New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-17
FATAL FIRE IN BROOKLYN.
TWO LIVES PROBABLY LOST.
.r,pKrrprR.s HEROIC woIK-NARRow ESCAPE
OF LARGE GaTHERING-i0 900
LETTERS BURNED

a DARh HIsiOiN ''~A',-
OF LARGE GATHERING-ioooo
LETTERS BURNED.
The imposing houec of the Zocllncc Macnhcrchor'
Droadway and Will0ughby ave" Brooklyn was nc
stroved bv fire early yesterday morning, involving
loss OF nearly Sl5oOoo and the sacrifice OF two hveS'
while n number CT people narrowly escaped death The
buiIding had frontage Of 125 feet in Broadway and
100 fect I'm WIlImgIby II four stories high.
With n tower forty feet high The structure was
known as the Warner Institute until 1t was pnfchascd
by the Loener Macnncrch0: society IN octobcr last
from Bernard Peters. Editor OF The Brooklyn Times
for $4,000. 1t then rcmo1cllcd at an addl'
tonal cost OF S2O,oOc
II was n few minutes before O'Clock when Henry
Oucebc the head bartender attracted to the maiE
hail by the cracking and falling Of timbers only
few minutes before 300 people. men ana women naa
left the building after participating in reception
given by tho Demore Dramatic Society, which had
been preceded by concert. When Quccbe entered the
hall he found the stage in flames. lie ran 10 inc
telephone TO send in an alarm. When the manager oA
the central Office answered the telephone Ouecbe SAYS
he told him that the place was on fire. and In repN
was tod f. "go TO - In the meantime the Homes
were making rapid hcadway. Quccbc made no iurthcr
effort to inform the Fire Department but ran upstairs
TO arouse tho sleeping inmates. MIS- Rshtcr occu'
Dlcd the apartments on the third floor on the Hroai-
way side, directly the stage. In order 10 reach
the rooms BIZ the of the hall it was necessary to
pass through the gallery Just as Ouccbc reached the
head of the stairs he Charles Richter the lessee
Of the place. Saggcr from the hall room In hai-Snf
located condition.
My God! My poor wife and child" he enspcd,
and then fell TO the floor In a faint. Richter had
tried TO reach his family, but found the door iock'
leading from the gallery to the hall which went 10
his apartments. dense was the smoke that lie
was compelled 10 rctretat. oucebc did not walt 10
assist Mr.. Richter but selling chair CROPPED his way
through the smoke. and on reaching tho door which
Richter had tried u force. raised the chair ana
broke In "A panel lie then climbed through, but
had two other doors 10 force. lie broke III the
second door. but the smoke and flames which fol
lowed drove him 10 the window for air before he
could the third lie did not venture back into
the building, but took to the fire escape, by which
means he reached the rear window Of the Richter
apartment. The ccmmouOn had aroused the woman
who stood awaiting assistance. When the mother
saw Queebe she handed him her child.
Garry little Freddie 10 the street and VIII
follow she said
Queebe took the child In his arms. and started
down the fire escape. Both mother and child were
soon in place OF safety. They were taken 10 No.
All IIart-si., where they still are.
Before Queebc coud 80 back into the building to
arouse the other inmates the place was mass OF
flames. on the top floor John kutzar twenty.four
years old; Carl Mitzcn. tveny-ycars old; Charles
IIohl, seventeen years old. and Panl Kocnlg, nine
teen years old. who employed In setting pins
in the bowling alleys and working about the building
They we're aroused however. by the ringing Of
electric bells In their sleeping rooms. on reaching
the hallway. the found the place filled with
smoke. KOcng and lIohl AT once realized the
situation and escaped 10 the street ty the stairway
In their night clothing and according 10 kocnigs
statement, he -allcd 10 Kutzlar and Mzen 10 follow
but they ran back into their rooms 10 dress. This
they reached the hallway for the second time they
were overcome by the smoke. and could not find
their way ont Both were Bo!rmsns. and had
been in this country only short time.
Mr.. Richter was carried t, the street by Gustavs
Lucus who found him on the stairway.
Just how the Fire Department roevcd tho notlfca
ton Oi the fire Is not known. Fully thirty minutes
elapsed according 70 Mr. Richter, from the time the
tire discovered until the ir,men arrived. Tho In
terior Of the building then OF flames
which Ind also broken out through the roof Second
and third alarms sent In. a few minutes after
the arrival Of the fremen the tower TOPPED with
a crash the broadway Elevated Railroad structure,
although little damage was done. The intense heat
cracked the windows In several OF the surrounding
stores The flames spread 10 the fourstory building
No. .O22 broadway. occupied by Newly Evans
piano dealers, which also destroyed. one building
In the Of the hall was badly CRUSHED by the falling
Of the walls. but the occupants all escaped injury.
several streams Of water wore icpt playing on the
ruins all day and night In the hope OF cooling them
sufficiently for the work Of -earching for the victims
attempts viii be made before today to look for the
lost. scores ~ young men and women had been
making merry while the fire wns smoudcnng beneath
This shown by the fact that the soon, Of something
burning had been detected two hours bfore the flames
ground floor. station ;, Of the brooklyn psofcc
1t was there the fire started and worked It's way