New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-20
FATAL FIRE IN A RAG SHOP
LEAPMG INTO THE LrE-sAvNG NET.
MANY OLD WOMEN RESCUED FROM rnE sLAMrs-.

MANY OLD WOMEN RESCUED FROM TnE FLAAEs-s
ONE BURNED TO CRISP.
The most approved contrivanccs for saving hu-
man life at fires could not prevent the loss OF
life at fire in Charles Harley's big rag shop
in East Third-st yesterday. Good hre-escapes,
ordered by the Fire Department, were on the 'front.'
wall OF the building. Brave iremen, with lads
ders and lfe-saving net, were on hand few
minutes after tho flames were discovered. Warm
Ing Of danger was given to the occupants Of tho
building before the fire gained much headway and
at time when they were at work. Yet ono
woman perished In the flames and several wero
injured seriously while escaping. The explanation
was simple enough. Most Of the fifty employees
were old women, who became almost helpless
with fright and confusion as soon as smoke filed
the building
Harley has occupied the lvc-story building Nos
365 and 367 East Third-st. as place for sort-
ing and baling rags. Women who were too old
or too infrm to work at anything else were en-
ployed to sort rags on the upper floors IL is
possible that one Of the women took chance
to light a pipe and accidentally started the fro.
The flames were discovered in the lear Of the Office
on the first floor shortly before a. m Harley
called to some of tie men there to warn the
women up stairs, while he ran to the quarters
of Engine No. IL, a block away. Policeman
Frayler, Of the Union Market squad helped to
spread the alarm through the building and To
order the women out.
OLD WOMEN WILD WITH FEAR
Smoke quickly filed the building, and the nrt
ran up the hoistway in the middle and spread
on every floor in few minutes The women on
the upper fo1rs were panicstrclSen and groped
about in the smoke until it was too late for them
to escape by the stairs. They were at the 'front.'
windows climbing con the fre-escapes when
Engine Company No. ii dashed up to the frono
door. Foreman Fisher saw smoke coming QUO
of the door and out of every front window and
ordered second alarm to be rung at once Fish
ers presence of mind did not fail him in the
emergency. His first duty was to save many
of the women as possible but he saw that the
smoke and flames must be kept back from the
front Of the building or the women would be
sure of roasting to death or sufocating Oh the
He therefore ordered part of his company to get
line OF hose In service and play stream OK
water in at the door; With the help of Police
man Frayer and a few other men he spread .
ifesaving net in front OF the building and called
on the women TO Jump for their lives. By thaS
time a number Of the women had climbed down
the fre-escapes to the balcony .t the third floor,
and few Of them went on down through the
smoke to the sidewalk. Jane McCue, age seven-
ty-fve whose home was in Williamsburg, was
the first to jump into the net from the third
story balcony.
JUMPING INTO THE L1rE-NEr
She landed the edge Of the net and strucH
Policeman Frayler's shoulder as she bounded to
the sidewalk Her back was injured severely by
the fall, and Frayler's shoulder was bruised
slightly. Five other women jumped from tho
balcony and were caught without injury Mar
garet OBoyle, young woman, of No. SO North
Eighth-st, Williamsburg, fell while climbing
down the last ladder of the ire-escape and cut her
head seriously. Fireman Burns caught her az
she fell and probably saved her life
Michael Laffey, of No. 81 Madison-st, who had
gone up through the building to help the women
out, jumped into the net from the fourth story
and hurt his back slightly. Ellen Smith, OF
Brooklyn, climbed down the flre-escapes to tho
last balcony, and then refused to jump into tho
net or to climb down ladder to the sidewalk.
coping barely six inches wide ran across the 'front.'
OF the building at the second story. Along thao
narrow footway she walked until she. was able
to climb into a window over an adjoining stable:
A dozen companies of firemen were arriving and
Captain Schultz, with forty policemen from tho
Union Market Station, had got in sight Of the fro
when the last of the women were helped down
from the fire-escapes. Assistant Foreman Me-
Allister, of Engine Company No H., had to tear
one old woman forcibly away from the hreescape
before he could carry her down a ladder. She
hung tightly to his neck and almost choked him
after her feet were on the sidewalk
Reagan, of No. 261 Monroe-st., stayed too long on
the fre-escapes, refusing to jump TO the net.
They were burned severely on the arms, hands and
faces before they were rescued They were taken
TO Bellevue Hospital in company with Margaret
Boyle and Jane McCue.
GOODNESS JF THE OLD BDoKKEEPER.
Harley's booxxeeper. Thomas Allcock, an old
man with white whiskers, stayed in the office to
lock the books up in the safe. He waited so long
that his escape by the door was cut oil by tho
6ames The 6remen had to cut hole through
the iron grating that guarded front window IN
order to get him out. He was quite cool, and
inquired Can you get at me ?" while his res
cuers were working at the window He finally
got out unhurt
The flames were extingushed after they had
damaged most of the rags in the building and
had burned hole through the roof There were
rumors that some of the old women had been
burned up. and the firemen began a search as soon
as they were able to make their way through the
building On the fourth foor near front win
dow, they found the body of Winifred Leonard.
q woman about seventy years of age, who had
lived with her sister in North Seventh-st., Will
iamsburg, and had been employed in the rag shop
several years. Her body was burned to crisp.
1t was carried to the police station to await the
arrival of a coroner.
Harley owned the building and had rags worth
about $50, 900 in IL. His loss was about 81 1000.
fully covered by insurance.