The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-24
HEMMED IN BY FLAMES
FATAL FIRE IN A NEW YORK BROWN
STONE FOUR-STORY HOUSE.
Mother and Daughter Dead and Three
others with Serious Injuries
at the Hospital.

NEW YORK, May 23.-Two persons were
killed and three seriously injured in fire
which started shortly after 4 O'Clock this
morning in the four-story and basement
brown stone building at No. 149 West Twen-
ty-third street. Several persons narrowly
escaped death. The dead are:
MRS. CATHARINE MOSSWAY, aged
thirty-three; died at hospital from sutfoca-
BEATRICE MOSSWAY four years old,
daughter Of the former; suffocated in her
room.
The injured are Mrs. Mary C. c., or Car
rie Bowles, boarding house keeper, at NO.
rs Hollis street Boston, dangerously hurt
by jumping from a window of the third
floor; Miss Macdonald, slightly burned on
face, and f. S. Phaps, slightly burned on
face.
The building was occupied for both bnsl-
ness and dwelling purposes In the base
ment is an all-nght eating house. The
Weser Piano Company occupies the first
floor and the upper part of the building is
a furnished-room establishment conducted
by Mrs. Curtis. Before the firemen reached
the scene the building was filled. with
flames The Railways from the first floor to
the roof We're filled with flames, and escape
by the front was cut off. Panic seized the
was crawling along the narrow sill to reach
the adjoining house the body of a woman
struck a large sign which hung on the out
side of the building, and to which he clung
for support. The sign was torn from its
fastenings and fell with a crash to the
street. The woman was Mrs. Bowles, who
had precipitated herself from the third
floor to the street below when she found
that egress from the house by way of the
stairs was checked by the flames. She was
picked up and taken to a hospital. Lamont
did not fall to the street.
On the top floor the widest sort of panic
had seized the tenants, among whom were
Mrs. Mossway and her daughter. Most of
the tenants, including Miss Macdonald and
Mr.. PhapS, had escaped to the roof. Mrs.
MoSSWay, VINO lost her ne, was sIeepIns
with her little daughter when she was
aroused by the smoke. She ran into the
hall and gave the alarm and then went
back after her daughter. When she started
to return the smoke and flames drove her
again to her room. She attempted to open
the window but it did not yield readily,
and she broke the glass with her hands.
The window would not open, and even if it
had there would have been little chance
for her, as it is protected on the outside by
iron bars. When the firemen searched the
house they found the little girl dead in bed,
the mother lying on the floor, blistered by
heat and almost dead from suffocation. She
was removed to the hospital, where she
died three hours later.
Late in the afternoon Mrs. Bowles recov-
cred consciousness at the hospital, but no
hopes are entertained of her ultimate re-
coVery. She arrived in the city three days
ago from Boston on a shopping tour. She
is about thirty-five years old. The origin
of the fire is not known, but it is believed
that a belated tenant lit a match in the
hallway to see his way and careiessly
tossed the SILL burning match away The
fire started at the foot of the stairs and the
light wall acted as a flue to carry the flames
to the roof. The damage was about s., 900.