New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-08
FIVE DIED IN THE FLAMES.
A FATAL FIRE IN THE VILLAGE oE WEST
CHESTER.
ONE OF THE VIC. .IcJGHr TO HAVE DIED
FROM PEART DISEASE WHILE TRYING TO
SAVE oTHERS-AN EXPLODING
LAMP THE CAUSE

q
SAVE oTHERs-AN EXPLODING
LAMP THE CAUSE
fire took place in the little village Of West
chester yesterday morning which resulted IN the
death Of five persons. Near the bridge over
Westchcster Crook ctOod the house Of Watson
Honeywell Bovine. 1t was Of the landmarks
Of the neghborhood- having been built about 730
by tho ancestors OF Mr.. Bovine. On the opposite
side OF the narrow street stands the store that
was established there by his grandfather in lSl D.
These buildings front north BY west and stand
on rather high ground, about 100 feet from the
creek
The Bovine home was two-story and attic
wooden house, with part Of the walls brlck-llned.
1t had the old. fashioned high gables and porch
along the entire front, the roof Of which came
up to the secOnd-story windows. Mr.. BOVINE mas
long been, like his father before him, vestrynan
in Sc Peters Protestant Episcopal Church. HIS
family consisted Of his wife, Kate, age thirtyone,
his mother, Mrs Thomas Is. Bovine, age fifty
seven. and three little girls, Kate Watson, age
six; Helen Margaret age four, and Rrbecca, age
two. Besides these there were in the house a
servant girl named Catherine Damn, age nineteen,
and her little sister Mary, age ten, who had come
in on Monday afternoon and was passing the night
with Catherine in the large attiC-rOOm.
ONLY HAND. ENGINE TO fight TIE FLAMES
Shortly after / o'clock yesterday morning the
village was aroused by an alarm of fire, and it
was soon known that the Bovine house was IN
flames William Noyes the night engineer of the
soda factory, which is not far away, was the first
to sound an alarm, but it was not
many minutes before most OF the men
in the village were making their way
to the house The village is scattered over
broad area, and as there are no regular hrcmen
and only an old hand-enHne available, the first
to arrive on the scene made for the nglne-houS',
which stands about | 80 feet west OF Mr. Bownc s
he, house on the Gppes SIDE q Ss rsFcns srSS I"
of The WestchcSter Oh ervcr' who set the fire
bell ringing and sent some one to ring the three
bells in st. Peters belfry. There were not thrh
men enough on the ground to get the engine
TO work. and the entire house was wrapped IN
flames, and burning fercely.
RESCUED FROM TIVE ROOF OF THE PORCH.
William Noycs told the first comers that the
fire had burst forth suddenly, and had been
started only q few minutes On the porch Of the
store they found the baby, Rcbccca, wrapped
in u quilt watching the flames. In moment
Mg Bovine was seen on the porch roof calling
for help He cried wildly " The lamp has eN-
pqded apd they are Sd all 6uFneI up narg IN his
night-clothes and barp-footed, but he dashed
through the window again, and while some OF the
men got the engine to work Others went to his
aid Mrs Bovine had rema med IN the burning
house and was hunting for her children. licr
hair was on fir, when her husband fla ly dragged
her tn the porch roof, whence boiil he AMI she
were rescued by Gordon Sfy, Il. d. ROblnsOh,
John Crozier and William Herring.
Others had by this time got ladder 10 the
upper window at the west end OF the house ny
tremcly hot there, but Gordon Sey dashed into the
room and found the elder Mrs BOVINE with the
two children, Kate and Helen, lying dead. The
latter G Trsppd in the ascr Sna W%s croes
near her grandmother, with her limbs caught
under tho body OF the dead woman. None OF
these was much burncd, and tsry were taken zen
out Will, the men with the hose fought back the
flames.
THOUGHT TO HAVE mED FROM HEART DISEASE.
A doctor who had attended the elder Mrs.
BOVINE SAYS that she was subject 10 attacks OF
heart disease, and that il Is likely the shock Of
seeing the fire killed her, and thus prevented her
from making the effort she had begun TO save the
little girls She weighed over 200 pounds.
While these bodies were being taken out, John
CroIIcr had broken through the front door 70
mako an effort to find the two Dunn girls Inc
St adv stream of water had checked the fire IN
the lower hall, which Was partly Mod with
rubbish and he made dash 10 reach the attic.
nnd he narrowly escaped falling into the fire
that was burning below Mr. and Mrs. Bovine
and the rescued baby were carried to the house
of friends, and il was not until the hre was under
control at daybreak that the charrci bodies of
Catherine and Nary Dunn were found together
at the bottom OF the stairs.
Before he was taken away M BOVINE told hiS
friends that the first alarm Of the hre was gwen
by his mother She came 10 the door OF ms
room and called him, saying thAU the lamp IN the
hall had exploded, and the house WnS on nrt
He had then escaped in some way with the baby,
hut returning he found the flames so hcrcP
that he could not face them As a matter OF
fact he would have periShcd in the vain attempts
to save those who were already dead hid be not
been dragged from the porch roof by main force.
MIR. BOVINE IN A CRITICAL CONDITION.
The Rev F. NJ Clrndcnin, pastor OF ST, Peters
Church, was early at the scene Of the fire, and
did all in his power to comfort the stricken
parents He had the bodies OF Mrs. Bovine and
the two little girls taken into the vrstbue Of
the church. and funeral services will be- he Id there
ut 80 te-Cay The Dunn girls were the child
rcn Of a hard working widow, and belonged to
the Roman Catholic Church. Their bodies were
taken charge of by the undertaken
Mr. BOVINE i'll a critical state yesterday
He is badly burned about the head, shoulders
and feet, and was suffering intensely. The
doctors thought. however, that the chief danger
was the shock which had well-nigh unsettled his
reason Nobody WAS allowed To see hIm, and his
case was deemed extremely serious Mrs BOVINE
was not much hurt, and her youngest child not
at all but the poor woman was Distracted from
grirf Tie cOTOncr'S inquest VIII take place
this morning.
s., 600, half being covered by insurance.
LOSSES IN VARIOUS PLACES.
PHILADELPHIA May tSpcciaD.-Thc fve-story build.
ing No. 235 Racc-st destroyed by fire this after
firms u -