Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-30
Fatal Fire in a New York Tenement
House.
A WOMAN WILL DIE FROM INJURIES
Flames Broke Out While All Were
Asleep.
DESCENDING THE ESCAPES

NEW YORK, October 3O.-seven people
were smothered to death by smoke In a
tenement house fire at PIG West 32d street
this morning. Another woman jumped from
a third-story window and will die The fire
came suddenly and cut off all escape by
the stairways. In the excitement every
body looked only to his or her own safety
and rushed down the fire escape
The following perished in the building:
George Friedman, four years.
Levy Friedman, three years.
Annie Appleblat, twenty-five years.
Lena Mitchell twenty-four years.
Mrs. Margaret Killian, seventy years.
Jacob Killian, her son, forty years.
George Lovy, Mrs. Killian's grandson
twenty years.
Lena Friedman, mother of the dead chill
dren, jumped from the third-story window
She was badly crushed and mangled and
will die.
Discovery of the Fire.
The house Is a five-story brick tenement
the ground floor being occupied by a gro
Gerry, and the upper stories being arranged
with front and rear apartments. There
were seven families in the house. The only
means of exit for the people is by means of
directly up through the center of the build
ing. On either side of the tenement are
houses that tower story above the house
which was burned. In the rear Of the
square, completely hemmed in by the tall
tenementS.
The fire was discovered at 3 o'clock by
passers by. When a policeman came up
the door of the tenement was open, and on
the inside the fire glowed like torch. He
could see tnat the stairway was being
rapidly burned away Still there was not
sign of life from the people in the house.
To enter the house meant death. The only
hope for those within was In arousng them
by shouts, In which the policeman was aided
by those who had been attracted by the fire.
Suddenly to the noise of the flames as
they burned away the stairway there was
added an awful cry. One of the tenants in
the upper part of the house had been
aroused and stood at the window of the fifth
floor. 1t was Mrs. Eberwein, who lived
alone on that floor. In another minute there
was not a window in the front of the house
that did not contain the wild and frightened
face of some man, woman or child, each of
them appealing for aid.
The faces in the windows were framed in
smoke, which poured forth in volumes.
Descending the Fire Escapes.
In the absence Of the f1remen, who had not
yet arrived, the spectators were powerless
to assist those in the building further than
to remind them of the fire escapes By
these first one woman and then others OF
the tenement to the number of twenty
reached the ground, descending in the midst
of flame and smoke before the ladder trucks
arrived.
The flames, which started in the cellar.
did scarcely any damage to the ground or
second floors, but on the third story they
spread over the entire rear portion. There
lived the family of Nathan Friedman, his
wife Lena and his three young children.
There were also two boarders, Annie Apple
blat, %; and Lena Mitchell, "A.
Nathan Friedman was first aroused by
the smoke and noise. The room in which
he, his wife and baby slept was already
filled with smoke. Clutching the baby in
his arms and forgetting all else he sprang
to the window and descended by the fire
escape.
Mrs. Friedman, too, had rushed to a win
dow, but not where the fire escape was.
The escape was but two feet from her, but
fright deprived her of her reason. Behind
her were the flames, twenty-fiv feet below
her was the yard. She leaped from the
window and fell into the rear basement
area, and was badly injured. She was con-
scious, however, and cried wildly for her
children, who were still in the burning
rooms. The fire was extinguished soon af-
ter the hose was turned on. and, though
the work of rescuing was prosecuted with
zeal from the instant the fremen arrived
on the scene, they were too late.
Smothcrcd I'm Their Beds.
The Friedman children and the two board
ers slept in an inner apartment. The fire
had not reached them, but the smoke had
filled the room, and at least three of the
occupants had suffocated without having
awakened to their peril. George and Levy
Friedman, and Lena Mitchell were still in
bed when found, and the peaceful express
sion Of their faces showed they had no
knowledge of the death that came to them
so suddenly.
Annie Appleblat was lying dead on the
floor. Her face was black. She had her
dress and shoes on. Evidently she had
been aroused and had stopped to don her
clothing and had died before she finished
her task.
On the fourth floor, also in the rear, were
found the remaining victims Of the fire.
There Mrs. Killian, a widow, aged seventy
years, lived with Jacob, her son, and Geo.
Lovy, her grandson.
Mrs. Killian and her son were dead in
bed. The grandson was on the floor half
way to The rear window. Mrs. Friedman
was conveyed to the hospital. 1t was
thought she could live but short time
The damage to the house will not exceed
5000.