Huntsville gazette., 1889-08-24
NINE LIVES LOST.

| what Looks Like the Work of an In-
cendIary-Three Men Under Arrest
Daring Act of an Ambulance Surgeon
Police Station Turned Into a Char
mel House.
! NEW YORK, Aug. 19.-Undoubts div one
OF the most awful horrors which this city
has known for years came early this
morning when a crowded West Side tene-
ment-house suffered partial destruction
| by fire. and many Of the tenants losing
their lives. AS result of the calamity
the Nineteenth precinct station on West
Thirtieth street has been converted into
temporary charnel- house, and nine
charred and blackened bodies tell the
story of the frightful disaster.
At 5:4j O'Clock this morning the tene-
ment- No. sos Seventh avenue, near
| Twenty-seyeJth street. was discovered
on fire. On The fremen reaching the
| place the building was ablaze from
ground floor to roof. In the street out
side there was the widest excitement A
crowd had quickly gathered. and
many tenants who had made their
escape in their night clothes
stood among the throng weeping Bit
terly, and almost frantic with despair.
The fremen did their work we'll and in
fifteen minutes they had the confagra-
| ton in hand, while in half an hour all
! danger from further destruction was
over. AT first it was thought that all the
tenants had escaped in safety, but rumor
was spread that a woman was badly
burned in one of the rooms direct
ly over the basement restaurant.
| One Of the ambulance surgeons who had
been called, but whose name could not be
| learned, climbed up ladder over the fire.
escape and into the window, through
which dense clouds Of smoke still
poured He soon appeared at the win
dow with a woman in his arms and car
ried her bodily to the sidewalk below.
| Although still alive she was unconscious
and died almost as soon as she reached
the street. The fremen then began the
work Of hunting for the dead in earnest
! On the first floor. in addition
| to the woman, Nellie Goeghgan, there
were found William Mckee and William
Glennon. They were both smothered in
their beds and probably were not con-
scious of the fire. On the second floor
| lived the Wells family, mother thirty
one years old, and her two children,
Jane, aged four, and Thomas, aged two.
They were all found dead in bed
together, the children being clasped
in each others arms as. if sleeping
peacefully. On the third floor were
found Bertha Lustig, forty years old,
| and James Jefferey, fifty-fve years old.
The former was discovered but few feet
from the window in the front Of the
house. and the latter in bed in rear
room. They were both dead. On the top
floor was found the body of an unknown
man, about forty-fve years old. The
body was considerably burned, and was
blackened from head to foot. All the
bodies were taken in patrol wagon to
the Thirtieth Street station.
SO far as at present known the only
persons injured by the fire were two sons
of William GlennOn. They were badly
! burned about the limbs and body and
were taken to the New York Hospital.
The cause of the fire has not yet been
definitely ascertained. 1t is stated, how
ever, that it began in the restaurant
Of John Synder on the ground floor.
According to Snyder's story he
was on the sidewalk sweeping the flag
stones when he saw blaze in the kitchen
in the rear Of his place. In the kitchen
at the time were Walter Brooks, the COL
ored cook. and Joseph Plunkett waiter.
/ Snyder rushed back into the restaurant
and with the help of his employees triedito
put out the fire. When he found this was
impossible he sent one of the men up
stairs to alarm the tenants. The fire,
however, had gained such headway that
this alarm did but little good, and Snyder,
becoming frightened, rung in an alarm
from the box on the street. Both Snyder
and his two men were arrested and locked
up.
Brooks, the cook, said that the fire re-
| suited from an oyerheated range, and
that the drum of the range took fire first,
and that it then communicated to the
woodw ork about the kitchen.
Snyder's restaurant is said to have
been a place of questionable character,
and at the police station this morning 1t
was openly alleged that Brooks, the COOK,
was drunk when he was arrested.
1t is said that $1,000 will cover the loss
on the building, which is insured. Many
of the tenants lost all they had. Mr.. Sire,
the senior partner Of the firm which
owned the building, said this morning
that he would furnish places for all the
tenants to live in free of charge until the
burned building is repaired and again
ready for occupancy.
Acting Captain Schmidtberger Of the
Thirtieth Street police station said: The
circumstances under which the fire oc-
Cured are, to say the least, suspicious.
have questioned the three men sepa-
rately, and there are certain discrepan
cies which they should be called
upon to explain. Snyder has kept
the place four or five years, and his
reputation is none too good. 1t was
open day and night, and occasionally
some very lively scenes have taken place
in it, The colored cook. Brooks, says
that they have not done much business
lately. Snyder had $1,000 insurance on
his fixtures, which, l think, is more than
they are worth. The policy expires Sep
tember "a, and, strange to say, had the
policy in his pocket when arrested"
Ex-Speater Carlisle in Mexico
| C1rSz or Mr,rIcn q Al I.NESTnN. IeN-.