The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-07-09
FELL ON MEAT HOOKS.
Epstein Dropped from the Fire.
Escape and Was Badly Hurt
Fire Caused a Panic in a Division
Street Tenement-House.
Barbed-Wire Fences and Nailed
Scuttlcs Added Terrors.

! About l o'clock this morning n fire,
having every appearance Of incendiary
origin, broke out In the crowded three
story tenement-house at 1853 Division
street.
/ In the panic which ensued one man
was badly hurt by jumping. woman
was burned severely and many others
had narrow escapes
Policeman Hendry saw the smoke COM
ing from the second-story window. He
called to passing citizen, who ran to
the nearest box and turned in an alarm
Hendry broke open the door with the
intention of waking the occupants but the
smoke and flames that filled the narrow
hall deferred him.
As he hesitated to enter a man and
woman. each carrying two children in
their arms rushed down the burning
stairs into the streets. They were clad
only in their night clothing. The flames
caught the fimsy skirt of one of the
children. but it was torn from the child
before doing any further harm than a
slight scorching.
Only six persons escaped by the stair
way-Morris Zarachovitz, janitor Of the
house, his wife and their four children
The janitor was asleep on the roof. He
rushed down to the second floor where
his family slept and hurried them out.
His loud cries as he ran had aroused the
other inmates of the house.
As the policeman stood in the street
calling loudly. he could hear the frantic
cries of the people imprisoned in the
house. and the tramp OF hurrying feet,
1nl xx,tx xtnn 80 ~ g. a
the crackle Of burning timbers.
The fire started under the stairway on
the ground floor. and was rapidly extend
ing towards the upper stories when dis
/ covered.
The people focked from their rooms
only to be met by volumes Of thick
smoke. Some Of them reached the FIRE
escapes, but the connecting ladder from
the second floor to the ground az, was rs miss ass
way as well as by the stairs. they lef,
the escapes and took t to the - roof. dawn,
t only . three sna tried and to 70 sy
escaped. Mrs. Lena. Appleton put q
way down, when a heavy board fell or
her arms she was oI ssiea. so n6 6a sh
gave UP the attempt and ran for thu
Jacob Epstein and his wife lived or
. es 1H's slth Ho they we're urged not te
do SO. They got no further than tht
second floor. where they were driven te
'h su afe tss Names were there. too, sc
Epstein climbed over the railing. hunf
by his hands for an instant and dropped
Below. the escape. on the first moor
door are big hooks on which meat Il
Epstein fell directly on these hooks
/ There he hung suspended for an instan,
while his agonized wife watched hin
from above. Then the flesh Of his arm
Ess unssoaseons soeP after the
taken to the hospital.
| The people below called to Mrs. Ep
mot to Ism o nd eSsa
a window and stood alongside Of her
tried to hold her. But she climbed owe
the side of the escape and hung dowl
butchers hooks, on which she mus
surely fall But she feared to drop
and there she hung until Policeman Sui
livsn secured ladder and rescued he
It was then that the fremen arrived
The people on the roof were frantic
They had made their way to the tol
further. for the adjoining house was 81,
feet higher and the wall of 1t was pro
tected with a barbed wire fence. o.
one side was the burning building, OF
the other the wire guarded wall
There the people waited shlvering Il
their night clothes.
At last the firemen got up through tn,
house No. l66. The scuttle on the hous,
where the people stood was nailed
down. Then the flremen tore down tn,
wire fence and dragged the frightened
group up beside them.
A few minutes later the fire was eN
tinguished. Eight families were mad
destitute. The loss 10 estimated q
900. The flremen regard It as YER,
suspicious fire, and an investigation vii
be made.