The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-03
SMOKE AND FLAMES
CLAIM MANY VICTIMS IN VARIOUS
CITIES AND TOWNS.
Three People Suffocated and Others
Injured i'm New YOri<-Eight Negroes
burned In Their Homes.

NEW YORK, Jan. 2.-Three persons were
suffocated by smoke in tenement house
fire on Pitts street this afternoon. The
dead are: Lena Lehman. Sadie Lehman,
twenty years, her daughter. and Henry
Lehman, two months DID, her son. There
were also two children and two grown
people overcome by the smoke. all of whom
recovered. They are: Fireman George Lee
forrest, of engine No. II; Rachael Jacobs.
four years. her children. ETA
thirty-five years old; Yetta Jacobs twelve
years: Lena Jacobs, nine years and Joseph
Jacobs, four years, her children
The house is tive-story tenement with
four families a floor and Chinese
laundry on the ground floor. At l o'clock
this afternoon, Mrs. Schermer, the house.
keeper, discovered that the place was atire
and alarm was turned in. Officer Fox
was attracted by the woman's cries and
rushed through the house yelling to the
occupants to run for their lives. Some who
wished to save their belongings had to be
pushed down the stairs The fire escapes
on the front of the house were soon lined
with people, frightened and white-faced,
who were climbing to the street Fox
was the first to descend the
ladder carrying Lena Jacobs in his
arms. Meanwhile policeman Roney and
O'Neill had rushed to the scene and in
searching the rooms had found Rachel, Yet
ia and Joseph Jacobs lying on thefioor, and
carried them to the street BY the time the
first engine reached the burning tenement,
the fire had crept UP the stairway and
reached the top floor. Fireman Leforest
one of the first who dragged a line OF
hose into the burning building. The smoke
was SO dense that when he got 20 the second
floor. the fireman fell, overcome, INTO the
arms of Fireman Ruffier. The latter, with
the aid of Engineer Truman, carried him
to the street The fremen together with the
Jacobs family were taken in an ambulance
to place of safety and soon resuscltated
1t was an hour and half before the ugly
blaze extinguished. The firemen were
then ordered to search the house to see that
no one had been suHocated Iheir nrst re-
port was that was left in the house.
An hour later the housekeeper went to the
rooms of the Lehman family and discovered
the dead bodies They were not burned at
all. but had been suffocated. They were
near rear pair of stairs ana evidently had
been overcome as they were rushing to
them. The origin of the fire is not known.
Panic in a Knitting Works.
CHICAGO, Jan. Fire in the Princess
knitting works, at Racine and Southport
avenues this afternoon caused a panic
among the $50 girl employees, but none was
seriously hurt. The fire was discovered
about / o'clock and, carried up an elevator
shaft, quickly enveloped the three floors
of the but ling. Escape by. way of the
ployes burst open windows and chung to
the castings, frantcally screaming for help
alighted in safety. The firemen, who ar
rived, promptly, rescued the others Several
Of the girls were cut by broken glass and
badly bruised by jumping The fire was ex-
tinguished with loss not to exceed $4,000
Four Badly Burned.
MILAN, Mo-, Jan. 2.-Lum Crooks, who
left here yesterday with his family for
the southern part of the State, travelling
in a wagon, camped eight miles south of
this place last night. While his wife was
getting supper her clothes caught fire and
she was fatally burned. Two of her little
daughters caught hold of her and We're
badly burned. Crooks was also injured
while trying to extingush the flames.
Four Children Perish.
WILLIAMSON'S STATION, Ky, Jan. p
The home of Daniel White, colored, near
this place, was destroyed by fire last mid
night. Four children who were asleep in
the building were burned to DEATH White