The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-06-04
FIVE DEAD IN THE HOUSE.
1T WAS THoUGHT ALL HAD ESCAPED
FROM THE BURNING FLATS,

But the whole B~nte Household Was
Minsing--'rheir Bodies Found on the Top
Floor When the FIrenen Couid G ct In.
Five persons we're killed. at q lro that beRau
Just about midnight last night In the flve-story
| fiat house at 13S East Forty-third street They
were:
| WILLIAM DsSrr. 10 year7 old. hstcnozrapheL
LorisE Btsry, 81 years OLD. hts wifo.
ELSIE BrNrt, - years old his sister.
iELrs wErsunR DIRK his Moe. daughter Of Mr.. ana
Mrs th,rleS II petE Of 40 East fortythrd street
EpNhRp PuGslRr, 10 years Old. painter who rented
room from the Bentes.
The sudden illumination OF the sky In the
| street near Lexington avenue startled the
merry makers who thronRed tho fair OF tho
| Press Club in the Grand Central Palace Just
before midnight. Fro had burst through the
roof OF No 1873. one OF n row Of six single flats
extending from l3jto l46.
| Dwcllers in East Forty second street In the
rear of the row OF flats discovered tho blaze.
! Policeman Michael Moloy OF the Grand Gen.
| trail sub station also saw the iiame and turned
| in an alarm.
| The nremcn were on hand in a jiiry. and had
| long ladders placed before the windows before
! the last frightened tenant came down tho
smoky stairway.
There were four families in 1913, and 1t was
supposed at first that all Ind escaped. But
| five persons on the fifth floor had rerished.
Their charred bodies were found by tho 1re-
| men at o'clock this morning.
| All OF tho tenants had gone to bed. and all
lad to foe Tor their lives in their night
| clothes. Charles II. H. Biorkwall and his son.
| Charles II. Biorkwa,l, Jr., Mrs. Borkwall. and
| two children lived on the fourth floor.
They heard tho roar and saw the glare OF tho
fire as II sh t up the dumb waiter shaft. YOUNG
| Mr.. Bio,kwall was the first OF the family awak-
| cned He and his wife ran down the stairway
through the binding smoke
| Tho elder Biorkwall was hemmed IN by Gre,
! and ran to tho renr of tho house and reached
| tho ground by the fire escape.
| Many persons left tho Press Club fair to see
| It. From l:IS and the houses on each side mon
| and women IN their night gowns and in bare
| feet poured irto the street.
| In the confusion It was not possible to as
certain whether all had escaped or not. but
! 1t was at first reported that the Bente house,
! hold, the one in greatest danger. had been
! seen on thu street and were safe.
Capt. Reilly took charge OF the fire mt Tx
O'clock and vigorously enforced tho rule per.
hitting none but persons with badges through
! the lines.
Theatrical Manager Palmer was one OF those
| who had to fall back.
| There was Il big attendance Of prominent
! people at the fair, and they viewed the blaze.
not knowing that it had destroyed five lives.
| from the many windows of the Grand Central
| Talare.
A Miss Boylston. who rented room from the
| Biorkwalls on the fourth floor. was tnkon ont
| in Mysteries. Tho flight OF the tenants OF the
| two adjoining flats. 130 and 40. was almost
| simultaneous.
! They werc in their might clothes and bare
footed. All the fueitives were sheltered In
the Conservatory Of Music at 139. directly
across tho street from the IRE. Here
| Mrs Bent. the mother OF the stenogrnpher.
| and Mrs. DietZ his sister. who were among
the refugees from the two adjoining houses.
met. and each found that tho other had seen
! nothing OF the Bentss and their visitors Of the
| night.
Tho Hremen had begun searching the floors
| below tho apartments OF tho Bentes while this
| fire was u It's height
| They found no bodies. and 1t was beloved
! TINT every tenant had escaped. When the
blaze had been subdued on the top floor ut
AN. the tlremen found tho five bodies four
Of them In the front room OF the Bente nat and
the other on tho fourth floor. Tho victims had
fed from the fire that pursued thom from
the rear OF the fiat and hoped to gain the front
windows. where ladders were being raised By
the hremsn.
All the bodies were partly burned. 1t was
evident however. that all five persons had
+! been SuHocnted before the nre reached them.
They were lifted carefully and taken down
stairs to he sent to tho Morcue. Mrs. Bente
tho mother OF the stenographer. lived next
door. at 49,, to the burned fat.
| Her daughter Elsie and the little niece from
140 were visiting the Bentes to stay all night.
William Bente WAS nephow OF Capt. Theo-
| dore Feldstein. who keeps Il saloon In Grand
street. Bente was married less than year
| ago
Edward Pugsley owned farm near Vine
| land. N. J. When he was not at work there he
| came to this CITY and worked ut his trade as .
| painter.
| 1t Is believed that the fire started at the foot
| OF tho dumb waiter shaft which is about In
tho middle OF the house and runs to the top
| floor.
The iames were first seen on the third floor.
| and almost Immediately after they appeared
| at the first door.
The house Is one OF seventeen in Forty-sec-
| ond and Forty-third streets. which are owned
| by ex-Mayors Hewitt and Cooper. The fire
escapes are In tho rear. and connect with iron
| balconies
| The tenants might. perhaps, have escaped
| II they had hurried to the rear OF the house
| and made use OF the balconies and ladders.