Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-05-04
WRAPPED IN FLAMES,
The Destroying Element
Preys on a Five
Story Building in
New York,
And Secures the Death of
Eight of the Inmates of
the Structure.
Fourteen Persons Were Seriously
Injured, Some Of Which May
Prove Fatal.
New YORK. Nav 3.

New YORK, May 3.
AT l2.50, this morning, a fire broke out in
a room in the rear of John Humphreys liq-
uoT store, at 672, lst Avenue.
The building is five stories high, the upper
floors being occupied as a tenement house
The room spoken of was filled with trash OF
an inflammable nature and quickly burned up
filling the house with smoke. The tenants
became panic stricken. Some jumped to the
streets from the windows, and others rushed
down the stairs, falling over each other and
suffering injuries of more or less serious ma
ture. All the ambulanees in the city were
called to the spot. OF the 80, it was found
that SIX of the lives had been lost and that IA
persons were injured.
The dead were John Humphrey, his wife
four months old baby, servant girl, Mrs.
Krepchamer, widow and Elizabeth Hurley,
aged %. who jumped from the third story.
The wounded were: Three adult females,
suffocated and suffering from burns; one had
broken knee, caused by jumping from q
top window; men, 2 women, 3 boys and
girl were sutfocated and bruised.
The fire was soon extingushed and the
damage to the building was slight.
The Tribune says:
The fire extended to the roof through the
air shaft and the house was soon filed with a
dense smoke which prevented the occupants
from escaping. The Humphreys occupied
rooms on the second floor, over the restau.
rant. He and his child got safely out, but
Mrs. Humphrey
Jumped from Window
and broke her legs. On the same floor, Eliz-
abeth Hurley was found dead. Ida Parick
and a child were rescued by the police. John
Harrison, who helped to carry Mrs. Humph-
rey across the street, said he saw a dozen
dead bodies taken out of the building. An
ambulance surgeon said that IA people were
taken from the house to hospital, and he
thought or of them were dead.
Christina Koemer, aged 4S, who lived on
the 9Th floor, died from suffocation and was
taken to the hospital. Her daughter. Pau
line, aged 10, jumped from window of her
room on the 9TH floor, and was missing up to
2 A. NJ.
When the alarm was first sent out, the en-
gines of the district were putting out the fire
thar was caused by defective flue in Mr..
c. p Huntington's house, No 65, Park Av-
enue This fire did damage amounting to
about $1,000. 1t delayed the tiremen some
what in getting to First Avenue.
When they did arrive, they found the house
surrounded BY great crowd, and the dead,
walk, in the halls and in the bedrooms. The
cries of agony were heartrending.
general alarm was given and the ambu-
lence. doctors and policemen came to the
scene in goodly numbers. The wounded
were selected as rapidly as possible from the
dead and conveyed to the Bellevue Hospital.
Physicians Attending the Sufferers.
In half an hour the IA wounded were living
on cots in the hospital. and as many doctors
worked over them, trying to restore lite or
alleviate pain. Half of the patients seemed
to be dying.
The names of none but young Koerner
could be learned.
Assistant Foreman Mead carried an appar-
emily lifeless body of woman down ladder
from the fourth story. When the street was
reached she breathed
Mr.. Corcoran carried out three babies.
Twelve families occupied the house. All
were asleep the hour the fire occurred. The
stairs were next to impossible and the scuttle
was hard to reach. The windows were used
as the means of egress. Mrs. Krechsmer
was smothered in her room. Her three chill
dren had not been accounted for up to 2 A.
NJ The families OF Mrs. Schupul, on the
second floor, and the Rochrich, on the fifth
floor are known TO be safe. The Hurley fam
lily lived on the third floor.
Three Young men who jumped from the
third story, were saved.
ATT. 80 the census of the tenants was still
incomplete. 1t is possible that more persons
were lost.
A frame house in Prospect Place, near by,
caught fire at the time, and was allowed to
burn down as it was empty. The cause of
the fire is unknown.
Hook & Ladder Co.'S Assistance.
Fireman Dalrymple of H. & L Co., No. (,
got up to the fourth floor by the means of
scaling ladder, and handed down several per-
sons from the front windows to the firemen
on ladders below. Among the rescued per-
sons were said to be members of the Stiner
family. On the third floor. Stiner, his wife
and four children were seen at the windows,
but it was afterwards said that some of them
perished.
One woman. on the top floor of the house,
threw her baby out of fhe front window. Po-
liceman Flagherty caught the child and car
ried it, somewhat injured, to a neighboring
house where 1t was cared for. Its mother
went back from the window and was not seen
again. 1t is supposed that she was suffocated
Meanwhile some firemen had turned streams
of water on the flames. and it was soon pos
sible for them to 60 through the house and
search the rooms. They carried out a dozen
persons who appeared alive although insen-
sible.
The bodies of five dead persons were car
ried into the coal office. adjoining, and laid
on the floor. One or two were partly dressed.
They had delayed too long in their rooms be-
fore making an effort to escape. The ap
pearance of all the bodies gave proof of q
terrible struggle for life. None were much
burned. Before the flames reached the