The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1885-05-08
A TENEMENT HORROR.
The Outcome Of a Fire In a Five
Story Building.


sixteen Families Hemmed In by Smoke
Eight Lives Lost and a Large Num-
ber Injured by SuffOcation and
In Efforts to Escape.
NEW YORK, May 3.-At one O'Clock
this morning fire bloke out in a room
1T 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 filed with trash OF
an infammable nature, which burned up
quickly filling the house with smoke.
The tenants became panic-stricken, Some
Jumped to the street from the windows
and others rushed down stairs, falling
over each other, and suffering injuries
of q 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 fremen
somewhat in getting to First avenue.
When they did arrive they found the
house surrounded by a 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. 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
| &c, lad lxrtp N
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 q 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.. Stlner, his wife
and four children were at the window,
but it was afterward said that some oi
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 it 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 turnet
streams of water upon the flames and
was soon possible for them to go through
the house and search the rooms. The.
carried out dozen persons who appeared
to be alive, though insensible, and triet
to restore them. The bodies of five dea,
persons were carried into coal office ad
Joining and laid on the floor One or tw
were partly dressed. They had delaye
too long in the rooms before making al
effort to escape. The appearance all tn
bodies gave proof of terrible strugal
for life. None were much burned. BE
fore the flames reached the doomed pee
pie, smoke had placed them beyond tn
reach of pain.
There were sixteen families in tn
building. The flames went up rapidly
the top of the house by way of the stail
which were in the middle of the structur,
The Railways being on fire there was n
opportunity to escape by the stairway
when the inmates became aware of the
danger.
LATER PARTICULARS.
, NEW YORK, May 4.-The terrible fiji
and loss of life which occurred in tt
tenement house on First avenue ear
yesterday morning, caused the create
, excitement among the residents on Il
East side Of the city, and all day long Il
scene of the disaster was visited |
a thousands of people.
The building in which the fire occurrt
i. is a five-story double tenement, and ha
! only recently been built There were tt
families in the building at the time of Il
outbreak, and, unfortunately, there we
. no fire escapes in the front of the bull
ing, the only escape being in the rea
and the inmates residing in front wer
y on account of the flames and smoke, u
4 able to reach them.
!. The following is list of the dead al
: injured:
a THE DEAD.
q Mrs. Minnie Kretchner, age thirty-fou
Richard Kretchner, age eleven, Will,
i Hurley, twenty; Elizabeth Hurley tive
:, ty-three; Christina Kerner, forty-eigl
d Joseph Humphrey, thlrty-seven; Her
y Humphrey, four months, and servt
a girl named Mary.
It THE INJURED.
N Mrs. Kate hamburger aged TWEEN
20 eight, and her daughter Kate, aged
IN years; Mrs. Ida Enrich, forty; Geol
Hurley, forty-nine; Elizabeth Hurl
(. fifty-five; Albert Kerner, fourteen; Chi
to tina Kerner, twenty-three; Kate Kern
\ twenty; William Flanagan, ,sixtee
as Kate Lamphul, seven, and Sophie Kern
10 eleven.
IN Coroner Martin has taken charge of
"A case and will commence an investigat
=, ~ early in the week.
is Mr.. Roehich, who, with his wife 9
three children, occupied the top flo
i'd was the only tenant who escaped with
in loss. Immediately after the fire was
n, covered, he closed his doors and windc
lis to keep out the smoke. He then took
70, wife and children to the front wind
i, and passed them one by one down
d. ladder erected by the firemen.
n. Roehich said tonight: "The
ID cut off all egress by the st,
" and fire escapes. The wood flooring
the latter, and the boxes and WASN'T
y stored thereon burnt like tinder,
y. made the iron work of the fire escapes
:, hot that 1t was impossible to get do
1o If the people had only shut their dc
n, and gone to the top of the building n
On would have been killed. l saw n
Id Humphreys this morning, and she
that Humphrey set the place on fire"
-
~ An Unpleasant Alternative.
ng YouNGsrowS, o., May 4.-Emplo