The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-02-04
DIE BY FIRE, :.
Seven Persons Perish in Flames
at Hoboken, N. j.
Two Disastrous Fires In One of Which a
Mother and Five Children Are Losr-~
Little Girl the Victim in =
the Other.

Hoboken, n. j., Feb. 1.-This city was
visited by two disastrous fires between
1850 Saturday night and three o'clock
Sunday morning. Seven persons were
burned to death aud 80 families were
made homeless. The Saturday night fire
started in the three-story frame build
ing at 40 Newark street. Here six per-
SONS lost their lives. They were: Mrs.
Nellie Schroeder, 10 years old; Henry
Schroeder, IL years old; Maggie Schroe-
der, years old; Kate Schroeder, years
old; John Schroeder, years old; Willie
Schroeder, months old. The father of
the family, Charles Schroeder, was in a
nearby saloon playing cards while his
wife and children were dying.
AS near as can be determined the fire
started in defective tiue in Schaffer's
wheelwright shop on the ground floor
sof a three-story frame building. Schaf-
fer occupied The second floor as living
apartments. The front rooms on the
third floor were occupied by Charles
Schroeder and his family, while James
Dlanchtieid and family occupied the
rooms in the rear. The Blanchtields first
discovered the fire. which had gained
much Roadway, and barely made their
escape by way OF the roofs of adjoining
buildings. TWAS impossible to discover
the fate of the Schroeder family until
the fire had subsidized. When the police
entered the building little save the shell
remained, and they were obliged to ex-
ercise great care in climbing about the
place. They finally reached the top floor
and made their way into the front room.
Stretched across the bed, blackened
and charred, lay the mother, and clasped
tightly in her arms was the little baby,
Willie. Beside the mother and baby, in
the same bed, lay the charred bodies OF
the girls. Maggie and Kate. 1t is likely
that they were suffocated in their sleep.
On mattress ON the floor near the win.
dow lay the body of the boy, John, but
the body Of Henry, the oldest boy, was
nowhere to be seen. Upon further
search being made the boys body was
found under mass of debris in the hall,
burned almost to crisp. It is believed
that the boy was aroused during the:
fire. and In his efforts to escape "a into
the hall. There he was overcome bv
the smoke and his body was covered
with part of the roof which fell in at
at that point. The loss to the building
and its contents will probably not ex.
coed $4,000.
The second fire started at three o'clock
Sunday morning in the five-story
double-deck tenement at 1877 Four
teenth street, over mile from the scene
OF the first. In this fire three tenements.
Nos. 1856. 157 and 159. were entirely
wrecked and No. 1873 was damaged bad
~ by water. One child was burned to
death on the fourth floor of No. 1877. She
was Mabel Mangles. eight years old.
This fire started from some unknown
cause in one of a row of four cheaplv
built deable-deck tenements at Nos.
1873. 1855, 157 and $50. There were two
families ON each floor and only three
vacant apartments in all the buildings.
All the families were forced out in
their night clothing. or with what little
covering they could grab in their hurry.
The family OF Ferdinand Mangles 90
cupied the fourth floor of 1877. Mrs.
Mangles, with her four children.
started for the street. which they
reached, with the exception of Mabel,
whoswas sutfocated. The body of5the
child is probably buried beneath mass
Of debris in the cellar. The loss on the
buildings Nos. 155, 1877 and 159, which
were completely wrecked, II between
$4,000 and $4,000. Not over half
dozen families in the three buildings
Carried any insurance. and their be-
longings were worth $4,000.