Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-08-17
A NEW YORK FIRE.
Tarribl Loss fife in a Tenement House.

NEW YORK, Aug. 3.-ThiEty people
were burned to death in . six story brick
building. No 197 BOwery, this afternoon.
Six more were burned 90 badly that they
viii probably die. The house was ram
shaekle affair, hidden in the middle Of
block. The only entrance TO it being a
narrow alleyWay from Bowery. In front Of
It was four story building, on the first
floor Of which was . saloon. Adjoining
this is Harry Miners peoples theatre. IN
the rear Of the building were two houses
hemmiug it in on the Christie street side.
In this Gagged in building lived about $50
people. Each Of the six floors were 0ccu-
pied by a single family, the head OF which
was tailor, who made clothing
and employed from fifteen 10
twenty men, women and children
in addition TO his own family. They were
all Polish Jews, and employers and en-
plOyed worked, ate and slept in the rrowI-
ed rooms Of the tenement The tenants
who rented apartments were: S Coon, s.
Graft, Klein and Mark Harris and II
LAWN. About 4 o'clock this afternoon,
while all the occupants of the building were
busily at work,
FLAMES BROKE OUT
on the lower floor. The FIRE had, when
discovered, already gained such head way
that it was in full possession Of the STAN.
way, and escape by il seemed impossible
The police reserve was called out and in
short order 100 blue coats in charge of In
spector Williams were on hand. Alarm
after alarm was sent out after ambulances.
and in very little while surgeons came
up from the st. Vincent, Chambers
street. Bellevue and New York hospitals.
while the department of charities and cor
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
narrow court yard with clothes abIaze and
hands and bodies burned. Six Of them
we're SO severely burned that they were
taken to the hospital and may die. There
were fire escapes on the front and rear Of
the house, perpendicular iron ladders ran
ming down the front and rear Of the build
ing, but before any of the inmates had
ASCENDED THROUGH THE HOUSE
and were reaching from the windows, so
that descent by the fire escape was impos-
sible. One man, bali burned to death,
leaped from q ffth-story window and fell
mangled mass of flesh in the little court
yard. Others jumped from the second
story window, and escaped with bruises.
The enormous crowds that had gathered
shrank with dread and sympathy as some
wounded person shrieked and others
grOoned with pain. One poor woman lay
on her back In little store in the BOWery
with not only her clothing but her hair
burned off. 1t seemed as if she must b.
dead, but a slight upheaving OF the bosom
showed that a little life still remained.
She was unconscious and the surgeon said
she would not live to reach the hospital.
Another young girl was deiiriOus with
pain. She was not SO badly burned rs the
others; but In a mad jump from one of the
windows she has received internal iniur-
les and also cut terrible cash in the side
of her head, from which the blood pushed
forth, giving her a CHASTITY appear aace.
She rayed and screamed and had to be
held by two attendants while her wounds
were being dressed. The spectacle. as the
various ambuIances received their human
freight and drove rapidly away. was a sad
one, and naturally enough attracted an
enormous crowd, which kept the police
busy.
A. H. Sheldon, manager of the Peoples
theatre, on discovering the fire, sent out an
alarm and the hremen responded, but when
they arrived the flames already had COM
plete possession Of the house. and nothing
,Ould be done to save it, and but little to
save its inmates. Charles w. Norman.
property man Of the Peoples theatre, with
several OF his comrades, ran TO the roof oil
tbs theatre, carrying a small ladder, which
they stretched over to a window OF the
Burning building. A woman with her
hair and clothing ablaze was at the win
dow, and no man dared to cross over Oh.
the ladder. She cried back that she could
rot
LEAVE HER TWO CHILDREN.
One man tried to cross over on a lad
der but the flames drove him back aud he
could not save her. Afterwards the charIed
bodies of the mother and two children were
found in the building. Three men. how
ever, awaited themselves of the ladder and
scaped o the roof of the theater. When
be hremeu had at last drowned the fam es
40 they could enter the hOuse, they searched
floor by floor as they assembled and en- the
third floor they found the burned bodies of
q man, woman and boy. On the fourth
floor they found five bodies so badly burned
that il was impossible TO tell whether they
"CLo 1tioSS Va DSu VI "SLiSu' Ou LUG MIN
floor no bodies were found, but on the sixth
five more were found. and they were also
burned so that it could not be told whether
they were men or women. This made
thirteen bodies found in the building.
That of the man who leaped ffom the fifth
story window increased the death list TO
fifteen, while IL is feared that the death Of
some If not all Of those in the hospital will
MAKE THIS NUMBER GREATER.
Several Of the bodies were burned 80
badly that they fell apart when removed.
and the bremen were CDllg5t " ~" ca
them fTom the windows in nets. The list
of dead as far as known Is.