New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-09
MRS BELMONTS DANGER.
SHE NARROWLY ESCAPES FROM HER BURN
ING HOME
VALUABLE FURNITURE AND PAINTINGS DE-
sTRoYED-HER JEWELS sAVED-EXCIT-
ING RESCUE OF A SERVANT.

capped from the burning building. In fifteen MIN
utes the house cleared from parlor to roof and
all its costly furniture, rich carpets and valuable
paintings ruined, while large quantity of
Jewels and an elaborate wardrobe were damaged.
The damage to the building and furniture is prob
ably less than $l25,000.
The building was four-story brownstone house
owned by Mrs. Hayward Cutting, who is now in
Europe. 1t has been occupied by Mr.. Belmont
and his family since September l. when they came
in from their country home at Babylon and select
ed the Cutting house because of its nearness to
the old Belmont mansion. 1t was already fur
nished when rented by Mr. Belmont, so that nearly
all the furniture destroyed yesterday belonged to
Mrs. Cutting.
The first alarm was sent at IL 25 a. m. from
the box at Fifth-ave. and Eighteenth-st., by a
passer-by who saw the smoke and flames issuing
from an upper window.
There is no question that the fire started in the
centre parlOr, on the first floor, known as the
pink parlor." In this room one of the servants
had been engaged all morning in cleaning the gas
fixtures, and when called to another part of the
building she closed the door quickly This caused
a draft which blew the curtain against the burn
| ing gas jet, and in a moment the room was all
ablaze. The door being closed, the inmates of
the house had knowledge of the fire until it had
made such rapid progress that they were obliged
| to run for their lives Near the centre of the
room in which the fire had it's origin was an air
shaft leading to the roof, and up this the flames
shot with remarkable rapidity. In few minutes
the fire had reached every floor, and when Mrs
Belmont, who was in her rooms on the second
floor, opened the door to the hall cloud of
smoke burst into her rooms. Rushing to the
window, she gave the alarm to passcrs-by oil the
street, but the flames had already been dis
covered the outside. and alarm had been
sent in. Then she hurriedly wrapped garment
| about her head and made for the hall The fire
was burning with terrible fierceness underneath
| and the flames had reached the staircase. Had
| Mrs. Belmont been minute later escape by the
stairway would have been impossible. When she
reached the first floor she was blinded with smoke
| but she succeeded in cropping her way through the
| hot and sitting smoke, passing within a few feet
Of the hottest part of the fire. and found the front
door, ROundsman Geoghegan arriving Just in time
TO catch her as she emerged from the burning
building screaming with terror. The shock was
SO severe that physician was at once summoned
and it was some time before she recovered from
| the prostration
Engine No. IA, which has headquarters only
block away and Hook and Ladder No were
on the scene promptly and second alarm, sent
out five minutes later, brought Engines 3, D.
7 and IS. and Hook and Ladder and IL.
BY the time the firemen arrived the
| building was ablaze from basement to roof. AS
| the flames gathered headway and began to shoot
through the windows Of the upper stories the
spectators were Mortified at the appearance OF
| womans form at the north window OF the third
story half-hidden behind the clouds of smoke
| 1t was Maria Coffey, one of the servants, who,
when she discovered the fire, found it too late
TO escape by the stairway, and had lied from the
flames in the hallway to the window The fire
was burning around her iiercely, and she screamed
wildly for help.
Finally she was forced by the scorching heat
within to climb out on the cOrnice over the
second-story window Her dress was abaze ana
the flames were drawing closer and closer. She
| threw 1er arms wildly about, and her piteous
cries for help were heard plainly by every one
below At one time it seemed as if she would
be burned to death, but moment later the life
saving apparatus of Hook and Ladder No 8 was
on hand. Quickly the scaling ladders were raised,
the imperiiled woman meantime crouchng down
on the cornice to escape the heat. and stretching
out her arms imploriply to the firemen. John
Sullivan, Of engine No. IA, bounded up the lad
| ders and rescued her none too soon, for moment
later the flames shot out of the window where
she had been standing and the entire upper story
seemed to be abaze. The young woman was
| handed down to Fireman Coleman and reached
! the pavement safely, while the crowd which had
witnessed the remarkable rescue cheered wildly.
| ne Young woman's face, hands and arms were
blistered and her hair was singed. She was
taken Immediately to her home at No. 337 West
| Thirty-eighth-st Annie Crane, Mrs BelmOnts
maid, who was on the second floor. also had mar
| row escape. She ran down the stairway Just as
the flames burst into the hall. Six other servants
got out before the fire had made much headway.
The destruction of the interior of the house
was almost complete The valuable tapestries,
handsome furniture and a number of paintings
were ruined In the parlor was fine painting
Of the late August Belmont valued at $1,000,
which was destroyed Mrs. Belmonts Jewels. val
ued at $3.50, 900. were blackened by the fire. but
the damage is not heavy. All the household silver
plate was taken out before the fire had made much
headway.
| Mrs Belmont said last evening: "Very little
Of the furniture belonged to us. The greatest
| loss is the portrait of Mr. Belmont Then we had
| a few other paintings and bric-a-brac. and small
articles of no great value. but nevertheless greatly
priced by us. 1t would be impossible for me even
| TO estimate our loss. 80 -
August Belmont. who is now in Louisville XIV.
and Perry Belmont. who is in Newport, were I'M
medately informed by telegraph. ana aSkeu 10
| come at once. In the meantime Mrs. beiihont
! is guest Of Mrs. ii. van kehsseiaeI hch"e"S' a.
THE damage to the building is estimated at
$50, 900, and is fully covered BY lns1raRce ne
| less on the furniture is nearly tSloo'Voo' lar9e
| part OF which is met by insurance n, r.
Martin NJ Coleman, of Hook and Ladder COM
| many No 3 was injured by falling ladder. ana
| was taken to the New-iork Hospital