New-York tribune., 1900-04-27
BIG FIRE IN HARLEM.
THREE FLATHOCSES DESTROYED-SEV-
ERAT. NARROW ESCAPES AND
MANY RESCUES.

FLAMES START IN EARLY AFTERNOON.
SPREADING WITH AMAZING RAPIDITY
BEFORE FIREMEN ARRIVE EN-
TIRE BUILDING IS ABLAzE.
Fire that originated in the rear Of the base
-,ar+ of the five story triple apartment house
a. No 500 West One-hundred- and 1fty-fourth
= ~ > O'Clock yesterday afternoon spread
~snidIy throughout the entire building then
- No 304 next door. and on to No. 3O2 drove
4or-v-hve families into the street, and caused
loss 10 buildings and contents Of $50 600 Three
alarms were sent in in quick succession. Many
rescues were made by the police and iremen,
and many Of the occupants Of the three build
frrs had narrow escapes.
Fireman George F. Ricketts,. attached 10 En-
gf7e Company No. rs. stationed in Eighty
third-st-, was overcome by heat and smoke while
working or the top floor Of No. 3o4, and was
taken from the building by his comrades He
vas attended by Dr William Donovan. of No.
40- West One-hundred- and forty -ffth-st, and
was taken 10 the J. Hood Wright Memorial Hos
pital
The fire was first discovered by Mrs. Frank
st-asburger. who lives on the second floor Of
No. 302 While looking out her window she
saw the smoke pouring out Of one Of the rear
windows OF No. 306. She ran into the street
and 20 the vestibule OF both No. 304 and No.
sos and gave the alarm TO the occupants
Mounted Policeman George MCGEE, on duty in
Seveurh-ave. saw the smoke coming from the
burning building and rode rapidly 70 the house.
Al alarm was sent in and Hook and Ladder
Company No. 23 responded.
The fire in the mean time had spread with
amazing rapidity throughout the entire build
ing No 306. The occupants were taken wholly
by surprise So quickly did the fire gain head
way that they crowded out on TO the fire es-
canes il such confusion as 10 hinder each other
from getting down.
The members Of Hook and Ladder No. %
placed ladders al the front Of the building and
Up the fire escapes In this manner they took
twenty-five people out. Policeman MCGEE made
his way into the front Of the building and UP
the stairs 70 the fifth floor. where he found a
woman and child and carried them safely 10
the street. A family Of the name OF Sturges
living OF the fourth floor Of No BOG. was cut off
from escape The family consists Of Mrs.
srurges and her three daughters Mrs. sturges
and her eldest daughter were at last aided down
The fire escape, and the other TWO were carried
cut by the frerr1en.
On the first floor lived Mrs Constance Stover
who was asleep in her apartments when the
fire started She awoke TO find the building in
flames. She ran out into the hallway and made
her way into the street but in doing so had TO
pass through thick smoke and flames Her
hair was totally burned from her head. her eye
brows We're singed. and her face was blackened
by the smoke.
Bicycle Policeman sturden carried two young
girls down the fire escape from the third floor
of No. BOG and Mrs. Tibbetts and her three
year-od child We're taken from the fourth floor
by Policeman McGee.
James Fox who refused his address. aided the
police and fremen materially in getting the
frightened tenants out Of the building One Of
th@ rescues made by him that Of Mrs.
lease, who lived on the third floor.
by The time The occupants had been safely
got OUT OF 10 800 nearly all the tenants Of No.
.t4 had fed into The street Those remaining
were assisted out by the police and fremen
and the resCuers then turned their attention 10
No. ot- into which the FIRE had spread by this
time on he rrst floor lived Mrs. John CaId-
vel she was i'll in bed. and beside her lay an
infant born On Wednesday. Police Captain
hlrschner. with R0undsman Dougherty and Pa
Doillan peterson, went 10 Mrs CaldwelIs
apartment and, picking UP the mattress, car
r'ec The woman and baby across the street into
neighbOrIng house
On the fourth floor OF No. 3O4 lived Mrs. W. E
Raleigh When the alarm was first given she
ned from the building. She later returned 70
rescue her parrot and canary bird, and found
herself cut Of from escape. She was taken out
OF The fourth story window by the hreu1en
The three buildings are Of similar design,
STAND close together and are the only buildings
II the block The fire was famed by the wind
which blew in the side windows Of No. BOG. II
was al Grst thought by Chief Croker that the
three buildings were doomed but after hour
and naIf Of hard work the progress Of the
flames stopped No. 3t6 completely
burned OUT bV the flames with the exception Of
rhe west fat on the first floor which dam
aged neither by FIRE nor water No. 304
destroyed from the second floor up and the top
tcor and roof Of No. 302 were totally destroyed.
The buildings owned by Ehrenreich Broth
e-s, coal dealers al FirsJ-ave. and SXry-first-st
They stated that the loss the buildings was
$4,000. They mad insurance for S6O,OtO- Fire
Chief Croker estimated the loss buildings
and contents as between $4,000 and 100000
The cause OF the fire IS unknown
The hreu1sn were hampered in their work
great extent by a lack Of water pressure, the
pressure being SC light al times that the streams
O. water barely reached the floor.
Engine No. 5s stationed in hundred and
tlrteenIh-st-. while on the way 10 the fire.
into an elevated railroad pillar at One hundred
snd-tV eTlty y-sev Lh-st- and Eighth-ave. The
shock was 50 great that the horses were torn
-oose and one thrown 70 the pavement. The
other raD away, bUr was caught AT One-hun-
creG-aud-twenty-s -second-st. and St Nicholas
ave. None Of the freu1eu were injured
Traffic the Eighth-ave. streercar line
blocked at One-hundred- -and-fifty -secOnd-st. At
the hour the fire started hundreds OF people
- The Polo Grounds. They added 70 the crowd
thar "a hered, and made necessary q call for
al the police reserves Of the West One-hundred-
-fftE-sccOnd-st- station Police Inspector
Kane took entire charge Of the police arrange
ments, and was assisted by Captain Kirschner-
CONTROLLER COLER TO MAKE TEST CASE
Controller CoIer said yesterday that he had de-
cded 70 take the O'Brien & Clark 20 the
Court of Appeals for the purpose of testing the
legality of the involved in the confession OF
grr-e-