The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-13
DEATH And
INSANITY.
Fearful Havoc in the Fam
lily of VIM. Zeigler
Caused by an
Early Morn
Ing Fire.
TWO cHILDRENSUFFocATED
Inc fdtner, lDSdHt tIun Ecoi' ,
Leaps from a Window and
His Wife Follows Him.
A THIRD CHILD BADLY BlgNED
Sadie and Mamie Campbell Found
Unconscious and scorched-
Policeman BunnelI Prostrat-
ed by the Smoke and
His Gallant Work.
a THIRD CHILD BADLY BlgNED

Fire which originated in baker shop
at four O'Clock this morning made fear
full record. Two children lost their lives,
one man was driven insane and jumped
from third story window; his wife toi-
lowed his example, sustaining injuries
which will doubtless cost her her life;
four children were overcome and severely
burned; and one policeman who headed
the rescuing party was cut bruised and
burned. and is lying in ST. Francis Hos
pital suffering terribly from his injuries
This disastrous fire originated in the
baker shop of Edward Meinzel in the rear
OF Nos. 1l2 and ia Coles street, four story
double brick tenements, and was caused
as nearly as can be ascertained by de-
fective fiue
1t was on the minute of four O'Clock
when one of Meinzel's employees discov-
cred tongues of fame shooting out
through the board ceiling lining of the
bake shop. Believing he could extinguish
the fire himself he wasted fully ten min
utes in the attempt. The fire gained
headway. still no alarm was sounded
Roundsman Toppin of the Seventh street
saw smoke pouring from the bake shop.
Making a hurried Investigation and real
izing the danger Of a fire in such a quar-
ter ne hurried to Jersey avenue and Fifth
street and sent in an alarm. He raped
for assistance, and returned to the burn
ing building. On the way he was joined
by Policeman William Bunnell. The bake
shop was enveloped in flames by the time
A.. -,,r 10, 1,n
seen about the place. Although the build
ing was burning briskly dense clouds of
heavy, suffocating smoke poured from it,
and owing to the heavy atmosphere set
tied close to the ground.
The policemen CROPPED about blindly, en-
deavoring to reach a point where they
might do effective work Up to this time
little attention had been paid to the big
tenements, the policemen concluding that
It would be unwise to alarm the occu-
pants while there was apparently little or
10 danger. The windows and doors of
the tenements had been left open and in
short order the apartments and halls
were filed with smoke. The arrival of
the engines and other apparatus, together
with the shouts of the firemen, awakened
the fifty or more occupants of the tene-
ments ~
The firemen were getting to work well
when the screams of women, curses of
men and shoafs of children rent the air.
Firemen and policemen were startled
They realized in an instant that the in
mates had become panic stricken. Some
one had shouted that the buildings were
on fire. That cry together with the fact
that the halls and apartments were full
of smoke, caused panic which was the
fiercest the fremen say they ever en-
countered
Policeman William Bunnell was the first
man to enter the building. In the first
floor hail. which was narrow, he found a
struggling mass of humanity. Men were
cursing and swearing, kicking and biting
in their mad efforts, to preserve their
lives. Women and children were knocked
down in the halls and trampled upon.
Policeman Bunnell used his night stick on
the men, hoping. to check the stampede
but to no avail. He was brushed aside
punched and kicked. Twice he was
forced back to the street and although
almost suffocated by the smoke he re-
entered the building. He was accom-
panied by Policeman Toppin. Together
they managed to clear the lower hail.
They carried unconscious women into the
street and deposited children on the side
walk, where they were promptly cared
for by firemen and residents of the neigh
borhood who had come to the rescue.
On the second floor landing the police
men found similar condition of affairs
prevailing. The men seemed to have lost
their heads completely, and, regardless of
the women and children, were endeavor-
ing to escape, no matter how many they
injured.
1t seemed long time before the hook
and ladder companies got to work, and
then ladders were raised only to the
first floor The policemen did noble work
in placing half suffocated women on the
awnings, where they were seized and
cared for by firemen.
BunneH and Toppisi finally made their
way to tho top floor and managed to
get all the occupants down stairs by COM
relling them to crawl down the narrow
winding stairways on their hands and
,::.ees.
7'he policemen were cropping about
rough the blindipg smoke, seeing that
IL one was left IN the building, when
reans from the third floor startled
.ss.,. They crawled down stairs and
sssse surprised to find the doors locked
sainst them IHe screams a q tne enl11ren srna y
~ i woman reached their ears Almost
ehausted from tl5es inha halation Of the
t,.sIsse smoke the poliesfqqsn snTew theff
admission mission and called upon those inside
e open the dooE Ga yifp nan plantto to