The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-07
Stupid Police and Careless
Firemen Responsible
for a Brooklyn
Horror.
FOUR-STORY TENEMENT BURNED OUT
officers Left Thinking the Fire a
Small One-List Of the
Dead.

BROOKLYN, Nov. Z, 1S95.-By the stu
pidity of the Brooklyn police and the
carelessness of the firemen six persons
met death in a fire that started in the
four-story tenement house at 311 Van
Brunt street this morning. The fire was
discovered at 1855 O'Clock. The engines,
firemen and police arrived a. few min
utes later and at 1:3O o'clock the fire
men and all We're ready to leave the
place, saying that the fire was a small
one, with hardly any damage. Some of
the police had arrived at the Eleventh
precinct station and were engaged in
taking off their uniforms to go to sleep
when Captain Cullen was informed that
several persons had been smothered in
the fire.
He at once sent six of his men back,
and after a few minutes search in the
ruins six bodies were found on the top
floor They were burned and scorched,
but the other tenants in the house had
no difficulty in recognizing them as the
Ryan family, who had occupied the
fourth floor
The bodies were identified as Charles
Ryan. 40 years old; Ellen Ryan, his
wife, 45 years old; Johanna, 20 years;
Sarah. II years; Maggie, IA years, and
Lizzie, II years. The bodies were found
in different parts of the room, showing
that the family were awakened too late
to save themselves.
WHERE THE FLAMES STARTED.
The building in which the fire started
is four-story brick one, with the stair
way the rear of the house, instead of
the front. The ground floor is rented
out to Patrick Finnegan, who keeps a
liquor business. The floor above is oc-
cupied by Margaret Welsh and her six
children, while the floor above her is
empty. The Ryans occupied the top
floor. The flames started in the exten-
son under the stairway from some un-
known reason Quicker than a wink
the dry timber was ignited and before
an alarm was sent out the flames were
already on their way into the rooms &C.
A policeman discovered the fire and
sent in the alarm. A few minutes later
the engines We're on the scene and the
ttl tenants. GarHis Mrs. WEIGH and her SIX child
ren were rescued with the help ct the
police. Mrs. W.elch was too excited II to
even mention the Ryan family, VINO
the top Of the house. The police and
firemen did not think of an inysstigatiie?n,
guish the ames. This they did IN
Short time, and Informed the police that
the damage was slight.
FINDING OF THE BODIES.
Preparations were then made by the
firemen and police to go home. In fact
some had left for the station, when when
that several persons had been snothered
at the fire. The police were HI hustled back *
there just as the firemen Were ready. to
depart They informed the fireImen that
there was report that several persons
had been snothered, and search was
made in the building.
Nothing was found but her burned fur
niture nutil the top floor was reached;
The first fireman. that entered stumbled
other bodies were soon discoyered ia dis. H.
bodies were found near the windows,
showing that after being awakened they
had started for the windows to cry for
help, but were overcome by the smoke
and sank down to the floor to die.
At $50 o'clock this morning the bodies
were taken to McKeen's undertaking
establishment, awaiting the arrival of
Coroner Kene.
The loss is about So, 500.