Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-08-04
TENEMENT HOLOCAUST.
sixteen Persons Killed by Fire ana
FaIlinE-Others Injured.

FaihnG-Others injured.
New YoRK, August 4.-Fifteen persons
were burned to death in a six-story brick
building in the rear OF 1877 Bowery yester-
day afternoon and one killed by jumping
from a window. Six more, burned 50
badly that they will probably die, were
removed to various hospitals, and many
more were injured by jumping, one of
whom died at the hospital. The house was
rAmshackle affair hidden ia the middle OF
the block, the only entrance to it being a
narrow alley way from the Bowery. In
front OF IL was a four story building.
on the first floor OF which was a
saloon called the White Elephant. AdjoIn-
ing this Is Harry Minors Peoples Theatre.
Ia the rear OF the burned building we're two
houses hemming 1t 10 on the Chrystie street
side. In this Gagged in building lived about
one hundred and nfty people. Each of ths
six stories was occupied by single family,
the head OF which was a tailor who made
clothing for the cheap wholesale
clothing houses. and employed from
fifteen 10 twenty men, women and
children, IN addition to his own family
in making up the clothing. They were all
Polish jews, and employers and employed
worked, ate and slept in the crowded rooms
OF the dingy tenement. The tenants who
rented the apartments were 3. Corn, &.
Graft. Klein & Marks, S. Harris and II.
Levine
About IS O'Clock In the afternoon, willis
| all the occupants OF the building were
busily at work In the closing hours pre-
ceding their Subbath eve. flames broke out
on the lower floor II had already gained
such headwey that II was 10 full possession
OF the stairway, and escape by 1t seemed
impossible. Many OF the frightened In
mates, however, rushed down through ths
flames and escaped to the narrow court
yard with clothes ablaze aud hands, faces
and bodies burned. Blk OF them we're so
severely burned that they were taken TO
the hospital and may die. There were per-
pendicular iron ladder FIRE escapes front
and back OF the house. but before any OF
the inmates had tried to escape by them the
flames had ascended through the house and
we're rushing from the windows, so that
descent by the hreescapes was impossible.
When the.iremen had at last drowned
the flames 30 that they could enter the
hbuhtf Auty ntAANhtu hhuE ny nooI dt buoY
ascended, and on the third floor they found
the burned bodies OF a man, a woman and
boy. On the fourth door they found FIVE
bodies 80 badly burned that il was impossi-
BILE to tell whether they were men or
} women. On the fifth floor no bodies were
found but on sixth floor there lay on the
! ioor five more bodies, and they also we're
burned 40 that il could not be told whether
they were the bodies OF men or women
Altogether 10 bodieswerefound in the build
/ ing That Of the man who leaped from the
! flfth story window increased the death lisl
e to sixteen, while It is feared that those IN
e the hospital, will make this numbel
l. greater.
a The hospitals throughout the lower par
a OF the city are crowded with people looking
/ for missing relatives and friends A curl
GUS crowd surrounds the scene OF the holo
4 cauBt
The Ore started on the first floor In thI
!. apartment OF Emma Stevenson, the jnni
4 trtfs Of the building, and was caused by thi
explosion OF a kerosene oil stove The burne'
= building belongs TO Lawyer Abraham
n Stern. who bought it six months ago. Th
n damage to the building is about $4,000
= covered by insurance. The loss on the stocl
I. OF clothing in the various apartments is e'
/. tImated at 600 e Is believed 1t was nc
insured. The house 10 the rear OF the deatt
y , trap was badly burned, and the People
= Theatre was slightly damaged by fire an
water.