Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-08-06
A New York Fire Horror
TeRKMEN PANIC STRICKEN TN A
BURNING BUTLpINa.
SEVENTEEN LIVES LOST.
a sf.-story sIan-Trap in the eowery,Fiiled
with ~Infammabis Materials. Denes
the riremen and a Hoio-
caust Results.

the most horrible and disastrous fires
that has visited New York in many a
day. Fourteen deed bodies were taken
from the ruins, n q number of persons
taken to the hospital. The building
burned was atsix-story death-trap, locat-
ed in the rear Of the Peoples theater in
the center OF the block bounded by
Bowery, lrvington, Christie and Delaney
streets, n was unapproachable
save BY. an alley way scarcely
three feet wide and q hun
bred feet deep. The fret, second,
third and fourth floors were used as tail
0ring shops by four different firms, who
employed nearly 100 men and women in
the manufacture of cloaks. All the en-
plcyes were Polish Jews. The building,
which was filed with inflammable ma
terial, burned fiercely and rapidly, and
by the time the firemen reached the
scene 1t was q roaring furnace. Beck Of
the building is q marrow court yard
about six feet wide and covered with
tagging. All roads of escape being cut
OF, many of the frightened inmates rushed
to the windows and jumped from the
third and fourth story windows
to the narrow pen below, only
to receive broken limbs or heads.
Many were overcome by the smoke be-
fore the fire reached them, aud were I'M
conscious while their bodies We're being
burned to q crisp. The fire, which last
ed q little over an hour, was drowned
at $3.50 p. m, and search was Immediate
~ made for the victims. One dead body
was found In the alley way; one on the
third foor, occupied by Marx 81 Klein,
t~ailorsi three Head bodies were found
on the fourth floor, occupied by
Davis. tailor; five were found on the
fifth floor, occupied by III. Levine, coat
maker. All The corpses appeared to
be those Of men, and were burned be-
yond recognition. An unknown man
died while under the surgeons hands In
the White House saloon, at 1877 Bowery.
making the total of fifteen dead.
The origin of the fire Ia unknown.
The total loss, including 81, 900 damage
to the Peoples theatre, will not exceed
$40, coo, Tho scenes attending the fire
were heartrsnding. Owing to the Pc
euliar~ situation of the building the fire.
men wars unable to reach the people
from the windows n prevent their
jumping, and the construction Of the
place was SO faulty that 1t is doubtful IL
the su%ffoeation u cremation of the in
side victims could have been prevented
even If the frennsn had been able
W BCtGb WOiA chEktoE. GEOWQS DI GOt-
jsh Jews and people of all descriptions
t~hronged into the Bowery, screaming
and weeping, and greatly impeded the
work of the police and iremen. The
lamentations uttered by relatives and
friends of the dead and wounded as
brought out into tho street, were appall-
ing. The injured were cared for on the
sidewalk until ambulances from various
hospitals arrived, ard the array Of bleed
Ing, MANNED and burned remains was a
CHASTITY N
The building had fre-escapes, but the
fire ran up the rear of the structure, cut
ting off egress by these as well as by the
staifways. Some of the victims might
have escaped by way of the roof If the
dense smoke had hot overpowered them.
1t is doubtful too. II they knew that
there was a hatchway Ghere.
The Are Yves probably caused by the up
setting of q can OF benEins. Mrs. Graft,
who lived on the third floor, was about
TO become q mother, when the family
Was startled by the flames coming up
through the floor. Mr.. Graft caught up
q baby and called to his two other
children, Joseph and Celia, to follow.
hoping to return with help and save the
mother. Graft and the baby alone es-
capped. An hour later the firemen found
Mrs. Graft with the newly born babe
and Joseph and Celia, all dead.
Charles Norman, property man of the
Peoples theatre, saved many lives by
hreahing down a partition on top of the
theatre and throwing a ladder over the
alley to the third-story windows of the
burning building, over which the occu-
pants OF that floor could pass. When
they were all out Norman threw the
ladder up to the fourth story and rescued
many there. He says he WIS astonished
to see the frantic people trying to save
their little property by throwing 1t outof
Windows while their lives were in danger,
as there were but q moment err two in
which to- escape-the fierce heat soon
made the ladder bridge useless. He
thinks this large loss of life is mainly due
to the people being panic stricken.
Following Is q list of the dead:
Mrs. Adele Graft, aged IS with her
babe, burned to death.
Joseph Graft, aged Z.
Celia Graft, aged A.
Philip Talopp, aged 90, killed by jump
ing from the sixth story, skull broken.
Henry Schwartz, tailor, s~utfocated.
Unknown woman and ten men, all
burned SO as to be undergraduate.
These eleven bodies are at the morgue.
The police have a record of ten injured
and two missing. The hospitals are be-
sieged by Polanders inquiring for friends
and relatives.
Asias Spennett died at Bellevue hos
ipital, making the seventeenth victim.
Later-1he search for the bodies in the
ruins Of the Bowery fire continued
throughout the night. The bodies OF a
woman and two men were fonnd.
The flesh on the woman and one man is
SO burned it can only be surmised who
they are. The iremen have overhauled
the building from cellar to roof and left
It in charge of the. fire patrol. A squad
OF police stationed in the vicinity of the
ruins to keep back the crowds of sight
seers, had great difficulty In keeping the
shrongs moving. Shortly before noon
Lawyer Stein, who owned the burned
building, appeared on the scene and re-
quested the lremen to make another
search, SO as to make doubly sure thst
no more bodies are in The ruins. His
wish will be complied with later In the
day. MIR, Stein is making arrangements |
70 bury all the victims of the FIRE at his
expense. He says this is the least he
can do for the relatives of the unfortunate |
victims.
Inquire were made foi .Abraham
schneile. who Is MISSING. 1t fs almost
ceittain he is among tho dead taken to
the morgue. The brother OF Reuben |
Levine also made anxious inquiries con-
cerning Reuben, whom he says has net !
been seen since the first. The police be
iieve b is one of the victims. His death |
~ particularly sad, his wife and little !
CHILD being on the ceansen route to join
him In this country.