The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-05-24
MOTHER AND CHILD DEAD
FATAL FIRE IN A NEW YORK
DWELLING HOUSE.

Three Persons Seriously InJured-Escapo
Cut of-One Woman Throws Herself
From a window Into the Street--Tenants
Panic stricken-Qrigin of Fire Unknown
Property Loss Was About $4,000.
New York, May 23.-Two persons
were killed and three seriously injured
in a fire which started shortly after 4
o'clock this morning In the four-story
and basement brownstone building No.
149 West Twenty-third street. Several
persons narrowly escaped death. The
dead are:
Mrs. Catharine Mossway. thirty-two
years, died at the hospital from suffo-
cation and burns.
Beatrice Mossway, daughter Of the
former, suffocated in her room.
The injured ares
Mrs. Mary c., or Carrie, Bowles,
boarding housekeeper at % Hollis
street, Boston, Mass, dangerously hurt
by jumping from a window on the
third floor; taken to the New York
Miss Macdonald, slightly burned on
the face
F. S. Phelps, slightly burned on the
face.
The building was occupied both for
business and dwelling purposes In
the basement was an all-night eating
house, and in the upper part Of the
building were furnished rooms.
Before the firemen reached the scene
the entire building was filled with
flames within. The Railways on the
first floor to the roof were in flames,
and escape was cut off. Panic seized
almost everybody, and it, Is considered
very fortunate that any one was saved.
While tenant named Lamont was
crawling along the narrow sill to reach
the adjoining house the body Of a wo-
man struck large sign which hung
on the outside of the building and to
which he clung for support The sign
was torn from it's fastenings and fell
with crash to the street. The woman
was Mrs. Bowies, who roomed on the
| third floor. She had precipitated her-
Self 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 tho
hospital
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 had es-
| capped to the roof, through the flames.
including Miss Macdonald and Mrs.
| Phelps. It was in this way they were
burned. The statement is made that
one Of the male attendants had seized
Miss Macdonald as she was ascending
the ladder to the roof and pulled her
| back. 1t is not known who he was
Mrs. Mossway, who lost her life, was
sleeping with her daughter when she
was aroused by the smoke. She ram
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 back to her room.
She attempted to open the window, but
it did not yield readily and she broke
| the glass in her agony 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 f1remem
searched the house they found the lit.
! tie girl dead in bed and the mother ly@
| ing on the floor blistered by, the heat
| and almost dead from suffocation. She
was removed to St. vincent's hospital.
where she died three hours later.
Late in the afternoon Mrs Bowles res
| covered consciousness at the hospital.
but no hopes are entertained of her
ultimate recovery. She arrived In ttla
city three days ago from Boston on a
| shopping tour. She is about thirty-fiya
! years old.
The origin Of the fire is not known.
but it is believed that a belated tenant
| lit match in the hallway to see his
way, and carelessly tossed the still
burning match away. The fire started
at the foot Of the stairs and spread
with great rapidity. All the occupants
escaped in their underclothing. The
damage was about $4,000.