The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-07-11
FATAL FIRE.
Five Mortally Injured and
Eight Overcome by
Smoke.
NEW YORK TENEMENT BURNED
Flames Made Escape From
the Burning House
Impossible.

NEW YORK, July II, 1S99.-Fire in
crowded five story tenement at No: lol
Monroe street cary this morning, resulted
in fatal injuries to five persons and the
overcoming by smoke of eight others Ine
injured as follows:
/ Harris Basek, AZ years old, an express
man, severely burned about the arms, face
and legs.
His wife, Rebecca, So, severely burned
and suffering from inhalation OF flames
Their Children, Becky. II. overcome by
smoke
Pauline, Il, overcome by smoke
Hannah, IA. overcome by smoke.
Rose, u, ihaled fire.
/ Katie, 8. unconscious from smoke.
AIDE, s days old, suffering slightly from
smoke.
/ Mrs, Basek and her daughter Rose are
not expected to live.
Harris Silver, %, tailor, hands and arms
| burned and hair singed.
His wife. Tillie, "a. burned on head and
body.
Rosie silver, 6. burned on head and body
while silver, 4, overcome by smoke.
Sam London, %, an operator, who board
/ legs and inhaled flames.
Mrs. Silver her daughter Rosie and Sam
London will probably die.
An Of the injured are DIN Governeur
Hospital.
The fire started In the apartment OF
Max Press, a coat operator, who lived
with his family on the fourth floor. Press
was asleep in the front room with Jacob
Kaplan. boarder His sixteen year old
son Louis slept in a rear room. The other
members of the family spent the night at
coney Island. The fire was discovered at
$40 o'clock.
Press said he awoke to find his apart
ments in flames. He tried to get nito the
rear room where his son was. but was
prevented by the fire. He then got hold
of Kaplan to arouse him. but the boarder
was so sound sleeper that he had to
drag Kaplan by the hair out on the ire
escape and across to the adjoining house.
They entered the apartments Of Nathan
Gallon and from there descended 70 the
street by the fire escape.
In the rear of the fourth floor lives Sam
Gordon with his wife and four children.
They managed somehow to reach the
street in safety. Meantime some one had
foolishly opened the door leading from
the hall into Press apartments. rms
| gave the flames an opportunity to get into
the hallway and cut off the escape Of some
of the persons on the fifth floor.
Young Press reached he sidewalk by
means of the stairway. h9ving been
awakened by the cries of alarm raised by
his father All of the men on the fifth
floor got to the sidewalk. Basel says that
as soon as he was aroused he tried to get
his family down the stairs but was cut
off by the flames that shot out of Press
doorway He seized the baby, but his
wife. frantic with fear, tore it from his
arms and replaced 1t in its cradle. He was
then forced to run for his life. Dashing
through the flames and smoke in the hall
way on the first floor he reached the side
walk.
Meantime the cries of ''Fire' had reach
ed the ears of two policemen who prompt
iy sent out a call from fire box. Flames
were shooting from the windows of Press
apartments when the fremen arrived.
Several firemen at once dashed into the
burning building. On the second floor
Fireman Holy found a boy crouching in
the smoke and took him to the street.
other fremen assisted the family of Mi
chael Kaplan and the family of Carl
Barkowitz, who lived in the rear. of the
fifth floor, down the fire escape to safety
AS soon as the flames we're somewhat
under control three iremen made their
way to the top floor and there found tie
members of the Basek and Silver families
who had not been able to get out. All
were unconscious except Abe Basek. in
eight day old baby, who was crying
Justify. The baby was hurried to the
street and the others, all of whom were
unconscious, were then brought down the
fire escapes.
After turning the alarm the two police
men entered the burning tenement and
tried to reach the top floor, as they We're
Smoke, however, prevented them from ac-
complishing their purpose One Of the
officers got as far as the second floor and
made his way to the rear fire escape
from which he helped two families to the
yard The other policeman got p the
third floor and there found a number OF
people huddled together III the hallway.
He guided them TO the sidewalk. There
we.e sixteen families in the house.
1t could not be determined just how the
fire started Press admitted that he went
to bed leaving the lamp burning, and that
he and his boarder Kaplan we're smoking
cigarettes The lamp. however, did not
explode, because when he was awakened
by the fire the lamp was still BURNING
The firemen believe that the men must
have gone to sleep with lighted cigarettesl
in their mouths and that the bedding
caught fire. Press's hair was singed by
the flames.
The fire gutted Presss apartments. The
damage is slight.