New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-14
ELEVEN LIVES WERE LOST.
-.rrrrEs AT THE BOwERY MISSION
FIRE.
.,,x1xd IN ONE OF THE ROOMS. WHICH is
.c,1ysr THE RULES. BELIEVED TO HAVE
CAUSED THE BLAzE-THE HISTORY OF
THE MISSION-FIvE BODIES

a
THE MIssIoN-FIvE BODIES
IDENTIFIED
number Of lives lost IN the fire that broke
-, carly Yesterday morning at the Bowery
o,s,on lodging house. at No 105 Bowery, is
~ known 10 he eleven. or these only FIVE had
-, identified up TO a late hour last night.
-. number was varously estimated before the
A.. Rad been brought under control at from fif-
-, :, twenty. These were Chief Bonners
- nc printed in late editions OF yesterdays
r-hune These estimates were made upon the
.,. ~ the reports Of the hremen. who said
,.,, the dead in some places strewed the floor.
,,.rv o, those who escaped ir the mad rush for
ne that followed hard upon the cry OF Fire
..re slightly burned or were suffering from the
'x..,s o, the smoke they had TO breathe before
,hsv reached the open air
DEAD
IN so far as the process OF Identification has
been completed the men who lost their hVes
we're
cupDAH Eala' 'Wen'y-n'ne years DID, address not
roRAX John s,ap,eton Staten Island.
xDERMOTT. twenty-five years old. address not known
npoI-RKr James fort,-two years old Philadelphia
soDAN William, thirty eight years Old spo'''"0o' ;" =
INJURED.
The injured. all or WhOm VIII recover are
,suuAN Robert, forry-eght years OLD. badly burned
,n-r, re feet. AZ G'uverneur Hospital
GRAHAM Lieutenant, fireman. burned about the hands
WILSON. George. twsnty-,our years old burned ABOUT
the face and hands. at Gouverneur HoepraI
The LODGING house was conducted under the
auspices Of The Christian Herald" and lis su-
nerIntendent was John II. Wyburn. Its incor-
norstors included the Rev. Dr. T. De Witt Tai
mage the Rev Dr. Josiah Strong, the Rev DR.
,oh, Hail the Rev DR.. r. e. Macarthur Mrs.
Sarah J. Bird Mrs Amelia z. Barr, Henry r.
Rowland the Rev Dr. ]. Wilbur Chapman. the
Rev. Dr. James NJ King. the Rev. DR.. A c. DIX
on. the Rev T. Fay Mills. the Rev DR.. David j.
Bu-reu. the Rev. Dr. c. II. Mead. the Rev. Dr.
Louis 4. Banks. the Rev. Stephen Merritt and
Louis Klopsch lis officers are
fOl.Is YIOPSCH president.
p J. FTRNIE vice president.
GEORGE H. sAND1sON secretary.
THE CHRISTIAN HERALD treasurer.
The building was five stories high and the four
INNER stories were given up 10 dormitory ac-
cornmoda.ions. the prices charged being from l"
70 % cents night. according 10 location. The
house had sleeping room for nearly one hundred
and Nrtv men Every room taken at
O'clock on Saturday evening. and when the fire
hroke out there were IA men sleeping in the
house OF these sixty were on the third and
fourth floors The fire started on the third floor
and most Of those who lost their lives perished
there. on the first and second floors sixty
seven men were sleeping and all Of them es-
capped in safety.
FITTED WITH FIRE-ESCAPES.
II. building is provided with fre-escapes both
al the front and the rear. and 1t was by these
thstnost Of the dodgers escaped. since the stair
way was roaring fue soon after the fire
gained headway. How the fire started IS not
known. bu; II Is supposed that some lodger
lighted a pipe. and dropping off 10 sleep. let 1t
fall upon the bedclothing. Smoking is agains'
the rules Of the house. but 1t is thought that
somebody's infraction OF the rule Is responsible
for the loss Of life.
The fire was discovered soon after 80 o'clock
BY one Of the dodgers who dashed into the Of
fce and informed the night clerk, who ran up
into the halls TO wax. the sleepers There he
met w II. Day, the day clerk. who sleep
!ng on the third noor, and who was awakened
BY the smell OF smoke. The two men rushed
through the hail shouting and pounding on the
doors ~ the little compartments called rooms
Meantime somebody had turned in an alarm. and
the fire engines soon afterward began TO arrive.
By that time the third and fourth floors were
.ull OF smoke and fame. The hre-escapes We're
full o. men In all stages OF undress who were
getting 70 the street as rapidly as possible.
One o. the hremen says that at one time there
vas a frghtful state OF panic among the lodg-
ers They rushed for the windows and. arriving
al them In mobs. were unable to get through
and came 20 a standstill there fighting des-
peratey for freedom These men the nremen
pulled out along with the window sashes, and
then rushed in 10 assist others who had become
blinded and confused. The Department did the
best sort Of work. and doubtless saved many
N-.S nd
Quinn especially distinguished themselves.
NOT HARD TO KEEP FROM SPREADING.
The fire grew so hot that It was impossible to
get inside the building. and the unfortuna'es
who had not escaped were lost. The fire itself
was no; a difficult one TO keep from spreading.
1t Was entirely out at o'clock. Then the bodies
were taken out. One or two OF them were found
SILL in bed. but most OF them were lying IN the
corridors on the third and fourth floors. where
they had fallen In the attempt to escape
number of them were so badly burned as TO
make the work of Identification difficult. in case
there was anybody 10 identify them. In several
cases there will bc no Identification, as the men
'or the most part were registered unotr assumed
names and many Of them were frlenGless ana
homeless
The bodies were taken to the Morgue. and
here yesterday several wcrr ident.ned. as to'G
above Cuddah is said to have been formerly
sergeant In the United States cavalry at Fort
Brenon, Montana None Of the lodgers saved
much clothing and most Of them were taken to
NE Eldrtge-st. police station, where the super
mtanden, OF ,he mission supplied some or them
with clothing The dead will he buried by me
mission unless relatives claim their bodies. Inc
funeral arrangements are in the hancs or Ste-
,hen Merritt, Of no. 34l West Twenty third.st.
ou, the bodies will not be buried until time mas
been allowed for further identification.
The fire called out great crowd tnat suIseu
FOR several blocks above and below the building.
and the police reserves Of the Eldridge-st. sta
Ton we're called out 20 keep order. The loss is
estimated $1,000. and is covered by ihsur
snce
CHANGE THE LODGING-HOCSE LAW
CHEF BoSNER's LESSON FROM THE BoWEf1
.zr. r,nr TIE LOSS OF LEE