The evening world., 1894-03-08
BURNED TO A CRISP.
Michael MoCutchen Lost His Life
in q Flat House Fire.
Others Hurt BY Sliding Down a
Rope to the Street.
Suspicious Circumstances Attending
the Outbreak.

one man was burned to death and
several people Injured in a fire which
broke OUT early this morning In the four
story Hat house at 62s Eighth avenue.
Three alarms were sent in. but before
the IRE could be checked 1t had extended
to three other houses.
In ali about $4,000 damage was done
to property. circumstance connected
with the origin OF the blaze the fremen
think are suspicious.
The man who lost his life was Michael
McCutchen. who occupied a hall room
on the third floor. He was a butcher,
twcnty-one wears old.
1t was Just l.55 o'clock when a young
man walking through Eighth avenue
noticed a bright light shining through
the doors of Henry Liski's restaurant
on the ground floor OF the fiat house.
Hurrying up the street in search OF a
by the time bowling reached the house
he had been Joined by Patrolmen MCGEE
and Coleman.
McGee turned in an alarm. The other
policemen put In their time ringing the
fla,-house bells to arouse the sleeping
anants. The fire had started In the
rear OF the restaurant, and by the time
the alarm was turned n had already
burned to the stairway, cutting off all
escape by that means for thu people up
stairs.
William schneeweis, who lives OF the
top floor, was the first tenant who tried
to- get out: lie rushed into the hall
Below he 'ould hear the cracking OF
burning wood. and realized that to at
tempt to get out by the stairs meant
death.
But Schneeweis has had experience
With, fires before. There was a small
fire in the same house last October. and
ground I'm be ready for the next fire."
he used To say. so he returned to his
But when he looked down to the street
his nerve failed him. and he hes!tated.
There was no one In the room with him,
his wife Is in Germany on a visit. and
he lives alJne with his $500 dog Nellie"
Just then the first engine arrived. The
were panic-str'cken. When they found
the stairs burned away. with one accord
they made for the rear fre-escape. But
the fire made such rapid progress through
a rear air-shaft that the escape was rem
lered useless by the great tongues Of
flame that esped from the windows.
the house People stood at the windows
shouting for assistance. The, tiremen
called to Schneewtis to slide down his
rope. but he shook his head and waited
windows On zach floor. but nobody had
courage enough to use IT.. -,
with her husband. the restaurant keeper,
on the first floor. grasped the rope and
slid. She got safely to the, street with
no other injury than badly lacerated
hands.
Now that the ice was broken. the other
tenants followed like sheep. They all
wanted To come down at once.
Mrs. Tulip. Il dressmak er on the second
floor. slid next. Her hands were badly
cut. While she was sliding down Henry
I.iski was crawling along a cornice to
ON the third floor lived Mrs. Elizabeth
Heatherton, n widow, her daughter. and
Heatherton is siyty-eight years Old. She
was the next to try S~chneeweis's es-
Vape.
hands so badly that at the second floor
she let go and fell to the pavement. Her
ankle was broken, and she was taken to
Mrs. Heatharton's boarders, Nugent
and Lacy; slid next. They took Lacy to
the hospital; one one , of H., his fingers was
The last mar to use the rope, was
Schneeweis. He came shooting down,
without making a stop by the way: He
looked surprised when he reached the
pavement and saw his bleeding hands.
= That's a pretty good idea after ALL"
snid he. Then they took him to, Roose-
Ntlt f1QsIllui " navy Us diib
dressed.
The other people IN the house got out
through the roof, and escaped to the
they were doing this the iremen were
fighting the flames. Unable to get to the
upper part, they poured water into the
place from the roof and ground. The
interior OF the house appeared like a
Two more alarms were turned in. The
+, deiuged the nremen with questions abou,
missing relatives and friends. who they
said were burning up.
joining houses In Eighth avenue. Nos. 62t
and $50, then to a stable In the rear. Nos.
E go and 2Tl West Fortieth street.
Patrick Ford. an eNprcssman, lives on
the second floor and has his six horses In
the stable. He got the six out all right,
but when he went to take them to an.
other stable he could only find five OF
them. Some one had stolen the other
/, When the main blaze was so far under
. ladders. could get into the building
! they began tho search for missing per.
sons: by ,hi" TINE M the Msci nGmSe an had 3
seventeen-year-old boy named Willie
VINO worked as n dishwasher for Liski.
McCutchen's body was found burned
had been. 1t is thought he was over
come by the smoke before he coulG
reach the hall and had burned where h,
fell.
; The hoy Willie could not be found. On,
OF the tenants said he had seen hin
20 out early In the night.
Tho body of Schneeweis's dog wa
: found. and also that OF another valuable
I Mexican dog. Maxey. owned by Liski
I the restaurant-keeper.
Thu hremen found that the flames ha'
apparently started In two places. ON
i place was right over a range. and tn
other is a little ante-room, twenty fee
away. I.iski says positively that Their
was no fire In the range. when he lief
his place at 10 O'Clock. The matter wi
be reported to the Fire Marshal.
The losses are estimated as follows
Henry Llskis restaurant and househol
goods, 5000; william Schneeweis. ,00C
Mrs. Heatherton, $500; building SOS Eight
avenue, 5000; stable al 269 West Forfeit
strect. SlOl; house 626 Eighth avenue. s.,