The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-04-27
An AWFUL Tragedy
Three Children Meet Death in a Building on
the South Side.
ORIGIN OF FIRE IS UNKNOWN
The Children Were Asleep in the At
tic of the Building When the Fire
Broke Out-Their Charred Bodies
Found Amid the Smoking Ruins.
Coroner Kelley Will Investigate the
Case-6urial of Bodies Today.

Three young children Of Philip
Schneider, girl aged years, boy
aged 4, and an infant daughter aged 18
months were burned to crisp yester-
day morning at So'cloek The Schneider
family lived in building no better
than shanty at 140S Stafford avenue.
IL was only one story high and was
built about a year ago of hemlock
boards and was rough outside and in.
TIE roof was slated with material of
rough quality.
The family consisted of seven chill
dren, the oldest being boy IA years
old. About g o'clock in the morning
Schneider, who peddles ice to the sa-
looms on the South Side, hitched up
and started for his daily load of ice.
He left his wife and family in bed, the
three children that were burnt sleeping
in the loft in the southwest corner of
the house. The steps leading to the
loft was an old rough ladder.
The wife Of Joseph Reischler, who
lives next to the burned building, heard
agonizing screams from Schneider's
house and put her head out Of her bed
DOM window This was about 7.45.
THE FLAMES DISCOVERED.
She saw smoke issuing from the crew
ices in the walls Of the house, and in
stantly flames burst forth and envel-
oped the entire structure, She rushed
to the front door of the house. hut the
flames drove her back. Then she ran
to the rear OF the place and the eldest
four Of the children were in the back
yard half clad
The alarm was sounded from box As
near No. 10 school, fully half mile
away and the house was almost In
ashes before any fire company arrived.
The building burned up like a pile Of
waste paper.
The Neptune Engine company was
the first TO reach the fire, followed
closely by the Centurys and little
later by the William Connells. There
We're no fire plugs nearer than Stone
ayenue; but Robinsons ice dam was
within block and stream was di-
rected toward the fire. But the fire
had by this time consumed the build
ing and its contents.
Volumes OF water were poured into
the seething mass within the cellar
walls, so that the bodies Of the children
could bs recovered When the embers
had sufficiently cooled the fremen dug
for the remains. They found the
charred bodies in corner Of the cellar
on straw tick, and each corpse was
about the size of silk nat There was
no semblaucs OF humanity about them.
WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE.
The mother of the children was not
in the house at the time, and some Of
the neighbor say she was away visit
ing, She returned to the house when
the building was in a mass OF flames
and grew frantic at the sight that met
her gags.
She declared that when she left the
| house there was not a spark OF fire in
the stove and all the children were
asleep. She also asserted that she did
not go beyond the barn ut the back Of
the lot. The cause Of the fire Is mys-
terry.
Undertaken Joseph II. Klein, OF vii.
low street, was sent for and arrived
early in the forenoon. He removed the
charred bodies to his undertaking es.
tablishment until this afternoon, whea
the funeral will take place. Iu,erment
will be in Pittston Avenue cemetery at
2 o'clock
Coroner Kelley went to the place and
selected the following jury: p. J.
Hickey, Joseph Klein. Frank Klein,
Charles Graf, NJ. J. O'Toole and d. j.
| MOriarity.
NO LIGHT on THE CAUSE.
The evidence as to the cause OF tbs
fire threw no light whatever on it. An.
other meeting Of the jury will be held
tonight In the court house Chief Fer.
Der Of the fire department came there
and was unable to explain its origin
either Schneider did not own the
property, which was built on two
lots owned by Patrick Donnelly. OF
Beech street The frall structure was
put up by the Meadow Brook Building
and Loan association. This society car
| ried $500 insurance on II.
Schneider had paid on account Ia
the association 900