The evening world., 1894-08-14
LIVES SAVED BY
Its Mewing Aroused Mrs. Shelter
to Danger from Fire.
Found Her Brooklyn Store AbIazs
and Sent in an Alarm.
,Fiye Tenants Badly Burned Before
|, Firemen Could Rescue Them.

Five persons were seriously burned
in a tenement-house fire which broke
mt at $50 o'clock this morning at 2!
Mill street. South Brooklyn.
Had 1t not been for the pitiful me
ovr' ola half-smothered cat, which
awakened one of the tenants. who
aroused the rest. 1t Is likely that sexeral
lives would have been lost.
The persons burned are:
Bridget Ryan, twenty-four years old. burned
about the arms, face and legs
Margaret Ryan, her mother, sixty years old.
badly burned about the arms and hands.
John Coaglin. thirty years old. burned about
the neck, hands, arms and legs.
John coaglin, jr. eight years old. burned about
the hands and face.
Mrs Kate coaslin. twenty-eisht years old,
burned about the arms. chest and body.
All the injured persons were removed
to the homes of neighbors.
The house Is a three-story double ten
ement, and about forty persons made
their homes in 1t. The building is on the
water front of Red Hook.
At 800 o'clock Mrs. Minnie Shelter, a
widow who keeps a grocery on the
ground floor of the tenement. was
awakened from a sound sleep by the
'me-ow!' Of her pet cat in the hall.
She arose and opened the door to let
the cat In when she noticed smoke in
the hall and heard the cracking OF
burning wood.
see where the fire was and was nearly
overcome by smoke.
She staggered out, and then ran up
stairs crying loudly to the other ten
aVaNx- . Ra . ~ Fnl
Then the woman. ran down through
smoke and flame into the street and
CAUSED an alarm to be sent In to Fire
Headquarters.
In the mean time, the fire was spread
ing fast, and most Of the tenants on
the upper floors found escape by the
Some of them climbed, across from
the windows into the next house.
The Ryans and the Coaglins, who &C.
cupied the third floor, tried to eFcape
By the root but found that i was wa. imp fas
held down the cover to the skylight.
They were pinned in with apparently
no other chance OF escaping than by
jumping from ,ns the r %n ,0 on the sill, to
iu sSme but 81 we're go fereed Oh back BY the
heavy clouds OF smoke rolling up the
'front.' of the house from the floors be
Ike, Ike imprisSned Gi families to wait Tor the
firemeh.
The changing of the fire bells from rom
every direction gave them courage pu'
they then tried to force their way
down the burning stairway into the
street led by the elder Coaglin:
wsss asss zoe. way End
iesped up to the third MOOR and the i'm
ptisoned tenants were forced sd back again iIr
ladders thew were all more or less burned
and Hardiy able to stand.
Old Mrs. Ryan was carried down the
a taaasr es Ma nrs' and Mrs. KATE
Co1Riin. They were Unconscious, and
their hair wss almost burned off.
general signal for al y, th ths etg %ss
then sent out by the firemen.
Ambulance Surgeons Poole and Butler
attended to the injured at the homes
ried ~ the bremen. Several physicians
in the nighborhood were also In attend
After the ssnsgs so1 sm nsd p ssse
went te the third moor to ne ne apart apart
she had In a bureau drawer.
under ths clouds of smoke to he bureau.
and Sss making his way safely back q
the window when the floor beneath him
He reached the ladder Just In time.
AS he laid his hands upon the top of II
the door tave way and everything was
carried beloW
Doyle got down the ladder safely and
presented Mrs. Coaglin, who had re
gained consciousness, with her savings:
At 10 o'clock this. morning u was said
that all the injured persons were doing
nicely.
The building was completely Quilted
but the firsnien kept the flames from
spreading. 1t was an hour before the
IRE was under control.
The Are completely destroyed Mrs
SmeltEer's stock and fixtures, valued al
5000 The Ryans' loss Is estimated al
$500, and the coaglins $3.50. James Hunt,
who occupied apartments on the. second
floor, lost 500 In furniture and clothing
The building was owned by Mrs. smelt-
ger.
The origin of the fire is a mystery
Fire Marshal Lewis, of Brooklyn, Will
make an investigation.
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