The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-08
A Mothers Brave Death
Seeking to Save Her Child Mrs. JO-
seph Choperinski Perishes.
CHILD'S LIFE ALSO SACRIFICED
An Awful Casualty at Priceburg at an
Ecarly Hour Yesterday Morning Moth
er and Daughter Burned Up in the
Flames-SiX Families Homeless.

BlaCKeneu ana burned out OIL ALI
semblance to human forms, the re-
naming parts of the bodies of Mrs. Jo-
seph Choperinski and her 7-year-old
daughter, Mary, were uncovered from
the ruins of the fire which broke out at
2 o'clock yesterday morning on the east
side of Main street in the northern por-
tion of Priceburg.
The ghastly details of the awful acci-
dent are terrible to relate. Two houses,
owned by Anthony Zelenski, were situ-
uated on the right hand side Of the
road, q short distance below Olyphant.
Both were double buildings and stood
only few feet apart. John JeloZinskl
| occupied half of one as q hotel and the
| other part was occupied by Joseph
Choperinski, his wife and four children,
Annie, Is years, Fanny 13, Mary 7, and
Eva 8 years old. 1t was in their home
| that the fire originated. Choperinski
was the first TO be awakened by the
sitting smoke and the hot flames; the
building was then fairly enveloped by
| fire. He told his wife to take care of
| two of the children and he would get
| the other two out safely.
Husband and wife got as far as q
window and determined to Jump with
| the younger children and let the older
| two follow. The smoke and heat al
| most then overcome them Choperin-
| SKI jumped to the ground a distance of
| fourteen feet and severely injured his
knee by falling on the icy ground His
hands were very painfully burned Mrs.
| Choperinski threw her 3-year-old child,
| window tn lap h,,g ln Il
below, and then rushed back to the bed
room for Mary the 7-year-old girl. In
the meantime the other two girls. nnie
and Fanny, jumped from the window
| in their night clothes and the feet of
both soon got frost bitteen. Their ten.
der bodies were also painfully scorched
by the mounting flames.
Heroic Mothers Death.
Mrs. Choperinski reached the col
where her little one laid and snatched
her up quickly. She tried to return tc
the window and jump with her child
TO safety; but the excessive heat de
prived her of her strength and she sank
| to the floor with her daughter in hel
| arms. 1t would at that moment have
| been suicide to attempt to rescue them
| because the flames burst out of win.
| doWs and doors. 1t was four hours
| later when the embers had sufficiently
| cooled to allow an attempt at recover.
ing the bodies.
There was nothing left of the remains
but the headless and limbless trunks
and both charred and crisped. DR.. 7
w. Bilheimer, George Snyder. T. G.
Miller, Albert Kleye, Andrew Miller
and John Krushank tenderly attended
TO the task of getting the bodies OUT
| winch We're then enclosed in temporary
wooden boxes and conveyed to Georg,
Sosnowskfs hotel.
a Kind neighbor, John Kraeger tool
care of ChOperinski and the remainde,
of his family. The unhappy father wa!
| frantic at his terrible misfortune anC
waved ruefully his bandaged hand!
When Tribune reporter called at tht
house. Fanny, the 13-old-girl, WI!
asleep in trundle bed and her fee
| We're badly frozen and her head ban
daged ON account of the burns she suf
fered. Annie, the eldest one was in ;
highly nervous condition, but she wa.
not suffering much from burns; he
feet were slightly frozen. She wa
nursing Eva, her 3-year-old sister.
Cause of Fire Unknown.
Choperinski was not troubled will
many questions concerning the Origin
of the fire. His countenance bore
dumb appeal to be let alone and hi
wish was respected. But he told som
of his friends that he had no theor,
as to the origin of the fire. He is seXtol
of the Polish Catholic church. of Price
burg, and was regarded as an uprigh
citizen His wife was 3S years of age
There was no lack of assistance from
kind neighbors, who furnished clothin
and all other necessary comforts.
Those who arrived first at the seen
of the fire state that the flames burs
forth first from the rear of the build
ing, which would indicate that an over
heaed stove caused it or, perhaps, /
was due to the explosion of a lamp.
The watchman at Jermyn's mine wa
notified of the fire and he sounded tn
alarm, and in response the Pricebur
Fire company responded. The neares
hydrant was frozen and hot waite
had to be poured upon it before
stream was got to the burning building
A few minutes before the fire compan
reached the scene the flames communi
Gated to the other double building an
no efforts of the firemen could save
from destruction. AS soon as the waite
soaked to the ground it became froZe
and caused sheet of ice to surroun
the scene of the fire. This made tn
work of the firemen extremely difiicul
Very Little Was Saved.
Four families lived in the secon
house that caught fire, making a tota
of six who were rendered homeless!
Very little of the furniture was saved
as 1t was in the dead of night and tn
people had not much more time tha
to dress and escape with their lives. Th
second building was occupied by tn
families of John Yonkofslii, Andre,
Kolck, Louis Veshinski and Micha,
Yungluski. The loss in the aggregat
amounts to several thousand dollar
and the buildings and effects were bu
partially insured. Only the sidewall
of the second building remain.
Coroner j. a. Kelley had not, late las
night, been officially notified of tn
deaths of Mrs. Choperinski and he
daughter, and his opinion Is that tn
casualty was accidental, but he II
tends to visit the place today and ma
order an inquest If, upon investigation
he shall consider 1t advisable.
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