The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-05
WOICIEE'S AWFUL DEATH
Burned to a Crisp While
Trying to Rescue a Sick
Woman and Her Babe
W ALARMS CAUSE DELAY.
Tenement Houses In. Henderson
Street Quilted and the Tenants
Homeless.
ALARMS CAUSE DELAY.

A man burned TO DEATH, six Polish
families bereft of homes aud personal
property. and two four story brick tene.
nient buildings. in the midst OF a thiekly
populated square in The very heart of the
city ruined, These are the principal
features of q fire that occurred at
shortly after two O'Clock this morning.
aad which the Fire Department of the
city fought for several hours before til
devastating flames were conquered.
The two Quilted buildings stand in the
rear of Nos. 4o3 and 405 Henderson street.
between Third and Fourth streets. They
are owned by William Rozak, who keeps
u saloon In one of the buildings in front.
The name OF the man who was burnad
10 death was William Woiciek. until
recently employed at the Pennsylvania
coal docks. VINO lived with his brother
and several boarders on the second
floor Of the building in front. No.
hremen after che flames That Quilted the
two buildings had been quenched. IL
was found in the corner of the l. shaped
hall on the fourth floor, burned to q crisp.
Both arms and part Of enc had been
hurnsd away. The building having been
Quilted, the fremen were obliged to bring
down the body by aid of la fders, rails d
from a hold on the second floor. The
body was discernible from that foothold.
HOW HE MET HIS DEATH.
Woictek is suppose t. nave lost his
life In an effort to saw his friends, Jotn
and Mary Woronicke. and their three
days-old babe, who lived on the top floor
Of the building In the rear of No. 403.
These, however. had escaped through a
trap door in the root, aud made their
way 10 the adjoining roof of a house on
Third street. where, after having spent
half an hour on the roof. were
finally discovered and admitted through
The tray door, from which they made
their way to the street below, and thence
The invaIld wife and her babe were taken
to re lalives in Bay street.
h FIRE DISCOVERED.
1t was about TWO O'Clock when Stanis-
laus kieturkie VICES wife, who lived on
the second floor Of the adjoining building.
heard a scream out from q window the
words: My God, it's fire. She ascer-
tanned that it came from next door. She
immediately awakened the inmates of
the house In which she lived, aud with
her three children fastened out of doors.
By this time both houses seemed to be on
fire, and the tenants of adjoining houses
into the court yard, the alley
ana the street.
Boxes NOS. Is and III were pulled
almost simultaneously. The alarms were
mixed and the firemeu in the
various engine and truck houses
that should resbond to the call
were confused. Assistant Chief Denmead
was the first to reach the scene of the
Are, but it was some moments before the
engines wheeled into Henderson street.
Tue flames had caught headway, and
he firemen knew they had a hard fight
ahead Of them.
They fought desperately. Meanwhile
there was u commotion among the Polish
Som one was missing. Some
one seen Woiciek dash into one of the
buildings and up the stairs. and had
failed TO see him return. 1t was known
that the Worenioks's were his favorite
AS soon as the ffremen could get into
the burned building, search was made
for thelbody OF the missing man, with the
result AS above related. The body was
taken to Undertaker Carey's establish
ment IN Grove street, n its burial will
be looked after by the Krakusan, q
Polish Benefit Society. -
POOR FAMILIES LOSE ALL.
The home berefS families took refuge
wherever they bonld find Judgment. 1t
was impossible to secure an accurate
list.
The cause OF the Ere is attributed TO q
lamp explosion in one of the apa rtments
OF the building in the rear of No, 403.
The property was full ly insured.