The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-08-09
HOLOCAUST.
Fifteen Human Beings Perish IN
Burning Tel ement Build
ing In New York.
Sickening Scenes-Men Jumping
from Fifth Story Windows.
Mother and Children.

dIIeruOOu' Ok nOIe, Ourueu So DaOIy
they will probably die, were removed to
various hospitals. The house was a ram
shackle affair, hidden in the middle of the
block, the only entrance to it being a
rear alleyway from the Bowery. In front
of it was four-story building, on the
first floor of which was saloon called the
"White House." Adjoining this is Harry
Miners Peoples theatre. In the rear OF
the burned building we're two houses
hemming it in on the Christie strset side.
In this, Gagged in building, lived about
hundred and fifty people. The sixth
floor was occupied by single family, the
head of which was tailor, who made
clothing for cheap wholesale clothing
houses, and employed from fifteen 60
twenty men, women and children IN ad-
dition to his own family in making up the
clothing. They were all Polish Jews, and
the employees worked in the crowded rooms
of dingy tenement.
The tenants who rented the apartments
were: s. Koon, S. Kraft, 5. Klein and
Marks, SHARKS and H. Levin.
About Ais O'Clock this afternoon, while
all the occupants of the building were
busy at work, in this closing hours pre-
ceding their Sabbath evening, flames
broke out on the lower floor. The fire
had, when discovered already gained such
Roadway that it was in full possession of
the stairway, and escape by 1T seemed i'm
possible. stout German woman rushed
frantically into the street wriuging her
hands and screaming out:
"MEIN GoTT DOSE PEOPLE ARE BURNING UP"
This was startling reminder that
human lives were in peril and great
excitement ensued. The police reserve
was called out, and, in short order, 100
blue coats in charge of Inspector Will
liams were on hand, ready to assist the
firemen. An alarm was sent out for
ambulances and in a very little while the
surgeons rolled in from st. Vincent,
Chambers street, Bellevue and New York
hospitals, while the department of
charity and corrections sent two of their
ambulances. Their services were
not badly needed. Many of
the inmates rushed down through the
flames, and rushed to the narrow court
yard with their clothse ablaze and hands
and bodies burned. Six of them were so
badly burned they were taken to the hos
pital, and may die. There were fire es-
capes on the front and rear of the house
perpendicular iron ladders running down
the front and rear of the building. But
before any of the inmates had time to
escape by them the flames had surrounded
the house, and were reaching from the
windows SO that escape by the fire escapes
was impossible. One man already half
burned to death
LEAPED FROM FIFTH STORY WINDOW,
and fell mangled mass of flesh in the
little court yard. Others jumped from
the second-story windows, and escaped
with bruises. The enormous crowds that
had gathered shrank with dread and sym,
patty as the victims shrieksd, and others
groaned with pain, then others feebly
moaned out in anguish. One poor woman
Law upon her back in little store in the
Bowery, with not only her clothing
burne.i. hut the hair of her head was also
burneu off. 1t seemed as if she must
be dead, but slight upheaval
of the bosom told that little life still re-
manned. She was unconscious, and the
surgeon said she would live to reach the
hospital
Another young girl was delirious with
pain. She was not so badly burned as the
Others, but in mad jump from window,
she had received internal injuries and also
cut terrible cash on the side of her head,
from which the blood gushed forth, CIV
ing her CHASTITY appearance. She raved
and screamed aud had to be held by two
attendants while her wounds were being
dressed.
The spectacle as the various ambulances
received their human freight and drove
rapidly away, WAS a sad one, and attracted
an enormous crowd.
A. j.. Sheldon, manager of the ople's
theatre, on discovering the fire, sent out
an alarm and the fremen responded, but
when they arrived the flames already had
complete possession of the house, and
nothing could be done to save it and little
to save its inmates. Charles N. Norman
property man of the Peoples theatre
with several of his comrades,
RAN TO THE ROOF
of the theatre, carrying small ladder
which they stretched over to window oil
the burning building. A woman with her
hair aud clothing already ablaze appeared
at the window and Norman called
to her to cross over on the ladder
She cried back that she could
not leave her two children. Norman trieG
to cross over on the ladder but the fame:
drove him back and he could not save her
Afterwards the charred bodies of thu
no her and two children were found in thu
building. Three men, however, awaited
themselves of the ladder and escaped tt
the roof of the theatre. When the fire
men had, at last, drowned the flames 81
they could enter the house, they searched
floor by floor, as they assembled, and on tn
third floor they found the burned bodie
of a man, a woman and a boy. On tn
fourth floor they found five bodie
so badly burned it was impossible to tel
whether they were those of men o
women. On the fourth floor no bodie
were found, but on the sixth five NOR
bodies were found, and they were ais
burned so that it could not be said whethe
they were men or women. This mad
thirteen bodies found in the building
That of the man who leaped from tn
fifth-story window increased
THE Death LIST TO FIFTEEN,
While it is feared that the death of somt
if not all those in the hospitals, will max
this number greater.
While the firemen were searching, th
story came that the roof was falling, an
the cracking of timbers was heard. Tn
fireman did not desert the building, bu
ran To the Windows uhara thav waite