The Osceola times., 1885-05-09
A TENEMENT HORROR.
The Outcome of a Fire In a Five
Story Building.
sixteen Families Hemmed In by SMOKE
Eight Lives Lost and Large NUN
ber Injured by sunocation and
In Efforts to Escape.


this morning a fire bioke out In room
at the rear OF John Humphreys liquor
store, 672 First avenue. The building is
five stories high, the upper hooIs being
occupied as a tenement-house. Inc
rooms spoken of was filed with trash oil
an iniammable nature, which burned up
quickly filling the house with smoke.
The tenants became panic-stricken. Some
Jumped to the street IRON the windows
and others rushed down stairs, falling
over each other, and suffering injuries
of a more or less serious nature. All the
ambuances in the city were called to the
spot.
When the alarm was sent out the en-
gines of the district were putting out
small fire, and it delayed the firemen
somewhat In getting to First avenue.
When they did arrive they found the
house surrounded by great crowd, and
dead, dying and wounded were lying on
the sidewalk and in the halls and bed
rooms. The cries Of agony were heart
rcnding. A general alarm was sent out,
and ambulances, doctors and policemen
came to the scene In goodly numbers.
The wounded were selected as rapidly as
possible from the dead and conveyed to
Bellevue Hospital. In half an hour the
fourteen wounded were lying on cots In
the hospit / and as many doctors worked
near them trying to restore lie or al
leviate pain. iiali OF the patients seemed
TO be dying The names OF none but
young Koerner could be learned.
Fireman Dalrymple, OF Hook and Lad
der Company No. 4, got up to the fourth
floor by means of scaling ladder and
handed down several persons from the
front window to firemen on the ladder
below Among the rescued persons were
said to be members OF the Stiner family
on the third floor. Mr.. Stiner, his wife
and four children were at the window,
but 1t was afterward said that some OF
them perished. One woman on the top
floor of the house threw her baby out OF
the front window. Policeman Flaherty
caught the child and saved its life. He
carried 1t, somewhat injured, to neigh
boring house, where 1t was cared for. Its
mother went back through the window
and was not seen again. 1t Is supposed
she was suffocatcd.
Meanwhile some fremen had turned
streams OF water upon the flames ana 1t
was soon possible for them to 90 through
the house and search the rooms. They
carried out dozen persons who appeared
TO be alive, though insensible, and tried
to restore them. The bodies Of five dead
persons were carried into coal Office ad-
Joining and laid on the floor One or two
were partly dressed. They had delayed
too long In the rooms before making an
effort to escape. The appearance all the
bodies gave proof OF a terrible struggle
for life. None were much burned. Be-
fore the flames reached the doomed peo-
pie, smoke had placed them beyond the
reach of pain.
There were sixteen families in the
building. The flames went up rapidly to
the top of the house by way of the stairs
which were In the middle OF the structure.
The Railways being on fire there was no
opportunity to escape by the stairways
when the inmates became aware of their
danger.
LATER PARTICULARS.
New York, May 4.-The terrible fire
and loss of life which occurred In the
tenement house on First avenue early
yesterday morning, caused the greatest
excitement among the residents on the
East side Of the city, and all day long the
scene of the disaster was visited by
thousands OF people.
The building in which the fire occurre d
is five-story double tenement, and ha
only recently been built There were ten
families in the building at the time OF the
outbreak, and, unfortunately, there were
s,, bs nf n Al.
ing, the only escape being In the rear,
and the inmates residing In front were,
on account of the flames and smoke, un-
able to reach them.
The following Is u list of the dead and
injured:
THE DEAD.
Mrs. Minnie Kretchncr. age thirty-four;
Richard Kretchner, age eleven; William
Hurley, twenty; Elizabeth Hurley twen-
ty-three; Christina Kerner, forty-eght;
Joseph Humphrey, thirty-seven; Henry
Humphrey, four months, and servant
girl named Mary.
THE INJURED.
Mrs. Kate hamburger, aged twenty
eight, and her daughter Kate, aged six
years; Mrs. Ida Enrich, forty; George
Hurley, forty-nine; Elizabeth Hurley,
ffty.1vc; Albert Kerner, fourteen; Chris
tina Kerner, twenty-three, Kate Kerner,
twenty; william Flanagan, sixteen;
Kate Lampbul, seven, and Sophie Kerner,
eleven.
Coroner Martin has taken charge OF the
case and will commence an investigation
early in the week.
Mr.. Rochich, who, with his wife and
three children, occupied the top floor,
was the only tenant who escaped without
loss. Immediately after the fire was dis
covered, he closed his doors and windows
to keep out the smoke. He then took his
wife and children to the front window
and passed them one by one down the
ladder erected by the hremen. Mr.
Rochch said tonight: "The fire
cut off all egress by the stairs
and fire escapes. The wood doorngs OF
the latter and the boxes and wash-tubs
stored thereon burnt like tindcr, and
made the iron work of the fire escapes so
hot that 1t was impossible to get down.
II the people had only shut their doors
and gone TO the top of the building none
would have been killed. l saw Mrs.
Humphreys this morning, and she said
that Humphrey set the place on fire."
An Unpleasant Alternative.