New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-03
THREE LIVES SACRIFICED.
A MOTHER AND HER TWO CHILDREN
BURNED TO DEATH.

THEIR CHARRED BODIES FOUND IN THE HALL
WAY OF A PITT-sT. TENEMENT HoUsE-rHEY
WOULD HAVE BEEN SAVED If THE
MOTHER HAD WAITED FOR THE FIRE
MEN-sMALL DAMAGE CAUSED
Three lives were sacrificed yesterday afternoon
In fire at No 20 Pitt-st. The victims were Lena
Lehman. twenty-four years old. and her two
children. Sarah and Henry, respectively two
years and two months old
The fact that lives were lost in the fire was
not discovered until some time after IL was ex-
tingulshed The hremen of Hook and Ladder
Company No is overhaullng the building
when they found the three bodies burned to n
crisp, lying In the turn Of the stairway Mt the
third floor. The woman lived on the fourth
floor and was trying 10 escape TO the street
when she and her infants pershed in the flames.
Their lives would have been saved had the panic
stricken mother remained in her apartments
until help came to her which II did promptly
to the other tenants.
The building where the FIRE occurred is five
story brick tenement house. owned by Jacob
Bloner Of No. 224 Rivington-st. There are a Chi
nese laundry and a vacant store the ground
floor. while the rest OF the building Is tenanted
by Hebrew families The housekeepcr. Mrs.
utes before l o'clock yesterday Afternoon she dis
covered smoke coming from the cellar into the
first hallway Before she could make an inves-
tlgation the smoke was followed by flames She
ran screaming into the street and gave the
alarm
Policeman O'Neill. Of the Deancey-st station.
heard her and rang an alarm. lie then FASTENED
back 10 the burning building. where Policemen
Fox and Rooney joined him.
The front nrc-escapes were then filled with a
crowd Of ferror-strickrn women and children.
The tenants in the house had heard tho house
keepers cries. ana az once started FOR the stairs
hut finding the Railways filled with smoke"
through which shore the flare Of hre. th'y
crowded the hre-cscapes and waited for help.
The three policemen assisted the women and
children To- the street. I'm the front apartments
on the third floor. O'Neill found Rachel Jacobs
with her three children. Netta. Twelve Lena
nine. and Joseph. four years old The woman
was too frightened To- move. and little Lena WAS
found t. bc overcome by smoke The woman
and children wer, quickly taken 10 the street.
where the unconscious child was revived iy an
ambulance surgeon.
Policeman FaN found two small children named
Jacob and benjamin Kamm on the second hoor
and rescued them. The hfem'n were hy ihlS
time working hard - control ihc nainrs. sec
ond alarm was rung as Well as a hr" cal f'r
an ambulance Two came from G0ut"fn"ur
Unspital one - the amlularc" surgeons ai-
tended the Jacobs child while 90" oih'r lah"F'd
over Fireman George L'f1rrcst. ~ Engin" com
many L. who was overcome hy smoke while ~
work I'm the collar. ~" was revived. md vent
back to his post again.
The fire spread quickly hat when Tho IRE.
mon started 20 work the naTcs bad rcar he'd
tho top n1or and were BURSTING from the ruoi
The fire was under coufr within hu hnuf Inc
flames did not lnvad. any n the apartments X
cent those On the top nl1r. bat all the others
wrr. badly damaged by smoke and water
During the height = the Gre th' crew 90 Hook
and Ladder 80 ls Haw q singular Incident IN
The APARTMENTS on ,tc fourth floor. small
white poodle dog came from The kitchen Into the
front room carrying Kitten IN bis NOUN me
0rcmou tool. care of tle kitten ana It's res p'I 2
and then went into the Kitchen. whcr" th'y f0nna
three other kittens alive. Thr small po'dl" hsd
evidently intended 20 carry the kittens one b>
one to place - safety.
Aaron Lehman. the husband - ihe woman
who was burned with her children wA- away At
the time the Are broke ori. and ''ne'qn"ntN
ihev were not reported missing hr any "n'.
when fh. lrcnen made "a search = the alU'irni
aparfmcnts ana found them al empty th"y h''
uo idea that any one ha1 p"r.thcd unil ih'y
discovered the charred bodies lu -" wfrckaf~
on tho stairway which had been trarpl"l over
, number Il times hy thc nrem"n while at thrii
work $500,
Tn. hodies wtrc placed upon strcichrr ana
carried to the De.nncny-sf. station. IN" lothl
damage IS estimated at $1,000 The hI' started
I'm M. rear 81 the cellar. but ho" u VAS caused
a..