The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-03
FIRE THAT COST SIX LIVES.
TWO SONS ONLY OUT OF A FAMLLY
OF EIGHT PERSONS ESCAPE.

OF His H0use IN Jersey CITY nno MS VITO
and Two Daughters in the Basement.
A fire which was discovered about $3.50
o'clock yesterday morning In Adolph Reich's
house, 317 Germania avenue, Jersey City,
caused the death Of six members of a family of
eight and injuries to the two othor member Of the
family. 1t also caused very painful injuries
to John Conway, Chief Engineer Of the Fire
Department.
Tho dead are Adolph Reich, 45 years old, the
head Of the family; Emma, his wife, AZ, and
their four children, Tillie. "a; Ida, 10; Albert,
ID, and Gustave, 8. They were all suffocated.
and with tho exception Of that Of Mrs. Reich,
their bodies wero badly burned.
The injured members Of the family are Sig
mund, 10, who was burned about the face. head
and arms, and Henry, II, who was burned on
the back Of the neck and ears. Chief Conway
fell through a hole which had been burned in the
floor OF the back parlor into the basement,
striking on the parlor stove, which itsolf had
fallen through tho hole several minutes before.
Sigmund Reich was taken to the City Hospital
and II was thought at first that his injuries
would prove mortal, but the doctors ascer.
tanned that he had not inhaled any flame and
they entertained a hope last night that he would
recover. Henry's wounds were dressed by an
ambulance surgeon from Christ Hospital.
ShAOA Soh"hS WIS tdhCh ~ LILO holuo uilu ~
was found that no had received several severe
scalp wounds, his nose was badly cut and there
were lacerated wounds on his legs. A doctor
put fourteen stitches in his scalp. The Chief
was feeling comfortable last evening although
suffering considerably from shock. He will
not be able to resume duty for some time. The
bodies of tho dead were taken to Speer's
Morgue and laid side by side in six wooden
boxes.
An investigation of the surroundings caused
great surprise that 80 many lives should have
been sacrificed. The house is Of wood, two
stories and q half high. The basement con-
tanned the kitchen and dining poom. The
front and rear parlors were on the next floor.
and the entire upper floor was divided into
four sleeping apartments. all connected. Mr..
Reich. who carried ON q real estate and insur-
ance business at tho Boulevard and Lincoln
street, owned the house. He and his wife occu-
pied the front room, which Ii tho largest of the
suite. Another room was occupied by Ida and
Tillie, another by Sigmund and Gustave, and
Henry and Albert slept in the fourth. The
front door of the house Is double, and there Is
no vestibule. A door at the right Of the hall
opens into the front parlor and another at the
end of the hall into the rear parlor. A narrow
stairway leads from tho rear end of the hall to
the basement. A broader stairway leads from
Sho SiO poAb Vi bbo AGiA y Iho IL
the basement q space about four feet wide is
partitioned of from tho kitchen. and the cook
ing range stood in tho kitchen near the partition.
A siK-inch vitrifed pipe connected the range
with the chimney, which is In the south wall.
Tho house. which faces the end Of Hutton street.
ent sizes and various styles Of architecture
which occupy the west side Of tho block. They
their rears look out on the HacSensact meadows.
What caused the fire ID not known, but the most
plausible theory advanced is that it was q defec-
Mrs. Reich and her daughters had kept open
house during New Years afternoon and even ven
calls. and did not got home until some time
other members Of the family retired is not
known but they were AL IN bed when the two
boys returned .Sn I'D home |. ~ The lu circumstance !, At:
mund's, condition was such that the doctors
vous prostration that he was hardly, able to
eTtinguished and the smoke cleared away. tho
bodies Of Reich and his two sons were found
lying n the hallway ray, Just back Of the front 36tn door !:
stairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Reich Was under.
probably accounts for the fact that Mrs: Reich's
body was not SO badly burned as the Others, It
@other and daughters in the baas ment. The
theory most generally accepted Is that Mrs:
Reich or one OF the girls smelied smoke, and
tack Of the flames and suffered but little pain.
shortly after reaching horne. All the other
members, OF the family had retired. Henry
dren.IIHe smelled smoke=and started down
stairs. At this time. he says there was nobody
t6. ts stai ssd se sfamb E5 o peeeh a bed ,hs Sb SSitq be b of
lieves was his fathers. His father was lying
partly on an overthrown bicycle, which had
was filed with dense smoke and flames were
coming up through the floor at the rear end.
a alas nr't an l%p Se followed Tss q run f. ON ONT t ans slss f to
Hutton street and the Boulevard where fire box
SI ls' h. met G ssa1SrnSs 10th to ,b and b 10th pulled sit the
feet. He says that while he still stood there he
GO In and save Him yourself the fireman
replied. according to Henry's statement.
so sts@ aoR@st sfSH'S Ss9srs to H fsn s.0FThi G m stnm aasi
when half way down and feLl on top OF his
the bicycle, He and his father ran out to the
street, but in q few minutes Sigmund returned.
back. He dropped on his hands and knees and
Somebody carried him into a neiRhbor's house.
rive Rived "a and SA took aef him nn1 to the de'i hospital alin0u'An'' ar
His father returned 70 the house again and
met his death. He evidently did not get fur
thert han the hall. sigmund has not been made
aware. Of the fact, that his relatives are dead.
He asked anxiously about his father, but the
hospital surgeon warned visitors not to give
Engines !, II, i. and IA and Truck 3 re-
sponded to the alarm of fire: The management
OF the fire was In charge Of Chief Conway and
Battalion Chief Kearn. Neither the fremen
nor the police suspected at first that anybody
had been killed or injured: Afterward the In
terior of the house was 80 flled with smoke and
flames that 1t could not be entered. 1t was not
until the flames were under control that the
bodies were discovered. The bodies OF tho
father and his sons were discovered first, and
shortly afterward I'd, those |S OF the mother and
About 4:lo o'clock Chief Conway was crop
ing his way through the parlor floor hall fol-
lowed by Fireman Miller OF Truck 8, both car
rying lanterns.
Open one of those windows. Miller" said the
Chief, land let some of tho smoke out"
Miller had just opened the window when he
heard a cry and turning around, saw the Chief
and his lantern disappearing through the back
parlor floor. The hole through which no dropped
svau ItracIIv nVA fha planax a.har tho ataua- ~