The herald., 1896-07-16
DARK AND DASTARDLY DEED
Bold Attempt This Morning to Burn a
Lodging House
Coal Oil and Gasoline Poured Over Everything
Fuse Laid and the Fire Started.
Narrow Escape

A dastardly attempt at incendiarisrn
was frustrated this morning, but 1t was
only by the greatest kind of good luck
that a confiagration was prevented
which would probably have been attend
ed with loss of life. Firebugs had evil
IDENTIFY carefully planned the destruction
of the premises at 416 Wall street, owned
by NJ. b. Hamble and occupied as a
lodging house by Mrs. Woodward.
There are fully five empty rooms In the
house and it was in these that the incen-
diary placed his materials so that, once
afire the house would burn like tinder.
Leading from the rear of the main hall
which runs through the house fuse was
laid of oil soaked rags and paper, along
the Dashboard into a vacant room at the
foot of the stairs.
In this room the carpet had been sat
urated with coal oil and the wash bowl
full of the inflammable stuff set in the
middle OF the floor. The fuse led aight
TO the bowl of oil. and the soaked carpet
ignited like tindar. Upstairs three diff
ferent rooms which were opt n had be ~
entered and the mattresses of the bed
saturated with Gil and gasoline. TIE
hallway was streaked with oil and the
whole place needed but the touch of a
match to burst into flame.
At about o'clock this morning i. 7.
Widen, who has rear room on the first
floor. was awakened by some sound. and
out ir the hall saw a light. which quick
ly died out. Then fiichering blaze
threw its shadow on the walls. and hn
jumped out of bed and opened his door.
Along the floor q writhing serpent of
fire was creeping. and he stepped haci.
and drew on his trousers BY the time
he got out again the fuse had burned
to the Washbasin of oil and tine interior
of the room at the foot of the stairs Wa,
mass of flames. He ran back into hi,
bedroom. Grasped the mattress off thu
bed and threw IL on the blaze.
By this time assistance had arrived
some other roomers waking up. and Will
water the fire was soon under control
not a moment too son. The interior .
the room was badly scorched, but til,
kerosene was plainly evident over every
thing. 1t was evidently the Intention -
the incendiary that the flames ghoul
run UP the stairs and along the haliva
to the front bedroom. where q ouantit,
of gasoline had bee thrown over every
thing.
Miss Cora Cook, a lodgar. heard som.
one moving about the place shortly be
fore the fire broke out. but thought il
was one of the dodgers. as whoever It uc,s
seemed thoroughly familiar with tho
premises She heard the intruGer go III
starts, down again and into the room
where the fire broke out Then there
was an interval of silence and then the
cry of fire
Mr.. and Mrs. Woodward. the proprie-
tors of the place, are down at Lcng Reacf
on short vacation and no one seemed
to be able to assign motive for the das-
tardly attempt to incinerate some eight
or ten human beings. Mr. Handle. own
er of the house. is railroad corducto,
and resides at 24312 East First street
The coal oil used ir;'the work Of ratllr-
ating the different rooms was procured
from FIVE gallon can on the back porch
and the!conter of all the lamps in the
rooms were also spilled on the floor. The
police are working on the case.