The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-05-04
TENEMENT HORROR.
Panic Stricken Tenants Perish
While Escaping from a Burn
ing Building.
Eight Killed and Fourteen Others
Wounded.

NEW YORK, May 3.-At 13. 80 this morning.
nre broke out in room at the rear of John
Humphreys liquor store, 672 First Avenue.
The building is five stories high, the upper
noor being occupied as a tenement house. The
room spoken of was filled with trash Of an in-
nammable nature and it quickly burned up fill
ing the house with smoke. The tenants be-
came panic stricken, and some jumped to the
streets from the windows and others rushed
down stairs falling over each other and suffer-
ing injuries of more or less serious nature.
All the ambulanees in the city were called to
the spot. At 1.30 it was found that six lives
had been lost and that fourteen persons were
injured. The dead were John Humphrey,
bis wife, months old child, servant girl,
MIS- krepchamer, widow, and Elizabeth
hanley, aged %, who jumped from the third
story The wounded were three adults, fe-
males, sudocated and suffering from burns and
one mad broken knee, caused by jumping
from q top window; men, 2 women, 8 boys
and girls were suffocated and bruised. The
hre was soon extinguished and the damage to
the building was slight.
Christina Koerner, aged 48, who lived ON
the 9th hoor also died from suffocation. Her
son Albetr, 16 years old was suffoeated and
taken to the hospital; her daughter Pauline,
aged 10, jumped from window of her room
on the 9TH floor and was missing mp to 2, q, m
When the alarm was sent ont the engines of
the district were putting out fire that was
caused by defective fiue in Mr.. 9. P. Hunt
ington's house, No. 65 Park Avenue. This
IRE did damage amounting TO about 81, 900. 1t
delayed the hremen somewhat in getting to
First Avenue and when they did arrive they
found the house surrounded by great crowd
and the dead. dying and wounded were lying
on the sidewalk and in halls and bedrooms.
The cries OF agony were heartrending. A
general alarm was at once sent out, and am
balances, doctors and policemen came to the
scene in goodlY numbers and the wounded
were selected as rapidly as possible from the
0An0 anC a II RalIavua FOL tn
half ON hour the fourteen wounded, were w.
ing on cots in the hospital and as many doc
tors worked over them trying to restore life or
alleviate pain. Half of the patients seemed
to be dying, The names OF none but young
Koever could be learned. Assistant Foreman
Meads OF an engine company, carried an ap-
parentlY lifeless woman down ladder from
the 4th story, but when the street was reached
she breathed. Mr.. Corcoran of 377 East North
street, carried out three babies.
Twelve families occupied the house, and all
were asleep at the hour the fire occurred The
stairs then were next to impossible and the
scuttle was hard to reach, and the windows
were used aS means of egress. Mrs. Keech-
mar was smothered in her rooms and three
children had not been accounted for up to
a. m. The families of Mrs. Schopul on the
End and Thso Kicks, on the 9th floor, are
known to be safe. The family Of Mr.. Bage,
who kept saloon in the building were report-
ed safe. The Hanley family lived on the
from that story were saved.
The Tribune says the fire extended to the
roof rapidly, through the air shaft and the
house was soon filled with a dense smoke
which prevented the occupants of the upper
stories from escaping Humphreys occupied
rooms on the second floor over the restaurant
He and his child got out safely, but Mrs.
humphreys jumped from window and broke
her legs. On the same floor Elizabeth Hanley
was found dead. Ida Parick and child were
rescued by the police. Jno. Harrison who
helped carry Mrs. Humphrey across the
street, says he saw dozen dead bodies taken
ont OF the building, and an ambulance surgeon
said fourteen people were taken from the
house to Bellevue Hospital and he thought
that or of them were dead.
LATER.
Dalryimple of hook and ladder company,
No. 4, got mp to the 4th story by means of q
scaling ladder and handed down several per-
sons from the front windows to the firemen on
the ladders below. Among the rescued per-
sons wore said to be members Of the Stiner
family on the Sd floor, Stiner, his wife and
four children were seen at the windows, but
IL was afterwards said some OF them perished.
One woman on the top floor of tide house threw
her baby out OF the front window and police
man Flaherty caught the child and carried it
somewhat injured to neighboring house
where it was cared for. Its mother then
went back from the window and was not seen
again. 1t is supposed she suffccated.
Eight persons are known to have perished.
Fourteen persons were seriously injured.
At IL D. N. it was stated at Bellevue Hos
pital that none of the patients suffering from
sutfocation had recovered consciousness.