The sun., 1891-03-23
NINE TENEMENTS FIRED.
saturday AND SUNDAY ARSON IN
NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN.

Diaboiicai Aspect OF 0ne Mianight Fire |
Knobs Pniied out or she Doers - Pea
tho Tenants In-Thres Poles Detraysa
by the Blase the Kerosene Maas.
Dark. narrow staircases. broken By landings
and Interrupted by many sharp turns, are
dan gerous characteristics Of q row Of double
i've -story tensmsnts In 12lst street, near sso-
ond avenue. There are four houses In the row.
numbered 239. 24l. 249. and 246 No. 248 OF
tho row is owned by Charles Coleman OF SO
William street. and Is occupied By seventeen
families. sixty-eieht persons slept In the
house on Saturday night nineteen children
among the number.
Charles BALI lives with his family on tho third
floor He 10 bartender In Bartg's saloon In
l25th street. near Eighth avenue. worked late
on Saturday night. and arrived at home about
$3.50 o'clock yesterday morning. Pretty soon
after reaching his apartments he smelled
smoke. 1t came from the air shaft, and Grsw
stronger. He aroused some Of his immediate
neiehbors. and they traced the smoke to the
cellar. There, under the wooden staircase and
resting against the plshks OF . coal bin. they
found o pile Of rubbish blazing. A deal trunk
had been dragged up to the blazing heap. as II
to add fuel. A few feet distant was the en-
trance to the air shaft. which is also means
of communication with the cellar Of the sd
joining house. Tho door OF the air shaft had
been btaced shut. Now II WAS bracsd open. 90
II to give the flames an easy passaseway to the
upper floors. The fire was easily extinguished
with Q few pals OF water.
The barefoot tenants trod on . number OF
parlor matches and found that the cellar floor
had been strewn with thsm oil about the fire.
The lower hallway was crowded by excited
tenants Of the house. Some Of them started
to 90 In search OF policeman. Then the ten-
ants learned that they were locked In. Both
inner and outer doors were shut. aud tho
knobs had been removed. making 1t imposBi-
ble to open them until some substitute was
found. This seemed . trivial matter. Aow that
the fire was extingulshed. but had the nre
gained Roadway the lower hallway would have
%sdeed 81 aS and unsbs to ss
Further Investigation revealed that the ten.
The. door knobs had been removed from aii
cellar cell I ton to nftsen coal bins made oi heavy
TiadI!e I liS:y M S.ss on very slight DroSoos.
xhsh she % n. seeas.sd Il e .sIi R' asssisss
sho s house. He lisa Is :. @ home % now Put has % 1ob;
t6e landlord. Hs added that, he ~ Mhimss!i had d
Sad tss Ssen SI dispossessed some four months Be.
Thus reminded. Mr.. Feitner said that the
0,Briens, drank and we're noisy in the house.
psysr sn asked
sSs ~ III %s = S%:
atssl Mr. Psnee ssd e?sPSS . spd % Il. hoard
t, they thHaeSt they had found It. Nj. Feisaer had
* n aas: ss sha sin aas s. 's'
but he was ,Sh Sy Ss
sRs% IL oS K R1a sSs
ssoSebs they 1! Woud @ 10 up
to ne upon Sad h % tbs
besrder. e who Whose % name she aid not Know. ioiter.
": vas sas,. h stas sheIs ,ss
E1obsM M ron q, shs front doors Of No. as on Sun:
dsy s 1Sshp pTss I and Mott ara inclined to be
!ssS Esrs tSisyss: fnss sss ths assh|SoESsoa Is
ahs st bs1 sy ssn ss o9 Ta Il. win psss 81
dr!pk. R TS.y beieys that thieves searched ths
cellar spd the %scss BY
Ten minutes earlier IN, the morning fire
si ga w.ss ss sist tss Street.
also s Of Of nd s mssn,
befsR oi tSs Wsss stree. sso
sS$nf sS IN
sVaess sRs sas e
ssns Hoo Hssd .ssds a Toep aSea sass
one Of The vas SRa nS
HHSei hep aroused and made sware OF their danger
The building Is owned BY Charles sscher.
Po knovn mSys tempt any oas to
5ssi asasSs ssiss nosea ths who
is investigating the fire. and also another ons @
stirtsa X aEs9 Sndss 1q%ssI sqs
store. and was within easy reach oi them
:1:sssSs :ssS; ;$. 4t I. /
second that bad occurred IN that house IN
three day 0P ThOFsdayb =, The
Ihs narrow ps5,spsstiys Of the yssssnt ss ~ G.sd
s:s o /. tas as.sa af5HiSf 81 sSs TinS Il
street. person 6tanoinR on the eoutn sloe OF
Oliver street, looking through the canon. can
the back wndSwS nv r. y
Jew tsiiors. who slept AM. worked on the
have pulled down the shades at 1886 o'clock
last night. and thus avoided the necessity OF
aleeping In q cell OF the Oak street station,
Tho trio Of thoyghtless tatlors are Michael
Schneider. John StroRenis, and Anorew Masch:
rides, and they worked for John Stephsnia- Of
course they were insured-but not against OBJ
servstion. o,,
street ct 1856 o'clock. whom they saw the two
rear windows Of Stephsnias shop bloom with
light. Policeman George Baker WIS at the
corner, and they called to him. He stood
opposite the rear OF tho tenement and watched.
There was sudden burst OF hamo. apparently ,
from an ironing stand In front OF tho east
window
the policeman saw three men IN their night
SrouSd. The other held = oap: from which hs
poured something on the iro9iRg stspd.
shaft Of flame went eelllnRwsrd. Baker saw
lie ssa ssSef: LINES and then s sta.ssd Sn
the house; IL which ten families liys, IH
| fon light and given an alarm Of hre. Two DO: