New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-21
THREE DIE BY UPTOWN FIkE.
SIX OTHERS INJURED IN THE BURNING
OF COLONEL c. II. RAYMOND'S HOUSE.
MRS. RAYMOND AND HER SISTER AMONG THE
DEAD-FLAMEs DISCOVERED BY SERVANTS
WHEN THEY CAME DOWN TO WORK
EARLY IN THE MORNING


In fire which broke out at $50 a. m. yester-
day in the home Of Colonel Charles H. Raymond
general agent of the Mutual Life Insurance Noi'-
pany. at No. 260 West Seventy-third-st'' TWO
women were killed outright third receiVeo III
juries that proved fatal and six persons were
badly Injured The list Of dead and injured is as
follows
THE DEAD.
RAYMOND Mrs. c. II. teli from secono-s'ory "'"''"
breaking both legs above the knee
UNDERWOOD Mrs. Of GEORGETOWN. -, - -. snn m,raox
rscevins fatal injuries
FEE Mrs Harriet. the cook: burned to oeatn'
THE INJURED.
ANDREWS J. F.. fireman: received cuts on the iace NM
DrrssRorH. Frederick fireman: hand burned.
DoEnR William cond1e q No %h. ne ,ryns
10 resch Mrs Underwood receiving bad scalp wound
FERGUSON. william butler slight cut on the face.
RAYMOND Colonel Charles H.: prostra'ed by 'hocN anu
SMOKE.
SWEENEY. Edward fireman: hand badly cut
or the six persons In the house at the time the
fire broke out only two escaped injury. The fire
seems to have burned with great rapidity' but
DESPITE this fact a combination OF unto"a'o
accidents that amount almost to fatality IS re-
sponsible chiefly for the loss OF HE. Inc purneu
house IS OF brick. and four stories hsh. IL
stands i'm a fashionable neighborhood aAd WIS
filed with costly furnishings and paintings the
collection Of which has been something OF rad
with Colonel RAYMOND. the owner OF the house.
When the fire was at last brought under con-
troll the house was practically wrecked.
What is regarded as one OF the chiet causes
that contributed TO the loss OF life seems 10 nave
heen m. action taken by many of the citizens
who live near the Raymond house some TWO
Years and more ego. At that time a proposition
and
in the nelghborhood The Fire Commissioners
net with such stubborn opposition to this proJ-
Get that they decided to abandon the plan.
Conseouently when there was desperate need
for a hook and ladder company yesterday morn
Ing there vas none 70 be had nearer than Forty
elghth-st and Eighth-ave. or Ninety-eighth-st
and Amsterdam-ave When these arrived they
were too late T. be Of service
NET BY \ GUST OF FLAME.
When The fre broke out Colonel and Mrs.
Raymond were asleep on the second floor 'front.'
Just above them was Mrs. Underwood Mrs
Raymond's sister who visiting the Ray
| lnonds on the fourth floor was William Fergu-
SON. the butler and In front were Mrs. Harriet
Fee and Margaret Mullarkey. the chambermaid.
According To the chambermaid. she and the
cook went downstairs at 500 o'clock 10 the
| Kitchen. Five minutes later she had occasion TO
return to the first floor to get tray from the
pantry. which was at the rear OF the dining
room IS she opened the diDing-room door
gust Of flame burst out IN one corner the cur
tains were all ablaze. The girl did not stop 70
look for the tray With "A shrek she turned and
ran rindly into the street. As she opened the
door she Lhabs, she saw the cook dash past her
and up the stairs. Sh IS not sure. For the
rest the girls story IS uninte'liglble. Her cries
In the street attracted passers-by. some one OF
whom rang an alarm at Sixty-ninth-st and
West End-ave. Meantime the cries OF the cook
az she fled upstairs reused Colonel and Mrs.
RAYMOND and Mrs. Underwood. They opened
their doors into the hall. only to find mass OF
fame roaring up the stairWays. They ran to
the windows BY this time the street outside
rang with the feet of hundreds as they ran to
the house from whose door smoke was already
beginning to curl. Up and down the sidewalk
the distracted maid shriekng wildly Once
she made dash at the door. only to be met by
the flames and forced back to the street.
AT the windows OF the house at the second
floor were Colonel and Mrs. Raymond. clad In
their nghtclothes and imporing help. Just
above them appeared Mrs. Underwood Both
women were shrieking wildly In The hall death
was already busy, for when the fire was out the
body OF the cook. Mrs. Harriet Fee was found
there the third floor burnt to a cinder
At last-t was only few minutes, but It
seemed that many year. TO the excited but help
less spec;atoIs-the hre-engine and the hook
and ladder truck dashed up. Out In the street a
dense and agonized crowd swung and swayod
hundreds Of voices called to the imperlled per-
in the windows to hang moment
longer. In the windows Of the second floor ap-
peared the writhing forms OF Colonel Raymond
and his wife. The fire had evidently forced
entrance behind them. for smoke poured around
them from the easements Both Colonel and
Mrs. Raymond hung In an agony OF fear from the
flames behind, which were already smuggling them
that they shrieked from the pain. and the
long and dangerous leap IN front OF them Still
they hung on, and before the ladder truck had
stopped scores had leaped from the crowd and
stripped It Of It's ladders. Almost simultane-
ously two ladders were up the front Of the
house. One OF them was the big extension lad
der and the other was smaller scaling ladder
Almost before the scaling ladder had struck the
wall William Doerr a streetcar conductor who
was passing when the fire broke out leaped from
the throng and dashed up the rounds calling tc
Mrs Underwood 10 hold on until he could get
up TO her.
MRS UNDERWOoD'S FALL.
From the window. OF the next house leaned
several fremen who had hurried up there before
the ladders arrived. hoping to be able 10 draw
Mrs. Underwood over from the window-ledge
But the distance was too great. Just as Doerr
had reached the top Of the ladder a burst Of
flame shot from the window about Mrs Under
wood, and with cry she leaped through the
frame and fell headong down the ladder As
she fell she struck Doerr and carried him along
with her. Down went he ladder too and at
the fall a groan OF horror went up from the
throng In the street Doerr had no business on
the ladder and should have been prevented from
mounting H. But there he was. and when they
picked him up his skull fractured Mrs
Underwood dead when they picked her up
As the pair came crashing down the hremen