Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-11-09
SMOTHERED TO DEATH.
A FATAL TENEMENT FIRE
IN NEW YORK CITY.
Seven Persons Suffocated and an
Eighth MortalIy Burned-The De-
struction Caused by an Incen-
Giary-Scores Rescued by Heroes

ciary-Scores Rescued by Heroes
-Panic-Stricken Tenants.
Seven people were smothered to death By
smoke in a tenement house fire at 216 West
Thirty-second street, New York City. At
woman jumped from a third-story win
dow and was fatally injured. The
fire came suddenly and cut of
all escape by the stairways. In
tho intense excitement all who were
aroused looked only TO their own safety and
plunged down the fire escapes. Those who
were not awakened were smothered rs they
slept The dead are George Friedman. four
wears LoIi Friedman. three years Annie
Applicant, twenty-five years Lena Mitchell,
tweuty-'our years Mrs. Margaret Killian,
seventy years Jacob KilIian, her son, forty
years George Lovey, Mrs. Killian's grand
son, twenty years.
Lena Friedman mother of the dead chill
dren, jumped from the third-story rear win
dow. She was badly crushed and mangled,
being fatally injured.
Just what caused the fire 10 start up so
suddenly at a time when the tenants of the
house were all asleep is not positively
known. although Fire Marshal MitchelFs as
sistant declares that it was of incendary
origin. The house contained seven families,
two on each floor, except the top story.
where the janitress, Mrs Ebrrwein, lived
alone. In all there were probably forty per-
sons asleep in he house when the fire start
cd in the cellar and prompt rescue alone
saved them from death.
The smoke penetrated the rooms on every
floor in less than five minutes after the
flames began to climb roOfward, and in two
minutes after Policeman Powers reached the
house the little narrow fire escape, that ran
like a slender trellis up the front OF the
house, was swarming with half clad figures
IF, .hfl half
with fear Volumes OF smoke now rolled
from the front windows, and the cries of the
people anxious for safety combined with the
noise of arriving fire engines and the shouts
of the people in the street caused a con1u-
sion of sounds indescribab.e.
The flames had not gained access to any
of the front rooms, but the smoke was
simply sitting. Standing on dry goods
box, Policeman Powers received the fear
stricken tenants and passed them down
from the first floor escape to Policemen
Hahn and Donovan.
All of those in the front of the house es-
capped. but while they were being rescued a
tragedy was being enacted in the rear apart
ments on the second floor, where Nathan
Friedman, a poor furrer, was making mad
fight to save his family and himself from
death
He awoke to find his bed room full Of
Smoke, and picking up Esther, the young
est of the three children, n babe of four
months. Friedman made his way to the
hail door, The flames had reached that
floor, and the fire drove him blistered and
fainting from the intense heat to the
kitchen He aroused his wife and babe
her follow him, but the woman became
hysterical. and did not obey. Friedman
made his way to a corner window, near
which slender iron ladder ran IRON the
yard to the roof. He rapidly decended this
ladder, expecting that his wife would fol-
low, but hardly had he reached tho ground
when he heard her screams.
Tho poor man turned around just in
time to see the form of his wife shoot
downward from a window of the kitchen.
Mrs. Friedman struck the bottom of the
cellar area. just outside of the point
where the fire is supposed to have started
Strange 10 say, she had sustained no
broken bones, and she ran I'D the area
stairs to the rear Of the yard. Her clothing,
however, was ahlaz', and before it could
be extinguished the poor woman was fatally
burned. As TO Friedman, he handed his
infant daughter, the only one of the family
save himself who escaped unscratched,
through the window of an adjacent house,
and then started back to get his two other
children.
1t was too late. the dense noke would not
permit If, and in agony of spirit the half
crazed husband helped his suffering wife into
anear-hy house, where oil was applied to her
burns. Her heart-rending cries for her chill
dren were pitifu. She was removed to
Roosevelt Hospital, and there swathed in
oil-soaked bandages.I
Meantime the engines had been flooding
the house with water under Deputy Chief
Purroy's direction and hook and ladder
trucks had lined the front of the building
with scaling ladders and i'll an hours time
the last spark had been eXtinguished and the
house cleared of smoke.
The two Friedman children. George and
Levy, wero found lying dead side by side in
their little bed just as they had fallen asleep
the night before. Not Il hair Of their heads
had been singed, and none of the bodies had
been touched 10y the flames. In Il bedroom
in the Friedman apartment were the bod
les of Lena Mitchell, Il cousin of Mrs. Fried
man, and of Annie Appleblatt, who
boarded with the family. Neither of the
girls had moved apparently, and their faces
looked peaceful enough Death had evil
IDENTITY come to them painlessly
On the floor above, the destroyer had not
the autumn OF 1889 the Emperor had a good
opportunity to study the character OF Gen
eral Won CRprivi, and later he was asked to
accept the Chancellorship.
He was not anxious to accept the position
but his scruples and self dlstrust were finally
overcome and he assumed the office which
he has now resigned. During his term Of
office he has Ind several severe contests with
the Reiohstag, IN all of which he has come
out victorious.