The San Francisco call., 1898-03-13
Many Lives Lost in a Conflagration in
 New York.
Number of Victims Believed to Reach Over Two
 Scores.
Dwellers on the Upper Floors Cut off From Escape by the
 Flames
Special Dispatch to The Call.

NEW YORK, March 13-Many lives were lost in fierce fire that started at Z o'clock this morning in Mo- 105 Bowery. After the blaze was gotten under control by the firemen, an hour later, nearly a score of charred bodies were found on an upper floor
 Chief Bonner who was in charge of the fire, conducted an investigation when it was possible to enter the build ing He said he believed the dead would probably number between thirty and forty, and possibly more.
 The building is five stories high. On the first floor is the Bowery Mission, and the upper floors are occupied as a cheap lodging house conducted by the mission. There were two hundred men asleep when the fire was discovered. W. c. Robbins, one of the lodgers, scented the smoke, and upon investiga- tion found a seething furnace of flame roaring in the rear.
 He shouted an alarm from the front window and citizen passing in the street sent in a signal from box. MT. Robbins ran through the upper floor, arousing the sleepers.
 By this time the flames had gained great headway, and the thick smoke penetrated the entire building. The lodgers ran into the halls in confusion with such articles of apparel as they could seize. Many had not time 10 take their clothing, and ran to the street in their sleeping garments.
 When the firemen arrived long lad derS were placed to the windows, ana the firemen of Truck Company NO. were active in effecting rescues. All escape by the stairs was cut off when the firemen reached the burning pulid- ing, and the men were too panlc-slrlck- en to think of the roof.
 Chief Bonner said that at 3:3O o CLOCK seventeen bodies had been found. Ihey were scattered from the second moor up: Most of them were on the thlru ana fifth floors. The firemen brought the first body out and placed it on the sidewalk at twenty minutes past $. AS the bodies were recovered they were laid on the sidewalk for possible lden- tification and then sent to the Morgue
 Stevenson. a lodger, carried f1tz- patrick, a blind man, who had the room next to his, out on his back. F1tz- patrick could not understand there was a fire, and fought hard to resist being rescued.
 While the firemen and police were fighting with those in the railways, man made his appearance at the Wln7 dow on the third floor.
 He threw his foot out on the ledge and hung on for a few moments to the coping A crowd had gathered in the street, and they cried to him to hold on. But the flames came out of the window and so singed his hands that he was forced to let go.
 A Nf nnf crowd below. The man, before letting go, threw himself outward, and as he fell the crowd separated. He landed just beyond the sidewalk. For mo- ment he seemed stunned. Then he arose to his feet, felt himself all over and hobbled away. disappearing in the midst of the crowd. The firemen heat and smoke forced them out one by one.
 The sealing ladders and the life nets were then resorted to. Water was poured into the building in torrents, but the flames seemed to increase in fury. Many of the lodgers were car ried down the ladders. These were in almost in every instance rescued just as they were about to jump to the street from the windows on the upper floors.
 When the flames were under control at 8 o'clock one of the firemen who had made a tour of the entire building emerged and reported to Chief Bonner that he had seen at least forty dead bodies.
 His report was that he had discov- cred two bodies on the first floor, five on the second, eight on the third, twelve on the fourth and thirteen on the fifth floor.
 At 4:30 twenty-six bodies had been ran0varad