New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-31
FOUR LIVES LOST BY FIRE.
A FATAL BLAZE IN A HARLEM APART
MENT-HOUsE.
FLAMES SPREAD FROM THE BASEMENT WITH
GREAT RAPIDrTY-GocD WORK OF

FIREMEN AND POLICE.
Fire that started in the basement or the NV
story apartment- house No. 81 West One-hun
dred-and -ffth-st yesterday spread rapioiS
through the building. and at least four persons
were cut off from escape and sufocated 10
death. The dead are:
TRENCH Mrs. Elizabeth. twenty-eish' years Old OF NO
LOIS Ercokave
Her six months old child
NORRISSEY, Miss Ellen. ~ Albany
DARLINGTON. Mrs. Thomas
IT is believed that Mrs. Darlington's hve-y""r-
old son was also lost and his body is IN -
ruins.
The fire was discovered by Mrs. Annie mar
rincton the iantress of the building ana an
alarm, was turned in by Ernest Dixon. the Jani-
tor Of the adjoining building. As soon as ne hao
rnng The alarm he dashed back to the mousse
Ev thnt time the flames had made such heao"ay
that there was no longer chance Tor MIN ~ Sc
into the house through the thick smoke % ''e
man ran through the house next door east anu
on to the roof. Dixon. without hesi'a'ioi'
bumped to the roof of the burning buhoins' AZ
ready the smoke was pouring through the air.
shaft over the roof and Dixon could hear the
shouts Of women coming from below
RESERVES CALLED OUT
Patrolman Rothgeber had been near the house
when the alarm sent IN. he saw tha' III nc
would be big fire. and dashed OF TO the West
One hundredth-st. station for the reserves
But there were no reserves there all peihs ~
the 12th Regiment Armory, where they were
drilling. Sergeant Lynch Immediately as
matched Detectives Dunn and Boyle ana
Roundsman Gilhooly to the fire. and telephonea
for his own reserves. well AZ those from 'he
nearest stations the West Sixty-eighth-s,- ana
the One-hundred- and twenty ffth-st
The detectives reached the burning ouilolhS
iust as the first engine dashed up. Then smoke
came in volumes from the windows OF the nous''
women screamed. and threatened 20 jump; DIXON
on the roof made signs for assistance ana DIX
crowd In the street looked on with horror
stricken faces screaming and urging the fire.
men 10 their work.
detective Dunn rushed into the house, but
found no one until he got to the third moor.
There he met a woman who held a parrot in her
hand and screamed she stood beside an open
window in the hall Go to the front window,
cried the detective. and the woman. still mold
ing the parrot tightly. got to the from. window
srd sat on the sill She taken down to the
street nv 2 fireman. and said she Mrs Louisa
Rur1on who lived on the third floor. Dunn went
or ND TO the fourth floor. where he found Mrs.
a : Mace who lived there. standing IN her
room He oarri d her 20 a window. and Fireman
Schuester took her down a ladder. on TINS moor
Dunn also found Mrs. Charles Martin ana got
her 10 a front window to be carried down Re
yond this foo Detective Dunn could not go he
tried n Get TO the top floor. but was forced to
crawl back on his hands and knees through the
smoke He arrived almost exhausted al front
window and got down by ladder.
The reserves from the three stations had ar
rived and had their hands full to keep back thA
gathering of sightseers. We'll as people who
who they belle we'd We're
still in the house.
I'm on the roof Of the burning building Dixon
the ianitor had early attracted the attention OF
the fremer and Fireman George Wischuessen
with three others hurried up with a rope the
roof was already burning. on the top floor two
families had their homes on the east side was
Thomas Darlington. with his wife and fve-year-
old boy. on the ives. side lived Mrs. Alice NJ
Pagan her sistec Miss Cassidy. ami Miss Ellen
Morrissey who. with her brother. had been visit
ing Mrs Eagan and her sister
The fremen on the roof decided that the only
way to get into the rooms on tie top floor was
through the windows at the front of the house.
rope was tied about Fireman Wischuessen' $
body, and with the others holding it he was
lowered over the edge Of the roof. For an instant
he dangled at the ropes end the pavement.
the great crowd in the street cheering him Then
he was slowly lowered But the rope was too
short and the fireman could not get near enough
TO the window to get into ii. So after hanging in
the air for several minutes he was hauled up to
the roof again. There were no longer any screams
heard from the rooms.
THREE BODIES FOUND
Soon after that the fremen extinguished the
blaze and got to the top floor. 1t was then that
three Of the bodies were found. one woman Ian
dead on a couch clasping tightly in her lifeless
arms the body Of infant Near the front WIN
dows on the same floor there was the body 81
another woman She lay with her face 10 the
floor and her arms stretched out as if she ha(
made an effort 10 reach the window ana iaHef
overcome by the smoke. Both the women an'
the child were slightly burned about the face an'
upper part Of the body. But their clothing va
ONLY scorched and the 7remen said all had beer
smothered As the lower stairs had been burned
and threatened 70 fan at any moment, the bodie
were placed one after another N net ana s.
lowered TO he street.
The bodie, were taken To he West One-hun
dredth-st station. and ii was : o'clock before
brother of Mrs French reached there to den
ri, The woman and the child as his sister am
her ba by The wOman's husband - now IN MeA
leo She IS a sister Of Mrs. Darlington ShortI
afterward Miss Morrissey's body was lden'lne
by her brother and removed to An under'aKh'
establishment in Amsterdam-dTe
In The mean time. however. Mrs Darlington
and her son could not be found ana hcr nus
band. greatly excited felt sure thdI 'hef pou'S
were in the burned building. The fremcn mad
a strict search but found no trace Of them. Mrs
Darlingtor's body found at ] o'clock TN
morninG -,
I'pon a close inspection Of the house after IN
FIRE CAPTAIN Barrett. Of Hook and Ladder Nc
% explained the swift work Of the flames. IN
Are had FIST caught in the dumb walter an
from there eOt to the airshac. Up this
rushed having natural draught spreading GU
through the kitchen windows on each floor. BE
ing somewhat checked at the roof the flames ha
spread Gu, under II and been forced downwar
over the entire top floor That explained wha
had looked strange At frst. that although the IN
had started In the basement the top floor suffere
most.