The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-10-30
KILLED BY SMOKE
Horrible Tenement House
Fire in New York.
Seven Persons Smoihered 10 Death.
Victims Jumped From Windows.
Bu the Associated Press.

Bu ue AsSOctdted f>Fess.
NEW YORK, Oct. 30.-Seven people were
smot hered to death by smoke in tene-
ment house fire at 216 West 32nd street
this morning. An eighth, woman,
jumped from third story window and
will die. The fire came suddenly
and cut off all escape by the
stajrwsys. In the intense excitement
everybody that was aroused looked only
to their own safety and plunged down
the fire escapes. Those who were not
awakened were smothered as they slept.
The dead are: George Friedman,
aged 4 years: Levi Friedman, aged
8; A. G. Appleblat, aged p; Lena Mitch
20; Jacob Killsn, aged 40; George Lovey,
aged 30.
Mrs. Lena Friedman, mother of the
Friedman children, jumped from win
dow and was SO badly injured that she
will die.
The house is five story brick tenement,
arranged with front and rear apartments.
There are two families on a floor and seven
families in the house. In the ground floor
there is a grocery store and the only means
OF exit for the people is by means
of q stairway narrow aud dark, which
runs directly up through the centre OF
the building. On either side OF
the tenement are tall houses that
tower story above the house
which was burned. The fire was discov-
cred shortly after 3 o'clock by two boys
who were returning to their homes from
| a dance.
The stairway was soon in flames and
those outside shouted to awaken the
sleeping inmates OF the building. Mrs.
Eberwin, the housekeeper, was first
aroused and her cries wakened others
until every window was crowded with
people. Many got to the ground by the
fire escapes.
The fire started in the rear portion Of
the cellar from an unknown cause. The
flames rushed up the stairway, doing
scarcely any damage until the third Fl oor
was reached, where they spread
over the entire rear portion. There
live the family OF Nathan Friedman,
his wife Lena, and his three children,
Esther, four months old. There were
also two boarders, Annie Applebatt, %
years old and Lena Mitchell, "a years old.
Nathan Friedman was first aroused by
the smoke and noise. The room in which
he, his wife and baby slept, was already
in flames. With the baby in his arms, he
gained the window and descended by the
fire escape. Mrs. Friedman, too,
had rushed to window, but
to where the fire escape was Escape was
but two feet from her, but fright and ex-
element bereft her OF her reason. Fifty
persons saw her from the streets and
yelled for her to take the fire escape. She
could not hear. Behind her were the flames,
20 feet below was the yard. She chose the
latter. Down she came and the shooting
! flames licked the few garments she wore
as she fell through the fiery
walls. She fell into the rear
basement area and was badly injured,
out of harms way. A score OF willing
hands drew her into shelter She was
conscious and cried wildly for her child
rem who were still N the building.
The fire was extinguished soon after
the hose was turned on and though the
work OF rescue was prosecuted with zeal
from the instant the firemen arrived on
the scene, they were too late. Every
person left in the building had been suf-
located. Loss on the building will not
exceed 5000.