New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-21
FIRE THAT COST FIVE LIVES.
A WHOLE FAMILY BURNED TO DEATH AT
NO. 5l4 EAST FIFTY -EIGHTHST.


NO. 5l4 EAST FIFTY -EIGHTHsT.
AARON GOLDSMITH A LIQUOR DEALER IN WAR
REM ST. Ills WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN
PERISH IN THE FLAMES THAT
WRECK THEIR HOME.
A family Of five persons were burned to death
in their home at No. 5l4 East Ffty-eighth-st
last night
The dead are:
MRS KATIi.DA GoIDsMIrH hiriy three years old.
HhETHA HhTTE G5bsMT sISM1T esh eh YEAR ears 0i o
PRANK GOLDSMITH. six years old.
The only other person in the house at the time
Of the fire besides those killed was Mary Roska,
twenty years old. the servant OF the family
She escaped by jumping out OF a second-fioor
window to the rear yard and running through
the basement hall To the street in front OF the
house.
Soon after 1870 o'clock last night Policeman
McDanels OF the East Fifty-frstst station
house. who was stsndng at Fifty-ninth-st and
Avenue a. heard some pulling at the fire
alarm box at the northeast corner Of Avenue
\ ard Fifty-eighth-st. He ran to the spot and
found young trying to send out an
alarm The young man did not know how to
alarm The officer flames coming from a
house in East Fifty-eighth- St. overlooking the
river Flames were issuing from all the win
dows and the ire which must have spread with
great rapidty, had gained enough headway to
reach all the upper floors
The house Is the last one on the south side
| of Fifty eighth-st.. overlooking East River.
1t Is at the southern end Of River View Terrace.
Is
structure OF brownstone. the front being bow
SHAPED. 1t the home Of Aaron Goldsmith.
of tho firm Of Hartman e. Goldsmith wholesale
laCor dealers. Of No. ~ Warren-s;.
Mr. Goldsmths family consisted Of Mrs Gold
smith and their thr,e children. all OF whom
were burned beyond recognition. In the front
| parlor on tho first floor an immense piano
| lamp VITA red shade This lamp undoubtedly
exploded. throwing the oil all about and spread
| ing the fire In every direction. The flames
| spread to the two upper floors with remarkable
raIidity. From the location ~ the bodies when
! found. Mr. and Mrs Goldsmith. with their six
ysar-old son. must have been in the parlor.
while the two little girls had just been pre-
pared for bed by the servant on the second
floor.
ONLY THE SERVANT SAVED
Only the servant. Mary Roska escaped She
ran to one Of the rear Windows jumped to the
| yard below. through the basement hall and
made her way to the street in from, Of the
house. She was taken to Flower Hospital
where she attended by Dr. Charles II
Winch. He found that she was suffering only
! from few bruises 10 her limbs and slight
shock. He permitted her to leave the hospital
and she went from there to No 5l2 Eas: Fifty
eighih-s;. 10 family named Hirsch. who are
related - the Godsmiths She was seen soon
after the fire. but wss hysterical that she
could give clear account of what had hap
! pened In fact. every one In the nelghborhood
, of ihe fire Hho knew anything about 1t was
so uns'rInC that no concise account OF what
really happened could be obtained from them
Truck NJ > which IS quartered in East Fifty
nrst-st.. soon az the Of the fire They
Immediately ran a ladder up 10 the third floor.
hut the nremen wcrc driven back by the flames
which shot fa- out of the windows az soon az
they mounted the Ia lder At first they did net
know that any one wcs In the house the sup
position beine that every had escaped.
Water was soon playing upon tho flames. which
were quickly under control. but they had spread
fas, that the house was practically ruined
When the hremcr were driven back on
the ladder they put up u the
ond floor They soon had water on the
i
ON tn, second floor rear. the bed. they
fourd the bodies Of the two little girls. Bertha
and Hattie, They had few burning remnants
of their night clothes cllnging to them. Their
| little bodies were burned to n crisp.
Then the hremen made Il hasty search through
the rest Of the house In the parlor. on the
first floor they found the bodies OF Mr.. and Mrs
Goldsmith and their little son. Frank They had
| evidently been fully dressed. but most of their
| clothing had been burnsd from the bodies. They
| were burned almost beyond recognition.
The bodies removed TO the East Fifty
first st station. and later were taken TO the un-
| d.rtaking rooms at No I4S East Fifty-ffth-st
The undertaken said that he had received his In
structions regarding the bodies from a Mr.
| Rothschd. OF Eas. Ninety second-st. He said
that the bodies would be prepare for burial and
kept in his undertaking rooms until he received
further instructions. He added that the Mr..
Rothschild who called upon him unnerved
that he had not even given his address or full
A GRIEF-CRAZED RELATIVE
Soon after the bodies taken to the sta
top a Young man. understood to he Mr.. Hirsch
Mrs Goldsmiths brother rushed up to the scene
of the fire He was almost frantic. He raved
and tore his hair. and could not articulate
TO be understood. He tried to enter the burned
house and only prevented by force by Po-
liceman Kilduff. whom he struck heavy blow
I'm the eye The officer. seeing that he deal
ing with n man who was practically frantic
with grief. contented himself with simply
straning the man from entering the house or
doing himself bodily harm.
Later the man was taken charge Of by friends
II was said by them later that Mr. Hirsch had
left his sister Mrs. Goldsmith. and her family in
Il
smiths were then congregated In happy circle
I'm the parlor He went out and returned in
loss than two hours. only to find that his sister
and her entire immediate family had been burned
to death.
About 10 O'Clock last night there was a sad and
nathetc scene in the East Fifty -tirsts station
| iI.... H. MN -