The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-10-02
A BABE SUFFOCATED.
Fatal Result of a Madison Street
Tenement-House Fire.
Women and Children Dragged to
the Roof by Ropes.
Explosion Of an Oil Stove Caused a
Panic.

Fire caused panic and one death In
the new double tenement-house 2l5 Madi-
son street, between Rutgers and Jeffer-
son streets, at 1850 o'clock to-day
two women and as many children
were rescued from the burning building
BY firemen and citizens.
Twenty-four families, including 100 men,
women and children. occupied the fats
but nearly all the men were attending
religious services attendant upon the
Hebrew HOLIDAYS.
The fire originated in the basement
fat on the west side of the building,
which was occupied by Philip Kreeger.
a shoemaker, and his family composed
OF wife, two daughters and an infant
son. Mr.. and Mrs. Kreeger were at
tending religious services at a synagogue
in the neighborhood when the fire &C.
Cured. Their seventeen-year-old daugh-
ter, Rosa, had lighted fire in a small
oil stove for the purpose of making cof-
fee and finding That there was not suffi-
cient oil in the stove she took an oil
can and began pouring kerosene into the
reservoir of the stove while the wicks
were burning.
The oil blazed up from the wicks, and
the flame spread to the reservoir just
as Rosa drew away the can, and the in
fammable liquid was scattered over the
room in the front basement. setting fire
10 the place.
Rosa ran into the hallway screaming,
and fell in a faint.
The flames spread with great rapidity
in kreeger's fiat, and dense volume
of smoke rolled quickly up the stair
The women and children in the vari-
Gus flats were bewildered by the suffo-
eating smoke and the cries of fire.
Fully quarter of an hour elapsed
there was a fire-alarm signal box on the
next corner, Jefferson and Madison
streets, no one used 1t, but one fright
ened man ran all the way to the engine
dozen blocks distant and notified the
firemen. Five minutes later a second
alarm was turned in.
In the mean time, 5000 persons had
gathered about the burning building
and men, women and children who had
escaped from 1t were rushing about in
screaming and frantically inQuiring for
loved ones who were missing
There was a wild rush of tenants on
the. upper floors down the stairways
and out upon the fire-escapes
Fireman Wilkinson, of truck 6, was
the first man to get upstairs. He res
Cued a child on the third floor. Just as
the little one fell, nearly suffocated by
he smoke. Wilkinson carried his charge
TO a neishboring drug store, where 1t
was revived and restored to It's par
entS.
Another gallant rescue was made by
Samuel Resented. a clerk. Mrs Done
was frantically screaming from a win
dow-sill on the fourth floor, rear, with a
child in her arms. Rosenfeld lowered a
rope from the roof of 2l3 and Mrs. Done
tied 1t about her childs waist. and the
rescuer hauled 1t up to the roof. Then
the rope was lowered again and Mrs.
Done was pulled up.
Isaac Slverman and James Herman
hauled Mrs. Samuel Ginsberg and her
newly born infant from the fourth floor
window to the roof of 213 Madison street.
Fireman w. B. Klrschner nearly lost
the sight of his left eye by molten lead
dropping into 1t while he was on the sec
ond floor. He belongs to Engine 9.
Three women were taken from the roof
Of 2l5 nearly suffocated by the smoke.
After the fire was under control Fire
man Ahearn. OF Hook and Ladder Com
pany is. found the dead body OF Libbie
Kreegar, two years old, lying in a baby
carriage n the front basement. She
had died from suffocauon.
The loss on the building and contents
is estimated at $4,000 Joseph Butten-
weiser. of 237 East Sixtieth street, Is
the owner of the building.