 Is one stoiv
iowef than No. ~. bat the two p0licemcn SWIFT
thcmscyea Mp by means oi Telegraph WINS "'''
%sn,c INV child" cried tho woman fianIicalN'
"Thcrc are people below she addict 800. ia.
Through a acuttlc ~ tho root the HW9Hv w. W., ~
this tiue uoutinR ia dCuHc volumes, llhh1'R W
.,s H. R,it termed hy the open Hcutllc thc Of
uccrs closed II aud hurried the woman 'Hu sT' ,II
,heunc to Inc ground. While they were doug lhlH
The drcmcn from the hook ana hdd11l '"'np''" W.
had entered the burning hulldlhN NY ~ ' ,t
three lights of stairs 10 the hith moor NV Hvir
driven hacA by the smoke and nilhoN, va w.,
way down the steps they mot an "ld woman p"'NR
mn She was Wrhgng hri h9hus "nu ~ '' '',
" me- get tony husband. lie IA burning on
the top door, H., o,l ont of the
briidInr Other trcncn folio we'd the plan OF NC
CARLY and Cotter and reached the ROOF from we
ION of No 81. The first thing they ana was 10 nv
M the scuttle A smal Il. Int o. steps req up 7" t
roof from the room below At the top al ihe StelS'
aIo1ost insensible from SMOKE aud moaning with
fine main of burns on his face ana hahdSt neck anu
brdT was bartholomew O'keeie an old man who
IVA IVA with his wife ON the top floor He too, was
s6S aroun Out Other it% fire engines, and
trucks by this time were on the scene ana tC Worn
of fighting the flames was begun. In twenty ma
MES the fire was under control II did not reach
below the fourth floor As the SMOKE cleared away
the fremen entered the burning part, ana III pci-
room ON the fifth floor discovered the charred BODY
of little bow lie was lying bY the 'reck on d
small bed, if he had only risen from INC oed To
fail blinded bV the smoke, on tht UppT . -.
The rescued persons were sent By Captain CAREY
to tbe Chambers street Hospital, The woman was
Mrs. Ann GIbbOn the wife OF john uinn2h' me
ianitnr of the building. With mr. husband, sh7
lived on the fifth floor. They h1d thite urn.
George age SIX; James age four, ana JohlN age
two On the top floor lived the old man O h ~ e,
w;tb MS wife UKeefc was confined Ia his bed
with rL,Iuat Sm. His wife dad chores about the
build:pg aud swept and cleaned LOT the JdltoI'
Mir .oIn', story of the fire dill not explain how
il be- n. She sad that her husband was c"Tpeh-
Ter. Yesterday morning she prepared his breakfast
and ne went out 10 work. Alter n had gone
Mr., Gibbon began 20 prepare the breakfast loI
tha children who were still aSl e III an
adjoining room. While doing tbs she heard Mrs.
O'keefe going down the steps 10 sweep out the
suddenly became aware that Che room was niilng
with smoke. She was IN the Kitchen az 'he Time
Her I>t instinct to rush To save her children;
Hurryng into then room she was horiIIed 10 iln'i
II ful of smoke aud flame. She graSped Two OF the
sleeping children, George and John, The Oldest and
tbr Youngest. aud waking James and telling nm
Ia follow her. she started down the stars.
But the building seemed 10 oe ail iuIe'
Her flesh was scOrchcd ana cothlHS
set abaze as she passed through the
doorway leadins to the head of the Steps. In her
extremity she Thought Of the scutI ana ran u2 10
The room occupIed by OKeeGe. She called 10 HIM
and heard his groans IN response. l MS moor was
also full of smoke hut she manager 10 get OUT Oh
' Ha Ipfi T1d 6Kccfe was sent to BELLEVUE
Hospital where ne died at noon. lie was terribly
hurned and death was a relief. HIS body was lad
m The Moreue and his wife viii take charge of 10
dav Mrs GibbOu is twCntY-nine years OLD. she is
burned about the face SulhclcntlI TO dlNhsu'" h'i
for HE and the baby is bllstcrcd ana s.orched
about the face, hands and tc,t George iHe SIX
vear-old was 50 badly burned that he died ri I p.
In at the New-Nolk Hospital, where the three mad
been sent. The mother and babe We're DONG as
thought at the hospital that they viii not die; Nh
Cibbun, the husband and father. carried the
chaIIed body Of James 10 the house OF ms lathcr
mt No 4GS HickS-st., Brooklyn. and Georges hodF
will be taken there to-day. They VIII be buried to-
The losses on the building will foot mp about
$4,000. In the basement were stored Gbpp'O
cigar, of Key West aud Havana manufacture, be
longing 10 V. Martinez lbor n Co., VINO occupied
the basement ami first floor ne cellar was Hooded
with wafer aud the cigars utterly ruined. nNoiNlng
loss of 10000. Mr.. Gb0rs stock WAS insured
for ! l. OOd in eli ht different companies ON IhurN
day SluOOuO cigars had been removed from Tie
basement. II. 4. Natable y sons, dealers nm gen
oral merchandise who occupied the second, tillId
and fourth ioorS, lost 5000 on stock and lu'u-
ture and 1900 ON the building winch belongs Il
them This loss is also covered 10y Insurance. il
il tbnupLt 81 900 will cover the property los, to the
unfortunate families who occupied the TWO upper
floors.