The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-25
THREE BROOKLYN FIRES.
LNSURANOB ADJUsTER ROD6ERHS
MOTHER BURNED TO DEATH.

AOIhEh BURNED III OhA1hs
Three Women In Peril at . Coiumbia HEIGHTS
Blase-Ievi Brothers' Big Dry Goods
6tors Destroyed - Mayor Boody Now
Wants the Fire Department Investigated.
A fatal IRE occurred yesterday morning in
| the three.story brown-stone house Of Insur.
| ance Adjuster Luke Rodgers at IS Quincy
| street. Brooklyn. the victim being his eighty
| fve-year-od mother. Elizabeth Rodgers Mr..
Rodgers. before starting for business about z
o'clock. told the servant to be careful In look.
| ing after the furnace and register.
TWAS notlonG after Mr.. RodCerss de departure,
that tho girl noticed pun OF smoke coming
through tho register in tho dining room In
| the basement. and in a moment the smoke
was followed by flames. The girl ran up
stairs screaming fire. and assisted Mrs. Luke
Rodgers and her 21-year-od son. Newton. In
rescung tho five children who we're still asleep
In tho rooms on the top floor. The Railways
wero already filled with smoke and tho fro
was pouring up from the basement. but young
Mr.. Rodgers and his mother succeeded In get.
ting all the children out in safety.
In tho excitement OF the nom nt the nNed
crandmo other OF tho children. who slept in the
back room on the second floor. was forgotten.
hut the instant her absence was noticed her
grandson made an heroic effort to save her
Rushing through tho dense smoke in the
hallway he dashed up stairs. and. half blinded
and euffocated. reached his grandmother's
bedroom. and lifting the old lady who was ap-
parently unconscious. from the bod. which
was already on fire. he started for the door.
He encountered mass Of flames as he got to
the top OF the stairs. and had to reinquish his
burden.
When he reached the street his own cloth
ing was on fire and his hands and face badly
scorched. He was almost unconscious and
When tho ilrenen had partially extincuishei
the flames the chnrred body. OF tho old woman
a aSSs and cn
niture $1,000.
THREE WOMEN IN PERIL
The second fire was in tho three.story and
Heights. The basement and the first two floors
Gsnp By es Il ss o rod "a.
and Miss smith. The three women were the
only perss99 n IN the building at the time OF the
t. spend Christmas in the country. Ms
ths Tn0 ss"rSd tine
Going Is tt. hai%sy found sSns smSF
She aroused the other two women but by that
time eseape to o tho street street by the stairway had
one OF the side W ndows on the third floor.
and dropped one by one to the roof Of the
without injury was S"t Mini ,nss
before their cries for help were heard. and
ss 4% r a& %1 hT tho Swns!
The fire had made considerable progress be.
Kuted TGe loss was hs rs was
caused By a defective iue in the basement.
THE BERLIN" DESTROYED
The big triangular three story brick build.
Ing at the i junction Of Broadway and Myrtle
lin" and occupied BY Albert and Sathan Levi Levi
ocoek in VII HE ire wss dscoy
cred in show window WIN on the Broadway side
alarm he smashed the show window and at.
The strong draught created by the broken
window drove the flames toward the store and
Rs e 5
screa med and ran out OF the store. Tho cry OF
Fire alarmed the employees ntI9 and customers
ensued. but everybody escaped safely to the
Tie first alarm brought three engines and
tanning tie interior Of tho buiine from tie
the U9 flames an "f 1s essry
and caused travel on the Broadwayand EidEe-
be suspended On the broadway side the fire
wns, sometimes SO close to the structure that
onSar tn eSa to ny S the ties
more alarms brought six additional engines
ad wo on ba a a aoIen mere a
flooded. In an hour the fire was got under
control 80
the window dresser. and Isaac Weinberg. n is.
year-Old boy who assisted him. were in the
| show window whore the fire started a few
minutes before the policeman discovered it.
The firm had q gas stove on exhibition. and
| Weinberg. it is sad had been adjusting
rubber tube from the gas burner to the stove.
ZIMMERMAN was about twenty icet from the
Se % !"s %S" "s.aG
him out into the store. and lust then the pv-
liceman saw the fire and smashed the
Weinberg said that the origin OF the fire was
| purely accidental. A piece OF drapery rot too
| near the gas burner.
goods for the holidays. The evils placed their
| loss at from 100000 to 100000. Jules B!ocn
| owned the building. 1t WAS erected two years
ago. and cost 9bout So. 900: i has a frontage
| avenue. Tho damage to the building was
about $4,000. Both the owner and occupants
OF the building arc insured.
MAYOR BoODY WANTS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
INVESTIGATED.
Mayor Body Is determined TO discover II
possible. il there Is any foundation for tho
charge made by the Tariff Association Of the
| Board OF Fire Underwriters that tho Fire Do.
Engineer Neyns unworthy TO he at the head
| OF the department. After having interviews
| yesterday with several insurance men. Ae
| said:
| II have addressed n communication to Press
| ident Lockwood Of tho Tariff Association so
| that | may find out precisely what its COM
plai is about the brooklyn Fir" Dennrtmcn'
| l shall lose no time IN having this matter thor
ouEhly sifted. and ii any lust hlamo rests
upon any department ri III" Government it
| will be removed. We shall insist upon the
ulest Investigation in regard to any charges
whic! have been made
| CAN'T THINK WHIT TO 10 WITH IT.