The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-09-05
VICTIMS OF A DEATH TRAP.
Three Lives Lost i'm anew York
.'Sweat SHOP"

NEW YORK, Aug. 29.-Fire did awful
work in the tenement house district Of
the East Side this morning. The flames
broke out in a six-story sweat shop
at 226 Rivington-st. Three men lost
their lives and a fourth, fireman, is
dying. At 81 Goerick-st. a six-story ten
ement was burned, a dozen families We're
driven out panic-stricken and $4,000
damage was done. The Riving-ton-st
house was occupied almost solely by
sweat shops. The second floor was used
as a synagogue and portion Of the
third floor as Hebrew school for boys
1t is claimed that nobody lived in the
house but there were at least eight men
in building when the fire broke out If
they were Watchmen, as IL is claimed,
they did their work badly, for three Of
their number are dead and fourth can
not be found. He ran away when the
alarm was sounded.
The dead are:
0IERICO LERIvE. aged hfty-three.
JOSEPH LERIVE, aged eighteen.
ELIAS LERIVE, aged sixteen.
Injured:
TIMOTHY COLLINS, fireman, hurt in
ternally; will die.
The RivingtOn-st. fire occurred at 2
o'clock. Its origin is unknown. As the
flames burst from the building a man
was seen to rush from it and run in the
opposite direction. Several persons
called after him. but he paid no heed
and was lost sight Of
The flames started in the tailor-shop Of
Fabricus Levine. Soon after the fire be
gan Levines Waterman, Herman Eyer
son, was climbing down the fire escape
When he got to the first floor he jumped
to the ground. He was followed by three
others, who came from different floors.
Long before the first engine reached the
10
from the ground floor TO the roof. The
building was dangerously located, being
in the center of the Hebrew tenement
district, with tall, crowded tenements on
either side. Three alarms were sounded.
Ladders were set up against the burn
ing building, but they only reached to
the third floor. 1t was supposed that
everybody was out. but youth of eigh-
teen years old appeared on floor, en-
veloped with flames. The people below
shouted encouragement to the lad. but
could not reach him, and the crowd be
low watched as the boy seemed to be
roasting alive.
Fireman Timothy Collins attempted to
rescue him. He had gone up the ladder
but a few rounds when the boy climbed
over the escape and dropped. Twice he
turned in the air before he fell squarely
on the shoulders of Collins. Down both
went to the pavement, the boy was killed
by the fall. The fireman was uncon-
scious and injured internally by the fall.
He will probably die.
The firemen worked from the roofs Of
buildings on all sides and succeeded in
combining the flames TO the one building.
but this was Quilted completely. After
three hours work the fremen entered the
building by the roof. In the shop of
Joseph Schackman, the room from which
the lad had jumped to death, the firemen
found the bodies Of the men. They
We're lying side by side little tailor's
bench and had evidently been asleep when
overcome by smoke. They were father
and son and the boy who jumped was an
other son. The man was about fifty
three years old, the boy about sixteen.
Both bodies had been scOrched by the
flames, but the faces were recognizable.
The three always slept on the shop. The
damage TO the building was about $4,000.
The tenants each lose about $500. Fire
marshal will investigate the origin of the
fire, as its cause seems shrOuded in mys-
terry.
While this fire was in progress three
alarms were sounded for another in a
five-story ''double-decker" tenement at 81
Goerick-st The fire was decidedly
suspicious IT originated in the hallway
beside the door of Josephine heana, a
buarder in the janitor's family on the
first floor The entire building was soon
enveloped in flames. All the tenants
escaped uninjured. The loss will not eX-
coed $4,000.
There is talk of incendiarism and an
investigation will be had in the case also.