New-York tribune., 1884-02-29
FIVE LIVES LOST AT A FIRE
AN ENTIRE FAMILY THE VICTIMS.

THE MOTHER LEAPS FROM A wJNDow-THE OTHERS
KILLED IN THEIR ROOMS.
Policeman James Mulliean saw smoke rising
from the roofs of the thTec-stOry frame dwelling
houses Nos 324 and 326 Stanton-st. at 1886 q. m.
yesterday. He forced open the door OF No. 326 and
saw blaze in the hallway on the top floor
front window on that floor was raised and Mulligan
heard woman's cry for help. As he went back to
the sidewalk to send out an alarm the woman
threw herself from the window TO the sidewalk.
! Mugan did not see her fall but stumbled over her
he left the house. Front windows of both houses
| on the lower floors opened and
frightened persons thrust out their heads to inquire
what the matter Within three minutes En-
gine Company No. IL arrived from HoustOn-st.,
and Foreman Fisher directed a lIne of hose to be
carried into No. 324. Many inmates of the two
houses had escaped in the meantime The woman
who had jumped from the window was dead, and
firemen helped to carry her body to house on tho
opposite side of the street. She was Mrs. Rebecca
Van Ripper. Her husband, Cornelius Van Ripper,
and her three children were missing
EscAPlNG BY THE ROOF.
Francis Weaver, young painter who lived alone
in two rear rooms on the top floor of No. 1885, and
who escaped by the roof told the fremen thai
he had Mr.. Van Riper in the hall-
way before the stairs took fire.
The Van Ripper family occupied the two front rooms
on the same floor. When Weaver was aroused by
the smoke he went to the landing and saw VaD
Ripper come out of the front roOm
"What is the matter - Weaver inquired.
al suppose the house is on fire." Van Riper res
piled; 4" must get my wife and children out"
Both men were in their night clothing. Weaver
went back to his room and hastily got on some
other garments. When he was ready to leave the
house the flames filled the hallway. He opened
window and climbed to the roof. Through the ad-
joining building No. 32S, he reached the street.
He thought the Van Ripper family had perished.
David Ryan, a widOwer who owned No. 326, slept
in his Goa and wood store on the first floor. His
married sister and niece Margaret and Ellen Ryan,
slept in rear room on the second floor. When he
was aroused by the shouts of Mulligan, he went
upstairs through the smoke, and met his niece on
the second landing She was calling to her aunt TO
follow her. Ryan took hold of his sister and helped
her down stairs his niece going before them They
got ont of the building just the iremen arrived.
The front rooms Oh the second floor were occupied
by John Pressly, his wife and four children. They
all got out in advance of the Ryans, but MIR.
Pressly and his oldest son afterward went back
to their rooms and procured articles which they
wished to save. They escaped a second time by
climbing out Of front window to projecting
show window OF Mr. Ryan's shop.
FOUR DEAD BODIES FOUND.
From No. 324 Stanton-st. all the occupants
escaped easily, because the stairs were on
the west side of the building while the flames were
burning on the east side. The fire had started in a
narrow space between the two buildings, and the
stairway in No. 1926 close to this space. 1t took
the fremen less than twenty minutes to extinguish
the fire. Then they began search for the bodies,
which were believed to be in the rooms of the
Van Ripper family. Portions of the roof had
been burned, away, and snow fell into
the rooms as the iremen entered.
The rooms were small, and the iremen &C could easily
was stove a dish-coset, table, several chairs and
an open sofa bed on which Van Riper and his wife
fbe 5e ieP beRcs of Van Rper Oldest and youngest
children, Jennie Cornelia age thirteen, ana Cor
neus two years old The gT h1G caTTf9 ns5
follow her mother Both of their bodies were
burned badly. The ,adiOing bedroom, in
that the low bed nearly filled it. Beside the bed
was the body of Van Riper, partly dressed; the
body Of his son Albert, nine years OLD, lay on tile
Houston-st. and placed on the floor beside that or
Van Ripper was forty years old and was employedin
bakery at No. sS Elizabeth:st William Van
Ripper, his brother, who lives in williamsburg, was
for and remained at the stat9P Po f9r &
rive until afternoon. Another brother Thomas
Van Riper, lives in Holyoke, Mass Mrs. S van m
Ripper years oS ahd was neOuS Mas 40
Carpen er Two of her brothers Edwin and
Charles Carpenter, 1--we at Nos. 33 and 40 Lewis
It, They made arrangements to have the bodies
Luried from No 20 Lewis-st. on Sunday. Permits
for the removal of the b dies to an undertakers
shop were not obtained from Coroner Merke until
after D. M, and the relatives were indignant at
his delay in going to the station.
THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE NOT KNOWN
The canse of the fire was not ascertalned Some
persons in the neighborhOod said that vagrants
often went into the yard to sleep and thought
that a tramp might have set fire TO the buildings.
The remen said that the fire started above the second
story in the space-about four inches-between tho
o Id frame houses. Probably 1t was caused by
shark from one of the chImneys. lie names dld
NOT extend below the second hOor of either house.
The damage to both houses will rot exceed 5000.
Robert Mosier, of No. 272 Broome-st., owns No.
324 On the top floor of that house lived the fam.
lilies of Patrick Corr and Jacob Hernllis, VINO lOso
about 800. Jacob Kelly and his family and Mrs.
Mary McShea lived on the second floor, where the
loss was ,rifng. There was no damage on the nrso
floor The furniture of the Van Ripper family was
DESTROYED, Its value was less than clOO.
II was said that Van Ripper and MS
children had their lives insured for
500 each. The articles which were destroyed IN
Weavers room were of small value. lhe furniture
of tie Ryans and of the Pressly family was DAM
aged by water, and the rooms on tie second noOr
were made temporarily unit for use.
Fire MARSHAL Sheldon informed of the hre
early In the day. and his assistants began an ihNes
tigation The buildings belong to a class cpHn
which fire escapes not required under the pres
emf law MIR. RYAN said that he never had been
asked to D lace fire escapes upon his building
RICHMOND CEDAR WORKS BURNED.
RICHMOND, Feb 2S.-The Cedar Works build
ngs on the Manchester side were totally destroyed by
III - AN nraa