New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-20
Pennsylvania state College; T. S. Frain and NafrioV'
Brosius, all of Pennsylvania
TENEMENT. House FAMILIES IN PANiC'
THERE WAS NO FIRE TO SPEAK OF. BUT THE
TENANTS KNEW, IN CASE THERE WAS.
THAT THEY WOULD DE CAUGHT

LIKE RATS.
Thirty families of Germans Polish Hebrews anu
Italians living in the front and rear
a. No. 165 Chrystiest. were scared into pane
nv fire in the cellar of the front house early yesterday
morning. william Schmall a brick-dealer at Four
teenthst and Avenue d, owns the houses WHICH arc
old and dingy structures with many dark ana oaup
ventilated rooms. There are flreescapes only on uie
rear wall of the front house, and ON the 'front.' wall
of the rear house. BY them the occupants can get
down 20 the narrow courtyard between the houses
but high side walls shut of escape from the yard cx
ccpt through one of the houses. The arrangement
therefore is e devised to insure wholesale slaughter
Of human beings IN case of serious fire In the frohV
house. Probably the knowledge that they were IN
danger Of being caught like rats In pit and roasted to
death was one cause of the fright yesterday morning
1t was nearly two hours after midnight when Carl
Newman, musician employed in neighboring concert
hall went to his the second floor Of the front
house and noticed smoke rising through the house
Flames had started In Shire GOtleb's coal and wood
store in the cellar. Newman's shouts awole the oc-
cupants OF both houses Some Of them got out TO the
sidewalk but more than 100 of them went on the fire
escapes They biockei the balconies and wCre wedgsu
there In confusion. Smoke from the cellar win
keeper ran from his the second floor OF the
rear house and tied one end Of clotheSline TO the
third-story balcony of the 'front.' house. Then he
slipped down the rope and held the other end Of II in
the yard calling to the people the balconies to slide
down TO him. About forty Of them, men, women and
children, slid down the rope cutting their hands moro
less severely in the short fight to the courtyard
Most of them might Just we'll have gone down the
ladder which fastened to the rear wall OF the
house. but they frantic with fear. few Jumped
from the lowest balcony and were hurt slightly
AS Samuel Levy was going down the fre-escapes
somebody threw jewel box from a top story window
and IL struck him on the head, infctlng severe
scalp wound Moses Steinman tried to carry ms
three children down the reescape and be dropped one
OF them Hauer caught the child in his arms SAFELY
Samuel Braedman dropped his watch into the yard
In order to help stcnman, and somebody stole the
watch. Several Italians living on the top floor slld
down cloheslnes which they fastened to the balcony
From the house the families also fed In ALARM ana
the fttle courtyard filed with excited people.
Fortunately for the imprisoned crowd in the rear
Of the burning house the fremen had been caHed
promptly and the flames in the cellar were ex
tinguished so quickly that the loss did not e1ceed
5000. Nobody had been hurt seriously An
ambulance surgeon sewed up the cut in Levys scalp
and applied bsndages to the hands of some of the men
and women who had used Hauer's cotheslne as
fre-escape. Hauer's wife, who was i'll, had tainted
overcome By excitement and the surgeon prescribed
medicine for her. Hauer tried to borrow money for
the medicine from some Of the persons whom he nau
rescued but they would not lend and toe ambulance
surgeon gave the money out Of his own pocket.
Hauer said yesterday that some Of the tenants
probably had kindled the fire in the cellar but the
police and assistant fro marshal could ma no
proof that the fire was Of incendiary origin.