The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-05-09
A TENEMENT HORROR.
The Outcome of FtKe In a Five
Story Building.
Sixteen Families Hemmed In by smOke--
Eight Lives Lost and "a Large Num-
Der Injured by SuffOcatlOn and
In Efforts to Escape.

NEW York, May 3.-At one O'Clock
this morning fire bloke out in room
at the rear OF John Humphreys liquor
store, 672 First avenue. The building is
five stories high, the upper floors being
occupied as a tenement-house. The
rooms spoken of was filled with trash OF
an infammable nature, which burned up
quickly filling the house with smoke.
The tenants became panic-strlcken. Some
jumped to the street from the windows
and others rushed down stairs, falling
over each other, and suffering Injuries
of a more or less serious nature. All the
ambulances 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 tiremen
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
rending. 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 hospital and as many doctors worked
near them trying to restore life or al
leviate pain. Half 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 it was afterward said that some OF
them persisted. 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 it, 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 suffocated.
Meanwhile some firemen had turned
streams OF water upon the flames and it
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 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 nc
opportunity to escape by the stairways
when the inmates became aware of their
danger.