New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-26
LIFE LOST AT 4 FIRE.
A SMALL BOY sUFFoCATED IN A TENEMENT
HOUSE BLAZE

A SMALL BOY SUFFOCATED IN A TENEMENT
HOUSE BLAZE.
Richard Hickson six years old, lost his life In a
fire which started early yesterday morning In the
fve-story brick building No. 116 Greenwch-st on
the TOP floor OF which he lived with his mother and
brothers and sisters. The little fellow WAS SUI
located by smoke. Other members of the family
and the other tenants in the house escaped with
their lives The building is occupied as follows;
First floor Yee Hop, Chinese aundryman, and John
Luther, plumber second and third floors, FREDERICK
Merken and family: fourth floor. vacant NTH hoor'
the Hckson family consisting of Mrs dickson ana
five young children The fire originated in the
rear of the basement Of the building from some
cause as yet undetermined. 1t was discovered by
the members OF the Merken family on the second
floor of the house. They smelled the smoke as II
poured into their rooms from the hallway below
The screams OF the Merkens awakened the other
people in the house. In a moment all was con-
fusion Mrs. Hickson the top floor, ran to a
window fronting the street and screamed for
help Her cries were heard by John Kane. car
penter and John Mcnamara, a contractor, en-
ployed by the Metropolitan Street Railway Com
pany at Greenwich and Fulton SITS They ran to
the spot at once. and there they saw Mrs Hckson
with her children about her leaning out OF one OF
the windows on the top floor. Smoke and flames
were coming out from the doors and windows on me
Bowe. of No. 80 Degraw-st, Brooklyn. a boy VINO
CHANGED to be passing climbed "a pllIdr OF inc tIc-
a lquor store next door 10 the house where the hre
was There they lowered fre-escapc which leads
from the third to the second floor.
In the mean time Battalion Chief Kruger drove
by the burning building his way back from a
fire at the lower end OF Washingt on-st. lie took
in the situation at glance, stopped the engine
companies. and sent In alarm. HIS driver, IRE
man Hughes Jumped from the wagon ana made a
dash to save the lives impcrie1 on the top moor:
He climbed a ladder from the street 70 the top OF
the shed on which Mcnamara and his companions
had Just gone. They were already making ther
way upward. but were partially impeded IN tner
his way past them and reached the top floor Just
as one Of the dickson boys Jumped ana struck
Hughes on the shoulders. The impact nearly as
lodged Hughes but he managed 70 nod on, anu
passed the boy TO those below. Hughes told tne
woman who stood In the window with three cIiI-
dren beside her not to jump. but TO keep cool ne
then enterA the room and led the mother ~ ona'
nine years old: Francis eight years Old anu r.u-
ward still Younger. down the stairway through
the rooms Of the Merkens to the shed over the
saloon from which they were taken TO me stree,
Oven Alien a ledger In the Hickson household.
climbed down the fire-escape In safe'y. Freierlc"
Nerken his wife and KATE and John the, cnlurci,.
were helped out by Kane. McNamara ana the "o'
Rowe from Windows on the second moor. , 49,,
II was thought that all III" members or tne TICK
son family had been saved until MS hlcks0l,
Who was hvsteriCai. missed the hoy flchaII IN
.old nor fears 10 the nremen. and Fireman huSntsS
again made his way to the top toor where on me
az rrer a window he found the little one lying
anooarnntIv dead He took the child down the lad
der and called an ambulance from HUDSON street
Uosnital but the surgeon said the boy was dea' 49,.
The damage done by the fire amounts 10 "po"'