The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-10-06
A TENEMENT ABLAzE.
Four Lives Sacrificed by Fire in
New York.
SAID TO BE OF IEcENDIARY ORIGIN

A Fireman's Pcarful Discovery-He
Nnshes in to Rescue His Bride of
Month, Whom He Finds Burned
Beyond Recognition.
NEW YoRK, Oct. 6.-Three persons
were burned to death in fire in FIVE
story brick tenement house at the cor
ner of Hudson and Dominick streets,
and two others were very badly burned,
one of them so seriously that he died
soon after.
The dead are: Mrs. Annie Murphy, SO
years old; Miss Katie Dunn, 90 years
old; Josephine Ryan, 5years old; Martin
Toohey, 9 years old; Johnny d. Toohey,
II years old, perhaps fatally burned
The fire was dicovered by Policeman
McG rath, who heard sound of break
ing glass, which he thought was caused
by burglars. Running up to the store
on the ground floor of No. 262 Hudson
street, occupied by J. Kratzsnstein, fur
niture and upholstery, he broke a pane
of glass in the window, when there i'm
mediately poured out heavy volume
of smoke. The policeman raped for
assistance, and Two other officers re-
sponded.
Driven Back by Flame.
They sent out an alarm and then
broke in the doors of the main entrance
to the house on the Dominick side.
Flame and smoke rushed out and drove
the policemen back.
1t was evident that it would be i'm
possible for the inmates of the house,
fifty in number, to escape by the stairs
The policemen fastened to the fire
escape on the building and shouted to
the panic stricken occupants not to at
tempt to descend by the stairs. Then
they climbed up the fire escape and
aided the men, women and children to
descend. In this they were aided by
the firemen, who had quickly answered
the alarm. Fireman Lucas, on reaching
the fifth floor, found in the rear rooms
Matthew Ryan, boxmalter, who Is a
widower, and his three young children,
almost overpowered by smoke, and un-
able to help themselves. He dragged
them to the window, and with the aid
of his comrades, succeeded in getting
them down the fire escape safely.
A Fireman's Terrible Discovery.
Just then hook and ladder truck No.
8 drove up, and one of its firemen,
Matthew Murphy, sprang to the ground
shouting: Great God, it's my housed
Where are my wife and childrenr Be-
fore any one could stop him he rushed
through the flames and smoke and
fought his way up the stairs to the fifth
floor. There he found the body of his
wife burned almost beyond recognition
in the hallway just outside her apart
ment. A little further away was the
burned form of little Josephine Ryan.
thedead WI mans niece. She was still
living, but died soon after.
The body of Miss Kate Dunn was
found at the foot of n short ladder lead
ing to the roof. She had evidently been
overcome by the smoke and burned to
death while seeking to escape there. The
two boys, John and Martin Toohey,
Murphy's stepsons, We're found in the
room. They were removed to the rooms
of the Monticello club Icross the street,
where the half dressed tenants had
found refuge. Thence the boss were
taken to st. Vincent's hospital Martin
Toohey was terribly burned all over his
body, and died few hours later. His
brother John is not 50 badly burned,
but is feared he may be fatally injured
by inhaling smoke. Mrs. Murphy was
married to Fireman Murphy only one
month ago.
Nine families resid a In the house,
and each family had an ~" age of three
boarders. The fire broke out in an un-
occupied woodhouse in the cellar. and
the police say that it was of incendlary
Driuin