Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-08-09
a BoweRY HOLOCAUST.

/
Death rr~p-rhe rerribi. Results Of |.
Fire In IN Un.ppro.ehasis rea.-..,-
House ia New York. D~e.eiy p.opisd by
Polish Jews-Liss Of the Victims.
Nxw YonK. Aug. A-Tns Bov-rv vas
terday afternoon was the scene OF the
most horrible Gre that has visited New
York in many days Fourteen dead
bodies were taken from the ruins, and
number Of persons were taken to the hos
pttal badly burned or injured by jumping.
The building burned was . ix-story
death-trsp located In the rss~ OF the Peo-
Pies Theater In the center OF the block
bounded by Bswery, Rivingtou. Christie
and Delaney streets, and WAS unapproach-
able save by an alley way scarcely three
| feet wide aud y hundred feet deem The
FIRST second, third and fourth foors were
used as tailoring shops by four different
urms who employed nearly one hundred
men aud women In the manufacture Of
cioaks. All OF the employees were Polish
Jews The building. which was Allied
with inasmmsbie material, burned
hercely and rapidly. and ey the time the
hr"men reached the scene IL was q roar
ing furnace.
Back Of the building is q narrow court
yard about six feet wide and covered With
tagging. All roads OF escape being cut
on, many Of the shriyhted inmates rushed
to the windows aud jumped from the third
and fourth stories to the nArrsw pen be-
low. only to receive broken limbs or
heads. Many were overcome by smoke
before the FIRE reached them, and wsrs
unconscious while their bodies wers being
burned To a crisp
The nre, which lasted over an hour. was
drowned Out al $50 p. m, and search WAS
Immediately made for the victims. One
body was found IN the alley way; one on
the hrst foor. occupied by Marx & Clein,
taiiors; three dead bodies we're found on
the fourth floor. occupied by Davis, tailor |;
i've were found on the fifth door. All the
corpses appeared to be those OF mon, and
were burned beyond recognition. An un-
Snown man died while under the sur
geon's hands at the White House saloon,
No. 1877 Bowery. making q total OF fifteen
dead.
The injured, so far as known, are:
Phillip Trott aged thirty; fatally
burned and injured internally; will die.
Sir Michael Rubcnhouss; arm broken
and badly bruised
Ed Mapastie, both arms and legs
broken
Harris Bereschied, ankle br oxen
The origin OF the Are is unknown. This
total loss, including 81, 900 to the Peoples
Theater, will not exceed $1,000.
The scenes attending the ire were heart
rending. Owing to the peculiar situation
OF the building. the fremeu were unable
to reach the people from the windows and
prevent their jumping, and the coustruc-
tion OF the place was so faulty that Ii is
doubtful II the suffocatiou aud cremation
OF the inside victims could have been pre-
vented even IL the fremen h sd been able
to get to work earlier.
| Crowds Of Polish Jews and people of
all descriptions thronged into the Bow
cry, screaming and weeping and greatly
impeding the work of the police and fire.
men. The lamentations uttered by reia-
tives and friends, as the dead and wound
ed were brought out to tho street, wsrs
appalling. Tho injured were cared for on
the sidewalks until ambulances from
various hospitals arrived, and the array
OF bleeding humanity was ghastly one.
The building had fire escapes, but the
fire ran up the rear OF the structure. cut :
ting of egress by the stAirways. Some
Of the victims might have escaped by way
OF the roof II the dense smoke had not
overpovered them. IL is doubtful, too. IL
thsH knew that there was q hstchway
tlfefs. The fire was probably caused by
the upsetting Of n can OF benzine.
Mrs. Graft, who lived on the third floor,
was about to become q mother. when
the family were startled by the flames
coming up through the floor. Mr.. Graft
caught up a baby, and calling to his two
other children, Joseph and Celia 10 fol-
low, rushed down stairs, hoping to return
with help and save the mother. Graft
and the baby alone escaped An hour
later the frsmen found Mrs. Graft and the
oewly-born baby and Joseph and Celia
all dead
Charles Forman, property man Of the
Peoples Thester, saved many lives by
breaking down partition and throwing
ladder over the alley to the third story
windows OF the burning building. over
which the occupants of that floor could
pass. when they were all out, Norman
threw the ladder mp to the fourth story
and rescued many there. He says he was
astonished to see the frantic people try
ing To save their little property by throw
ing ii out OF the windows while their lives
were in danger. There was bat mo-
ment or two in which to work. The fierce
heat soon made the ladder bridge use
less. He thinks the large loss Of life Is
mainly due To the people being panic
stricken.
The following Is a list Of the dead:
Mrs. Adele Graft, aged twenty eight.
with her newborn babe; burned to
death
Joseph Graft aged seven; ditto.
Celia Graft, aged four; ditto.
Philip Taloph, aged twenty-five; killed
by jumping from sixth story; skull
| crushed
Henry Schwartz, tailor; suffocated
| Unknown woman. aud ten men all
burned so As to be unrecognizable.
These eleven bodies are at the morgue.
The police have record Of ten injured and
two missing The injured are:
Arias Spennett
Bernard Rothman.
Philip Torlove.
Michael !sh.sss !2sShh..sssS
Abraham Novolsd
Edward Mapastic-
Morris Brescheir.
Nathan Loami.
Ida Frink and Q woman named Sarah,
last name unknown
All are tailors or tailoresses. The two
women and Spennett will probably die.
Some were injured by jumping. others
from burns.
The missing are Henry Prodigsl and
BENJAMIN Bernstein
The hospitals are besieged by Poland
srs inquiring for friends and relatives