The evening world., 1894-05-26
OVERCOME BY GAS?
Five Firemen Taken Unconscious
from a Burning Building.
Chief Gaffney and an Engine Com
pany Were In the Cellar.
Panic Among Inmates OF Q Thirty.
fifth Street House. 81

Five flremen were overcome by smoke
and gas this morning while attempting
to extinguish a fire In the cellar Of .
tenoment-ho at 217 West Thirty-fifth
street.
The house IL OF brick. and Is four
stories high. On the ground floor Adolph
Renoux. a Frenchman. keeps a grocery
store. The rooms above are occupied for
the most part by colored families.
Policeman Gray, of the West Thirty
seventh street station, while passing the
house at 8 o'clock this morning noticed
smoke curling around a lighted lamp In
the street directly in front of the tene-
ment. Going into little alleyway beside
,le house he found 1t filled with smoke.
and knew at once that the house was %
fire.
The ncise he made hammering on the
grocer's door. as well as his shouting.
attracted the attention OF Policeman
Burns who sent In an a.arm.
Renoux and his two daughters. who
live in a little room back OF the store,
were awakened to find their room ana
store filled with the smoke. Gray. after
arousing them. then awakened the ten
ants In the upper portion OF the housS
Whlle buTuS lOOhou u tHO5c III Slo 80~
joining and nearby tenements.
Although there was no sign OF flames,
the entire house from top to bottom
was filled with smoke: When the people
stricken. and rushed down the stairs In
bunch. The stairway leads In two
directions. one part to the street and
the other into the narrow alley leading
from the rear tenements.
Because the danger seemed to lie IN
the direction OF the stairway towards
the, street the panic;stricken people,
wildly down the stairway opening into
the alley. Sst
Just as they reached the door they
from the rear tenements. When thu
two streams of humanity me4 In that
narrow place there was blockade.
Just oasa at that nc rent, the s
Ninth Battalion, arrived and straight-
ened out matters. Then they got line
Of hose into the house. but had great
difficulty In locating the flames. None
The members of Engine Company No.
20 finally found fire smouldering among
a lot of coal and wood In the cellar.
They had only been In the cellar two
minutes. throwing q stream in the di-
rection the fire SEEMED to be, when ono
OF the men crept up the stairs on hib
It was Chief Andrew Gafrney. When
he reached the first floor he dropped un-
conscious.
In another moment another indistinct
form was seen coming up the stairs.
Several men rushed to them.
The other two men who were In the
cellar were also taken out.
The men, besides the Chief, who had
been In the dangerous position were
Assistant Foreman Joseph Scherrick ana
Firemen Coffee and Mulligan.
Chief GicQuel was also overcome by the
gas. but recovered in a few moments.
All the men unconscious when
carried into the street.
They were laid on the pavement
across the street and an ambulance
telephoned for from the New York Hos
pital. After Ambulance Surgeon Judd
had attended them they were removed
to their engine-house.
After half an hours work the fire
was put out. The firemen do not be-
lieve that 1t was smoke alone which
overcame the men.
Next door to the burned building there
was. until O few weeks ago, a bakers
shop in the basement. 1t is believed
that a quantity Of gas leaked from the
meter. which is still in the place. and
got into the other building. In some
manner, II Is thought, the gas caught
fire. ard that the combination OF gas
and smoke was too much for the fire
fighters.
The actual damage done by the flames
will not be over $3.50.