The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-23
A FIRE THAT WAS A FIRE.
BURNED FITz's BED, mrs DOODLE,
AND THE ~JINITOR'S HAIR.
It started in tho he'd which Mrs. Fits was
Cleaning with Nnphtbn. ana in the Rush
for ssrety Baby Fits Got stuck In tho
ntoyN-Dir Patches or Air Get Ab,ara.

It Started In tho He'd NhtCh mFa. Fltl WAS
Cleaning with Nnphtbn. ana In the Rush
for Berety Baby Fits Got Stuck In the
~stove-TiE Patches OF Air Get Abiaze.
All day Saturday and all day yesterday tho
tenants In tho big fiat at 200 East Seventy.
eighth street, which is at tho corner Of Third
avenue, stood In groups in tho Railways and
on the stair landings, discussing the events OF
last Friday. They told about the fire that had
occurred In tho apartments of Fitzpatrick, the
hod CARRIE; they told Of the baby that got stuck
in the parlor stove: they told Of the burning of
tho %janitor's hair, and other little incidents
that happened on Friday afternoon, when four
FIRE engine companies wore summoned TO the
big fiat. When a young man climbed the stairs
and announced himself as q newspaper reporter,
six women shouted in chorus: "Let mo tell
about It,"
"Surc, I was the first ono there" said a little
fat woman.
Didn't I bring tho fret bucket of wateri'
said a tall slim woman.
II glvcd der fro alarm, when I stuck my head
der window oudt," added q corsetless German
woman.
But who was It carried tho childer into tho
street !" asked another woman; wasn't ID
mel T.
WELL" said the reporter, "let us get tho
story In chapters. That woman at the top Of
tho pIaIo luz tdiu HOtnluB uuoub I IL
probably give us the first chapter"
The woman at the top of the stairs came
down q peg and said: "Mr. Fitzpatrick. tho
hod carrier, lives on the fourth floor with his
wife and their thirteen children. and everybody
knows he Is a good husband and n Woodworking
man who saves his money and does not spend It
in drink like other hod carriers do. His wife is
one of the cleanest women in the fiat. She il
continually scrubbing up her house and shining
hor tins. She 10 death on flies. and as for water
bugs and reaches, you will never find one Of
them In the Fitzpatrick apartments unless II
comes down the air shaft.
Friday morning her little girl Katie saw .
bug climbing up tho wall near the airshaft, 80
Mrs. Fitzpatrick, when she heard about IL, do
cided that 1t was necessary to take down all her
beds and tackle them with naphtha. with an
oil-soaked rag in one hand and a lighted candle
in the other she got to work at Fitz's bed, after
tackling the beds OF the children. Fitz was
away at his work. Both he and his wife had
always been very careful in handling his bed
tick, for In 1t they had their roll sewed up. and
in that roll was all their savings of a year.
Strange to say. when Mrs. Fitz got to work with
the oil-soaked rag something happened"
1t vas der candle which explosioned," In.
terrupted the German woman.
"sure, no one liver heerd av a candle OK.
plodin'. remarked a voice from the landing be-
1T wasn't" said the first woman. lit was
the bed that caught fire from the oil. soaked rag,
fT m tel Egs N the e s story. rev %h sns | n set th 1a q si" goS
You tank as Il you owned tn fat" said tho
IF you make q fight on It mebbe itrl come on
der newspapers" remarked the German woman.
well" said the first woman, " the bed caught
Il. IS" came a chorus from the hall.
wom nesa i sw ne I'll The 'R bed S' fosk a Ss'o M I1S f Ffis
yelled 'Murder!' Mr.. Purcell. the red .headed
%ia n was "a in the h h hall and rG m into INTO Mrs. " Fits rs
upset tho can OF naphtha that Mrs. Fitz had
been using, and big patches OF air in tho room
Thin were gas" said the voice from below.
They max have been" said the women who
Ing siazes. and NJ one Of them landed on the head
Of Mr.; PE Sc ILL, The ,Sa s"Sb ntnjDv With sea robins sis F Snd hair rap
Into the hallway where he bptted the wallis
with his head. In this way he knocked out
snd se Fl M sl hr bead Ia aeou me LAY and do iinai Hg i he Stood eooi
on his head with his legs over the ~baluster rail-,
pointing i tow SISn the 3 sky like q ,sil orr shears"
woman. Him stuck him's head in der wash
the voice at the foot OF the stairs.
III You'll stop in,esruP.ihng me: RI tell the
further contradictions. that everybody in the
Nat sst 1 poko the her tire head an. on, e Of ih SG %inao IN a ,nd
shouted Fire. a, the same time. Then, while
essrlcf's ych III 5ns fiat .o ssi | TO %i Efsc Mrs. Mi Fi,I T,ss
rich, who had been badly burned about the fao'
dots wrong" interrupted the German
woman. He only got one hand burned; it val
der right hand of him's left arm"
woman. and she won't be able to nurse he,
baby any more. But let me continue the story
s %ih Si n s4s fireman FisHps,4sI ss here es, sfms 2 Bss i nds s ssa
counted, and that there was three or four o
them the fb @1sf'I III In 80 the the policeman sdSIg SD,S out to on the ss stree
Sure thirteen was always an unlucky mum
Mrs. Fitzpatrick that It was an unlucky day TO
her when her thirteenth was born"
teen." said the German woman.
Anyhow the thirteenth was missing" salt
f see t dssf m T9%an sh hSnd tS wh S4em q sSa FOUND Ss sse R had,
had climbed into the stove hole and got stucl
there; q course there vas no fire in The stove
Keep a ars bufhine ali the time. Some Of tn,
sary to break tho stove With their axes to &C
the baby out. but S Sttsr pulling and dragging
just about this time Mr.. Fitzpatrick cam,
home from work after carving the hod all day
That the tew dollars he had saved VI had een,
ali the money he POSSESSED in the world. While
inc crown on the btreet $1,000 around oHerlns
sympathy to the Fitzpatrick family. the nremeI
succeeded in extinguishing tho flames in theil
apartments. As hvo OF them were coming
away from the scene Of the fro and had Just go
as far as the door leading to the street. theil
clothing commenced to burn"
Dot vas der first time dot I ever seemed
fireman on fire. said the German woman.
There were two av thin on fire." said tn,
voice from below.
There were three, said another.
woman on the flight OF stairs above.
WELL" said the first woman, 1--WE won,
argue that point. am telling tho story. and
saw some hremen whose clothes were blazing
Other aremen slapped them on tho back ant
to his room to see II there was any chance O
finding the money he had sewod in his bed tick
but 1t had all boon burned up. While he be
moaned the loss q his money the janitor be
"Is that all OF the story =" asked the reporter
is only all she knows" answere tn,
German woman. "Is 1t our time now o.
"Therel como a time some day humme,
the reporter as he started down the stairs. Go
ing through the hall he passed. the red.heade,
j%anitor. His hair, or what 10 left Of it. is blaol
now. and tho man was explaining to his barbc
how 1t came to change Its color.