The sun., 1888-06-13
CAUGHT IN A FIRE TRAP.
LOSS OF LIFE IN A MIDNIGHT TENE-
MENT FIRE
Fire Escapes Useiess-La ddcrs and the Net
mt Work-Nine Families In the Place,
sone sf Their Members rnaccounted Far
-Rescuing Ihiidren-Denth of u Glrl.

-RcscuinW Sh,Idren-DeRth of Girl.
At 2:25 o'clock this morning fire broke out
somewhere under the narrow stairway of tho
big four-story tenement at 43 Second street.
on the southeast corner of Second avenue
Policeman Burkhardt saw smoke coming out
Of the basement, and he and another
officer went through the building to
awaken the tenants. The alarm was sent
out, but before the flremen arrived
the flames were bursting out OF the roof. They
spread with so fearful rapidity that the whole
building was a mass of flames five minutes
later, and n number Of the tenants were cut of
from all escape, and were burned to death. A
third alarm was struck at 1890 exactly, and
the ilremen who responded made n gallant
battle to savo lives
There were iron fire ESCAPES on tho Second
street side OF tho house. but the flames ate
away the staircases as il thoy had been built Of
paper and burst in roaring sheets through tho
windows that opened upon tho fire escapes and
made them worse than useless.
On the Second avenue side Capt Kruger and
his Lieutenant, Bradley. of Truck 8. got up the
life ladder in twinkling and dashed up amid
tho smoke and llames 10 rescue the frightened
and half-dressed tenants who had run to the
roof At the Second street side Fireman Wal
lace spread the life net and without moments
hesitation Mrs. Julia koenig, who had got to
the window near the corner Of the third story.
climbed to the sill and sprang with scream to
this net. She landed safely. Her face was
scorched
By this time dozen llremsn. with hose play.
ing upon them were breaking the windows on
Second avenue and climbed into tho smoke
filled interior to search for the tenants. They
carried taose they found out to the windows.
and other waiting tlremen bore them down the
ladders to tho street.
Mrs. julius Clement and her husband were
seized in lremeu's arms and carried down the
life ladder to the street The flames had burned
the womanS face and arms terribly, and had
scorched tho flesh from Clements chin.
family of five named Wischlerski were i'm
prisoned by the iames on the third floor. Tho
ilremen got the husband and wife out uncon-
scious. and then dashed in through the flames
to save the little children, who were
asleep in their bedrooms. They were a
boy Of and two girls aged respectively
and 4. All three children were unconscious
when found and the surgeons of the four am
balances which the elder Capt McCullagh had
teeGraphed for the instant he got to the build
ing, gave up hope Of saving any Of the littlo
ones but tho boy. The little girl died in
O'kcillys saloon, to which she was taken.
Gustave Burdy, the Jantor OF the building.
lived on the top floor, near the scutte. but be-
fore he could get to the roof he was so badly
burned that he fell unconscious on the ladder
leading to the roof. The foreman Of the life
ladders bore him to the street.
Capt. McCullagh tried to find out for the fire.
men how many others We're in the building
but couldn't do it with any defniteness owing
to the panic stricken condition of everybody
J who had been rescued from the building. He
was told that there were nine families in all in
| the building, and that there were children in
| the house who had not been found or accounted