New-York tribune., 1894-04-28
FRANTIC HORSES PERISHED.
FIRE SWEPT THROUGH STABLE IN
WEST NINETEENTH-ST LAST
EVENING.
sEvENTY-FIvE ANIMALS sUFFOCATED OR
ROASTED TO DEATH-THEIR WILD sTRUG-
Giles TO ESCAPE - THE LOSS
ABOUT $4,000


seventy-nve horses were sufoca;ed and their
bodies roasted IN fire which gutted the second
third floors well a portion OF the first floor. OF
the three-story brick stable No. 452 West Nine
teenth-st.. last night So suddenly did the smoke
fiji the big stable that there was no chance to es-
cape 40 human lives were lost although John
Fitzpatrick his wife and six children who lived in
rooms the third floor the stable had to flee
for their lives. The loss will reach 10000.
John Fitzpatrick is a brother Of Richard Fltzpat-
rick. stevedore. who the stable The build
ing Is Of bric. and stands short distance east Of
Tenth-ave. 1t has a frontage Of hf;y feet on West
Nineteenth-st. and extends back 100 feet The rear
wall is within six feet OF tenements In West EIgh-
teenth-st. The greater number OF the horses were
In stalls the second floor They included seventy
three draught and two light-carriage horses. An
immense loft contained about 800 bales Of hay, in
Guiding 500 bales that had been placed there yeser-
day.
Jacob Hart stableman. who also acted as night
watchman. feeding the horses on the second
floor at $40 o'clock last night he said when he
SAW flames shoot up near the front Of the build
ing on the same floor. lie at once reused joan
Fitzpatrick and his family. who rushed down the
stairs and out OF the building. Fitzpatrick seized
three OF thu younger chilircn. and his wife fol-
lowed with the others. Hart at once saw the USE
lcssness of trying to stop the fire. and he cut loose
some Of the horses. hoping to get them out IN
time. 1t a vain effort. The liberated beasts
made rush for The runway leading down TO the
first floor only 10 be met by "A cloud OF smoke that
drove the leaders back on those pressing behind.
Then began u Wild struggle among the poor ami
mails, VINO. hlisterel and choked by the smoke.
ntghed shr,ly they strove to escape from the
fast spreading fire. Hart had given up the strug-
gle to save the horses after cutting dozen or
So loose, and made rush himself for the stair
way on the eas; $50, of the building He was
barely in time 20 save himself from sufio, alton.
Policeman b..
teth--t station. had alroa.y sent out an alarm
and engines so. and so. ~ reached the place al
most tolcihrr Battalion chief Reilly at on"
sounded 81 second alarm. which brought chief Bon
ncr Acting chief Shaw and Battalion Chl"i hres-
lin. with ten more engines and three hook and
The fire lad by th!s time swept across the second
floor and the loud nrighins OF the imprisoned
fuily a dozen 81 the ~, draught horses We're
found piled IN heap on the runway leading Gown
from me second no9r air 'h' ar, ,b IrGIton o
the bodies showed 'Vii,nce OF thr i"rrihc stt"te',
the smoke hld turned back Those behind them
had pushed on and then had come the fatal smoke
one another In their frantic death struggles. The
flames quickly followed the smoke. ana some "f
,Inso I'M The stalls w,re roasted The horses uoi
in the stoll had twisted nn1 turned IN thrir at.n,
dropped in the passarcway between The s,nis.
Others hai turns t.,y o YT " ,b s, ns ny
%n, IN theso case mat ihc nrc and the smoke
Af,~r racing through The second floor. thc flames
erre,t 10 IN. thlrl and set tho immrnSe hay lpt
anre Then the blaze worked IT, way ihr9ugh dne
roof The second floor burned through. Anl 'h1 mr.
qpread 10 ne stalls the first Moor. Ihr hcns
hiack smoke that preceded the flames sunoca'ei
m" HrcmDn rot the mr. under control AIR
nearly two hours - hard WORK - -, ,u n,,,
eight of the horses Of these cight. thf'e weIr
owned hy Timothy Shields a Harlem trgckmaih'
ard ave hv J W Kent coal dealer, ht S"V'hth
ave and SiNtccnth-st II could no; D" d.hnitS,y
i.,r,ed that n single horse taken out JoNn
t-f,-,,.ricl SAID that fhrr~ WAS not horse saved
HI.harI Fitzpatrick sili hat Voc" would b, 4
.or..r,aflve estimate % ibc loss II VII probably
h.. more There IS 60" Insurance on ~" prop
,. a.. ...,,io ...,,t
~i,, qrv N.l of what caused IN" FIRE