Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1888-08-09
A rnNEMsnt AoRRoR.
A Crowded New York Tenement IIous,
Destroyed by Fire Eighteen Person
Rurnpd 60 Death and Many InIured.

Crowded New York Tenement House
Destroyed by Fire Eighteen Persons
burned to Death and Many Injured.
NEw YoRK, Aug. 4.-Eighteen people
were burned TO death in a six story brick
building in the rear Of No. l97 Bowery
yesterday afternoon. Six more, burned
so badly that they will probably die, were
removed to various hospitals.
The house was rHushaekle affair, hid
den In the middle Of the block, the only
entrance TO Il being a marrow alley from
the Bowery. In front Of IL was four
story building on the FIRST floor Of which
was n saloon called "rhe White House."
Adjoining this is Harry Miners Peoples
Theater.
In tho rear Of the burned building were
two houses hemming it In on the Christie
street side. In this caged-in building
lived about 100 people Each Of the six
floors vas occupied 10y single family, the
head OF which was taiiof Who made
clothing for the cheap wholesale clothing
houses, and employed from fifteen TO
twenty men, women aud children in addi-
tion to his own family, in making up the
clothing. They were all Polish jews, and
employer and employed worked, ate and
slept in the crowded rooms OF the dingy
tenement
AZ l,i5 oiciock IA tho afternoon. while
all the occupants Of the building We're
busily at work in the closing hours proceed
ing their Sabbath eve, flames broke out ON
the lower floor. The fire had, when dis
covered, already gained such headway
that II was in full possession 81 the stair
way and escape by II seemed 'npossiblc.
A stout German woman rushed frantic-
L. -. -
screaming out "Mino Gott, Mine Gott dose
peoples are burning up" This ns a start
ling reminder that lives were 10 peril, and
great excitement snsued. The police re-
serve we're called out and III short order
100 blue coats in charge OF inspector
Williams were on hand, ready to assist the
firemen.
Alarm after alarm was sent out 10. am
balances, and in n very little while sur
geons rolled in from st. Vincent, Chambers
street, Bellevue and New York hospitals,
while the department OF charity and corr
rections sent two Of their ambulances.
Their services were badly needed. Many
of the frightened inmates rushed down
through the flames and escaped to the mar
row court yard with clothes abloze and
hands and bodies burned. Six Of them
were so badly burned that they were taken
10 the hospital and may die. There were
escapes ON the front and rear Of the house,
perpendieul9r iron ladders running down
the front and rear 0f the bhildins but be-
fore any Of the inmates had tried to escape
by them the flames had ascended through
the house and were reaching through the
windows, so that descent by the fire es-
capes was impossible. One man, already
half burned to death, leaped from a fifth
story window, and fell a mangled mass Of
flesh in the little court yard. Others
jumped from the second story windows
and escaped with bruises.
Charles W. Norman, property man OF the
Peoples Theatoi, with several Of his COM
rades fah to the f6bf Of The theater carry.
ing small ladder, which they stretched
over 10 a window OF the burning building.
A woman with her hair and clothing al
ready ablale appeared at the window, aad
Norman called 10 her TO cross over on The
ladder. She cried back that she could not
leave her two children. Norman tried tc
cross over on the ladder, but the flames
drove him back and he could not save her.
Afterwards .he charred bodies Of the
mother and two children were found in the
building. Three men, however. availed
themselves of the ladder knd Escaped 10 the
roof Of the theater.
When the firemen had at last drowned
the flames 50 shat they could enter the
house they searched floor by floor
as tLoy ascended, and on the
third floor they found the dead
bodies Of a man, woman and boy. On
the fotrth hoot they fotihd five bodies so
badly burned that il was impossible VI tell
whether they were those Of men or
On the fifth floor no bodies were
found, but on the sixth five more bodies
were found, and they also were burned so
that il could not be told whether they were
the Bodies Of men or women. This made
bodies found in the building.
That of the man who leaped from the fifth |
story window increased the death list 10 |
fourteen, while II is feared that the death |
Of some, II not all, OF those in the hospi- |
tails will make this number greater.
The death list, as corrected is as follows:
Adel GTuft, aged ~, with her new born |
babe, burned 20 death; Joseph Gruft, :
years, burned 10 death; Celia Gruft (
years, burned to death; Philip Lalop, % |
Yeas, killed by jumping from sixth story;
Henry Schwartz, tailor, suTOcated on
fourth floor; woman, unknown, al motgue. |
burned beyond recognition; Abraham |
aNAAA''A'Af ~ gN9Aaf bhA AANh W hN4NhH
Weinberg burned almost beyond /
recognition; ten bodies at morgue, burned I
beyond recognition.
Injured-Michael Reubenhof and Har- |
rls ReubenhoG, father and son; the former |
will rec over, the latter will die. Asarias /
Russian tailor, p years old, Sc
riously burned, likely 10 die. Bernard |
Bethman, Russian tailor, - years, mar
riedi seriously burned. Phillip Torrello, % .
years old, single; seriously burned. Mich
'las Reunef, single, "a years old; serious
lurns about body, Sarah -, tailoress,
single, 10 years old, serious burns, likely /
10 die. Ida Frank, Russian tailoress, sin I
gle; fractured skull from falling, likely to /
lie. Vovolsky, Abraham, Russian tailor;
slightly injured by a fall. Mapostic,
Russian tailor; injured about
limbs by jumping from third story. Brs-
'heir, Morris, Pole tailor; broke leg by Jump
ng from third story Leannie, Nathan, Rus
ian tailor, % years; burned about the