New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-14
WEST SIDE TENANTS SCARED
ANOTHER PLAYHOUSE FIRE LAST NIGHT
CALM PEOPLE SAY THE RECENT OUTBREAKS
WERE ACCIDENTAL. But THE POLICE AND
THE FIRE MARsHALs ARE BUSY
WITH INVESTIGATIONS.

WITH INVESTIGATIONS
The inhabitants Of the upper West Side. who
have been thoroughly frightened by the re-
cent fires in that district were alarmed last
night once more. when the engines dashed
through the streets. The alarm was from box
No Gel. This signal from the Boulevard
and Seventy-sixth-st. and the firemen were
soon there A fire had been discovered in the
Aye-story brownstone hathouse at No. 3j9
Boulevard. Similar flats adjoin 1t on both
sides The flames had started in the
basement Of the building and spread
through the dumbwaiter shaft 20 the roof. The
first one to discover the fire was the wife Of j.
l. Steinhardt. who lives on the fourth floor OF
No S59 Ever since the other outbreaks created
alarm Mrs Steinhardt has been one of the most
torror-strcken The other fires had been dis
covered in the air or dumbwaiter shafts 50 Mrs
Steinhardt kept watchful eye on the dumb
waiter shaft in her building. Half dozen times
Yesterday she opened the door and looked down
~ see If any danger lurked within il.
A. o'clock last night the anxious woman
onened the shaft door and looked downward as
che had done many times during the day This
,rn sure enough she smeled smoke. and next
minnie she was screaming fire" at the top of
her voice and shouting to family to fee for
their lives
Her son Edward waited for moment to satisfy
himself that his mother had not been deceived.
As he looked into the shaft a cloud Of smoke
blew into his face. and he delayed no longer. He
yelled out Of a front window that the building
vas on fire. and then helI his father in
getting his mother and two sisters to places
of safety on one of the adjoining roofs.
MOTHER AND CHILDREN RESCUED.
Tho three lower fats in the building were un-
,enanted on the fourth floor lived the family Of
Walter L. Felt who is clerk in the National
Park Bank He was away from home when the fire
broke out but his wife and two small children
were in the fat. all unconscious Of danger. The
mother was doing on couch while the children
PLAYED near her. Edward Steinhardt remembered
Mrs Felt and the children and FASTENED back to
their assistance after pulling his sisters into safe
~ He pounded on the door of the apartments
and aroused Mrs Felt. who confronted him
with a look Of surprise. Seinhardt dashed
mast her and seized the two children in his
arms Then he shouted to the mother TO follow
him. She ran back into the rooms to collect
her Jewels Stenhardt was now joined by
Policeman Henry Wolf Of the West Sixty
eghth-st station. who had already rang for
the firemen. He told Steinhardt to get up TO
the roof with the children and he would look
after the mother. In crossing tie roof OF an
adjoining building the policeman and his human
burden had a narrow escape from horrible
death Wolf stepped over a coping which he
thought separated the roofs. II was. instead.
the coping over the airshaft. A light in
window below warned the policeman just as
his foot slipped over the coping. He threw
himself backward just in time TO save himself
and Mrs. Felt from being dashed to death.
., The house was now vacated by all except the
fremen, who working hard to control the
flames which filed the cellar. Three engines
came on the first alarm. The fire looked 50
threatening that another alarm was rung. ana
more fremen were at the building Deputy
Chief Reilly directed them. I'm less than an hour
the flames were extingushed. They did not
spread TO the apartments above, but went
Straight to the roof through the waiter shaft.
As Deputy Chief Reilly emerged from the cellar
after getting the fire under control, his counte-
nance wore a grave look. lie had been to the
other uptown fires and hence his anxiety. This
Isl similar fire in every particular he said. "and
Its origin is equally mysterious" The Chief plain
y betrayed the belief he entertained that the out
breaks were by no means accidental.
James Livingston, Of No 365 Boulevard. is the
owner He has an interest also in the building at
Ninety-second-st.. which was burned Friday. Inc
damage to the Boulevard building will not exceed
5000