The herald., 1896-10-05
Exciting Fire on Broadway Sun
day Evening
MRS. M'CoY's
ESCAPE
Chemical Captain Rowan and Men De.
uounced az Cowards
Assistant Chief Ed Smith Applies Strong
Eplthets to the Men Who Deserted
Hin in a Dangerous Position.

At 10:S0 last evening the lodging house
at No. 1171z South Broadway. owned by
Mrs. Mccoy, was gutted by fire, entail
ing a. loss of about $1,000. The blaze was
extinguished by Assistant Chief Ed
Smith, and as consequence of the affair
several f1remen and Captain Rowan Of
chemical No. will probably be hauled
on the carpet or deprived of their badges
for cowardice in deserting their chief
in a dangerous situation.
The lodging house is a two-story frame
building and sets back some thirty feet
from the street. In what was originally
the front yard small one-story struct-
ures of brick have been erected which
are occupied by real estate offices. Ere
entrance to the house Is effected through
a narrow hallway between the offices.
Mrs. Mccoy was absent during the even
ing and returned about 1915. She went
into the kitchen in the rear to light the
gasoline stove and at once detected an
odor as Of escaping gas. She struck a
match and an explosion instantly fol-
lowed and as she described it, "the room
seemed filled with flames"
Before her clothing caught fire she
ran out into the hallway and up stairs
to warn the inmates OF the house that 1t
was on fire. Starting to come down
again she tripped In her excitement and
fell or rolled down the stairs. At the
bottom she gathered herself together
and taking a lamp which stood in the
hail. went into the back parlor to save
a few articles of value. Just how it
happened Mrs Mccoy did not know, but
she dropped the lamp to the floor where
it broke and the blazing oil ran over the
carpet setting the room afire. She es-
sayed to escape and staggered as far as
the front entrance or hallway where she
fell fainting and unconscious.
The fire had by this time been discov-
cred by passers-by on the street, one of
whom ran to the police station and noti-
fled the officers. Patrolman Shields ran
to the scene and while attempting to en-
ter the building stumbled over the form
of Mrs. Mccoy lying in the hallway.
Directly at the end of the entrance hall
was a door leading into the front parlor
and to the right another opening into
the main hall Of the house and leading
upstairs. Both were locked and the Of
flcer broke them in. He could see moth
ing on account of the thick smoke so
dragged Mrs. Mccoy out onto the street
and turned in the alarm from box II at
the corner Of First and Broadway. Then
Mrs. Mccoy was carried to the receiving
hospital.
Assistant Chief Smith and the firemen
were promptly on hand. A line OF hose
from chemical No. 1 was dragged into
the front hall and through the broken
door into the front parlor. This room
was separated from the back parlor
where Mrs. Mccoy dropped the lamp,
by folding doors and the fire had already
eaten its way through one of the lower
panels. The room was filled with suf-
o. ks,, ,,ly nj Ina yvo n
unbearable. Smith directed the chem
ical stream through the burned panel
into the rear room, being forced to lie
on the floor to escape suffocation. Sud-
denly he discovered that he was alone
the pipemen and captain of the chemical
having left him. He stuck to his post
and a moment later with rush line
of hose was brought into the room play
ing full stream.
Who the men were that manned the
pipe Smith does not know, but he does
know that they also dropped their noz-
zle and also ran away. He was left with
the two streams alone. Dropping the
chemical line, Smith grabbed the bis;
nozzle, but the force of the water WAS
such that he could not handle it and
for several minutes he was wiped around
the floor in a lively manner. Then he
got his footing. broke the tottering doors
In and when his men once more came In
he had the fire nearly out. AFTER the
flames We're extinguished the big as
sistant chief turned on the captain ANA
men of the chemical company and SAID
III trembling voice: You are lot Of
cowardly ours to run off and leave me
in that manner The next time you do
1t I'll take your badges" To reporter
Mr. Smith expressed himself in the same
n manner, and declared that the action Of
Capt. Rowan was inexcusable and that
the matter would be looked into.
The whole lower floor of the house we 5
ruined by fire, smoke and water, and
the furnishings will prove total loss.
The upper rooms escaped with only n
smoking. Mrs Mccoy was attended ut
the receiving hospital by DR.. Bryant,
who found that she was badly bruised
by her fall down the stairs and is in an
almost hysterical condition. She was
given sedatives and sent in carriage
to the home of her sister at Eighth and
Spring streets, where she will remain for
the present. She was too much ex-
hausted to give ary lengthy account of
how the blaze str vted but thought that
the gasoline stove in the kitchen must
have leaked and the liquid evaporated
into the air, forming an infiammable gas
that instantly ignited when she struck
the match.