The evening world., 1891-12-12
A VERY QUEER FIRE.
Tie Morgehb3ssers Disappeared
When il Rrlk, Out.
Landlord Cohen Had Threatened
to Dispossess Them.
Another Tenants Little Dauqhter
Thought to Have Perished.
Twenty Families Driven from .
Delaney street Tenement by
the Flames.

Five people are missing as the result Of .
fire that broke out shortly before midnight In
the big double nve.story brick tenement at
3l+ and 3l8 Delaney street. The IRE was
not extingulshed until nearly O'Clock this
morning.
Four of the missing ones are Herman Nor.
genbesser. his wife and two children, In
whose apartments on the second moor the
flames first broke out
The other is Gusse sprauch, two years and
half old, the daughter OF Jacob Sprauch,
who lived on the third floor. Whether she
perished In the flames or wandered away In
the excl ement that ensued Is not yet den.
nitely known.
Twenty families comprising one hundred
people were rendered homeless and destitute
by the fire, which Is believed to have been tho
work Of an incendiary.
The FIRST outsiders to discover the flames
were william Murphy, bartender in Alder
man Clancy's saloon near by, and Policeman
Monaghan, who ran to the nearest box and
sent In an alarm Then they turned their
attention TO arousing the inmates Of both
houses and getting them out.
TENANTS FLED IN A PANIC.
When the nremen arrived the flames were
pouring ou the windows Of 3l6 and the ter.
rined, half-clad inmates were rushing panic
stricken into the street and up the frees
capes to the roof OF the adjoining house.
I Second and third alarms brought more On
gines and trucks, and Capt. Doherty and all
( the reserves OF the Delaney street police
station.
| Bernard Cohen. the owner Of the building,
Z " in t.I m hn
the Morgenbessers apartments, told an
EVENING WORLD reporter this morning that
he was Just about going to bed when he heard
some one shout fire !" outside his door.
He opened the door and saw Mrs. Morgen-
besser standing In her own doorway. She
had her baby In her arms and was holding
the other child by the hand.
All were fully dressed and the woman had
shawl over her head and shoulders.
She continued to scream at the top Of her
voice until cohen rushed past her, when no
says she disappeared with her children. Her
husband was nowhere to be seen.
When Cohen saw flames In Mrs. Morgen-
bessers rooms he, too, shouted, and grab.
bling his wife, dragged her downstairs into
the street with him.
Eddie Arnice, who lived on the same door,
front, with his mother, had just returned
from the theatre, and was telling his mother
about the play wnen he heard the cry OF fire.
Rushing into the hall he saw Mrs. Morgen-
besser In her doorway, screaming. He pushed
by her and saw that her wardrobe only was on
fire and quickly got pail OF water and threw
on the flames
SOME ONE WANTED THE FIRE TO BURN.
The woman stood by watching him and
screaming all the time. Arnice ran for
another pail OF water and she disappeared:
When he again reached her rooms the names
drove him back anu he, too, ned FOR his lie.
Arnice also says that while he was bring
ing the second pail OF water some one struck
him with club on the head. lie showed
said the smoke prevented him from seeing
who his assailant was. but he knew 1t was
man, because II felt like it,
There We're many thrilling rescues and
hairbreadth escapes Indeed 1t ts wonder
that many lives were not lost.
Jacob Sprauch, his wife. her cousin, M0rttx
kaStenoaum, and Two children were on the
third toor. Mrs Sprauch gave little Gusste,
the baby, to kastenoaum who clambered up
the Ire.escape towards the roof, escape be-
low being cut on by the tlames
Mr.. and Mrs. Sprauch and the other child
escaped by creeping across narrow plank
into the rear Of Burkhardt's stables on Goerck
street, but when they met kastenbaum In
the street later he did not have Gussie.
lie said that when he reached the top nre-
escape man took the child from him. Kas-
tenbaum craWled through the scuttle 10 the
ROOF ana tne man followed nun, Ne SuppoStu,
but he didn't know who the man was and did
not see him or the child again.
This muraing kastenbaum was hanging
around the house weeping and wringing his
hands. Search was made for the child In vain
last night, but IL was abandoned this morning.
MAY BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRsHAFT.
There were several feet OF water at the bot
tom OF the airshatt east OF the house that had
not been searched.
Rosie Miller. II widow, and her ten-year-Old
boy Max, who lived on the top floor, escaped
In their uight-cIOtheS TO the roof and were
cared for all night at the Delaney street
station.
She lost everything she had in the world,
and Sergt, Germaine took up collection
among the officers 10 get her and the boy
somr ClOt thing.
Fire Marshal Mitchell will make a rigid
tnvrstig igat Iuu. The Murgenbessers have not
been seen sinCe the lire broke out, and Cohen,
the uwGer OF tn" house, said this morning
that he believed MJrgenpesSer or his wife had
set hr building Oh tlre.
" lie owed me Tor rent continued Cohen,
land NaNs lug 10 dlsposscss him some time
ago. His wit's confinement caused me 10
delay the proceeding.
"He threatened tnen TO get even with me,
and thIK he mas taken this way OF doing II.
For several days he and his vie have been
, moving ouI their things in small quantities"
Cohen valued his building, which is nearly
new, at $4,000, He is insured for s22, 900
and the loss viii probably hot exceed $4,000
although The Hiding is practically gutted.
The loss 10 his tenants may not excee1
$4,000, but all they possessed was destroyed
NrlsabOrs are caring for them to-day.
Tie nOuae II 3li Is owned 10y Butcher A. b
Werner. Il Is damaged slightly by water.
- -