The San Francisco call., 1898-03-14
Eleven Lives Lost in the New York Tene-
 ment Blaze.
Occupants of Upper Floors Un- able to Escape to the
 Street.
Scores of Those Who Reached the Exits Did Not Save Even
 Their Clothing.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

NEW YORK, March 13-A thorough search of the premises at 105 Bowery, which were partially destroyed by fire at an early hour this morning, dis closed the fact that eleven persons were burned to death. At first it was rumored that the loss of life was much greater, but after searching the ruins carefully, the police and firemen dis covered eleven charred bodies and re- moved them to the Morgue.
 No. 105 Bowery is one of the best known lodging houses on that thor oughfare It is called the Bowery Mis- sion Lodging house, and 1t is conducted by the Christian Herald. In the base ment of the building there is cheap restaurant, while the ground floor is used exclusively for mission purposes, gospel services having been held there daily for several years. The four up per floors were fitted as cheap lodg ing-house with accommodations for 150 males, who paid 10, 15 or 25 cents each, according to the location of the rooms.
 Last night almost every bed was oc- cupied. At 1:30 o'clock this morning one of the lodgers discovered flames coming from a washroom on the third floor, but before he had time to alarm the house the ire was noticed by pass erSby on the street. By this time the flames had eaten their way to the top of the building and were bursting through the roof. When the alarm was given and the inmates aroused, wild scenes of excitement ensued. Many of the lodgerS became panic-Stricken. They rushed into the hall and fell over each other in their efforts to reach the
 
 got to the streets by the stair ways, while those on the upper floors groped their way through the blinding smoke to the fire escape in front of the building. A majority of them saved portions of their clothing only, while several of them were naked. Those who made their way to the street by the fire escape were superficially burn ed by the excessive heat of the iron ladders, which in many places had be- come redhot from the flames within.
 In the meantime, three alarms of fire had been sent in, and in few minutes the firemen were busy deluging the building with torrents of water. They finally succeeded in keeping the fire within the limits of the three upper stories of the structure A large detail of police was quickly summoned to the scene, in charge of Inspector Cross, and the reserves were called from the down town precincts. This force of officers had difficult work to keep the vast crowd in check, as we'll as to help the unfortunate lodgers. Many naked and injured were cared for by people in the vicinity, and about fifty of them were accommodated at the Eldridge police station, some three blocks away. Sev- eral of the most destitute were brought to the station house in patrol wagons, and on their arrival they were partially clothed by members of the fire depart ment and kind-hearted neighbors.
 After the fire had been extinguished sufficiently that a search of the place was possible, the firemen and police en- tered the building, and the work of searching for the victims was begun. Several bodies were found near the windows of the two upper floors, where they had been stricken down while at tempting to make their way to the fire escape. So many bodies were found in the early stages of the search that 1t was estimated that over forty persons must have been killed. However, the officers, fortunately, overestimated the loss of life, and eleven in all were found. Some of these were discovered in the small rooms they had occupied while others were found in the railways and on the stairs of the fourth and fifth floors. All of them were nude, and most of them were burned and charred beyond recognition.
 It Is thought by the police that only one of these bodies will be eventually identified. This one is designated as No. 10. It was found in room on the fifth floor. In the same room there was a satchel, and it is thought that it's contents may lead to the identification of the body.
 As soon as the bodies were carried to the street they were transferred to the police station, and by 4:30 this morn ing the police relinQuished their search. Coroner Zuka. after looking at the bod ies at the station, gave a permit for their removal to the hospital. Mana ger Sardensen of the Christian Herald, who has been in charge of the mission and lodging house, called at the Eld- ridge station later, and told the officer in charge that he would bury the dead.
 The loss on the building by fire is about $7000, and the contents are dam aged to the extent of $5000. The loss is covered by insurance. The building, which belongs to the Chester estate, is leased by the Bowery Mission.