The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-18
FATAL FOURTH WARD FIRE.
a GREEK BURNED TO DEATH mrs
son MAI DIE.

Driven 70 the window By the FLAMES ThoJ Fell
into nm Airshnrt, the OnlS Outlook or Their
Den-Like Room-The Father und Fought
Unscathed In the Recent war with Turkey.
In a fire at II Roosevelt street yesterday af'
ternoon Christos Cosmos, q Greek, DO years old,
received burns OF which he died In tho Hudson
Street Hospital early last evening. In the same
fire Cosnos's son. Michael, ID years old, was so
badly burn d that tho hospital surgeons have
little hope OF his recovery.
Tho fire In itself was OF small consequence.
1t was confined to a little room seven feet square
on the north sido of the second noor or tho
house. In this room Cosmos and his son lived.
They ate and slept and worked there. 1t con-
tanned all their worldly possessions. And, II Is
supposed, 1t was in his efforts to save these,
after the fire started. that Cosmos received the
burns which caused his death.
The room had two windows, ono facing the
north and the other the west. both opening on
an airshaft, Tho north wall OF the house in
which Cosmos lived and tho south wall II tho
house next door form the walls OF the shaft,
Tho space between the two houses is about
three feet. This is the width Of the shaft.
The origin of the fire has not been definitely
determined. II is supposed that the father and
his son were cooking their dinner on a little oil
stove which was in tho room. The room was
barely big enough for one person to turn around
III "iluouI hllllllR bOHncJnluR, anu i u buppoScu
that either the father or the son knocked the
stove over. II this happened, 1t would be but q
moment for the whole room to be ablazc.
At 2:30 O'Clock tho cry of fire rang through
the tenement. Somebody sounded an alarm
and the fircmcn arrived ten minutes later. One
line OF hose was taken upstairs, Martin O"Leary
OF IL engine and another man carrying 1t. When
they got to the Cosmos room, they found the
door locked. They could hear the cries of the
1t was the work Of a moment to batter dow
the door. OLeary stepped part way in. The
could hardly more than pass the threshold,
Directly opposite tho ID, door r, is the ,, north na6
clinging with both hands to the sash
stood Cosmos and his SON.. Neither had
seo' had d'U BEEN burned Msdni b sh the cola Names m se thst G Wera
cracking onall sides Of them. When OLeary
saw the man and boy he shouted; -,
stay where YOU are for a minute and we'll
have you out of this
lie had hardly spoken when the sash to which
father and son were clinging yielded TO the
downward pull OF tho two and came down. AS
1t did SO, father and son lost their, hold and dis
passed to flremen below stairs to go to tho rescue
OF the man and boy. The entrance to the shaft
fromen could not reach it for nearly half an
hour.
In the meantime water was turned into the
burning room, and in five minutes the fire was
out. OIcary then went to the floor below. and
had himself let down into the shaft by a rope
He found Cosmos lying on his back, directly
under the window. The son was lying across
the fathers body.
Cosmos was unconscious. Tho boy could
hardly do more than moan and. rs he moaned in
Greek, no one could tell whether he was suffer
ing most from the fall. which had been a dis
lance of about twenty feet, or from his burns.
An ambulance from the Hudson Street Hospi
tai was sent for. Ambulance Surgeon Rodmar
was unable to find any homes in either tho man
or the boy broken, but both had boon horribly
burned on the legs. hands and body. Tho boy
was also burned on the face. Both had severa
contusions. AS soon. az possible both were re
moved to the hospital.
Cosmos had been In this country about sever
years. He had a vito in Greece. and when Kinl
George recalled his subjects from all over TIT
world to return and fight the Turks Cosmot
answered the call. When the war was Owe
he returned to America. He lived il
the small room and did his own cooking
that he might save up money enough to brinl
his wife. who is in Athens. to this country mex
spring. He earned n living Ivy gathering fern
for the florists. A quantity OF these. brought il
from the country yesterday mo ming. was takcI
from the room.