The evening times., 1900-06-15
FATAL FIRE IN new YORK
Ten Persons Burned TO Death in a
Tenement House.
Seven Others Injured and Likely 20
Dfe-Men, Women, and Children
Among the Ffctims-Delay in T1ra-
ing In AIarm-SIiEht Damage 40 the
BuiIdinE-LISt of Dead and Injured.

NEW YORK. June 15.-Ten dead. seven
injured, and some OF the seven likely TO
die, is the norgue and hospital record OF
the worst FIRE in this city since the hor-
ror in the Andrews house over a year ago.
Flames swept the old fve-story brick
tenement at 81 Jackson Street about 3
O'Clock this morning, and the ghastIy work
they did is only relieved by the bright tale
Of the bravery Of policemen and hremen.
whose efforts kept the loss Of life from
being greater than il was. Babies, young
boys and girls. and grown men and women
were among the fires victims
If it had not been for the ignorance Of
the man who first tried to send in an
alarm. and who delayed the frmen sew
erai minutes. and for the unconquerable
habit Of tenants Of fire-threatened houses
to open doors and windows, thereby pro-
yiding not only draught but a path for
the flames lives might have been spared
this morning The efforts Of the imper-
lied persons to save themselves discount
ed the efforts to save them
The list Of dead and injured is as fol-
lows:
Dead-William Cotter, forty years old,
a workman in a brewery; Kate Cotter.
wife OF William; Mamie Cotter, thirteen
years old; Joseph Cotter, eleven years
old; Kate Cotter, nine years old; John
Cotter. three years old: Louis Marion.
forty years old. cigar box maker; Albert
Marion, fourteen years old: Elsie Marion.
six years old. and Emma Marion. three
years old
Injured-Patriek Byrnes, twenty-three
years old. Iongshoreman. dying in Gou-
veneur Hospital; George Cotter. four
months old; Mary Marion. thirty-six
years Old, wife Of Louis Marion: Mamie
Marion. seventy =. years old; Frank Mar
ion, twelve years old; Margaret Marion,
nine years old, Antoinette Marion. six
months old-an in Gouveneur Hospital in
a precariOus condition
None of the Cotter or Marion families
escaped death or injury There were three
other households or families in the tene-
ment, but ByTnes. the longshoremau. was
the only member Of any OF them who fall
ed 70 get out safe and sound save Maggie
Nulhearn, tenant OF the top floor. across
the hall from the Marions ore Of her
feet was slightly burned As il CHANGED
the rooms just below the MuIhearns were
occupied by the COtters, who suffered so
disastrously. Policemen and iremen pass
ed by the windows OF the Cotters. seeing
no signs OF life and thinking that all the
occupants had escaped. The rooms Of the
Marions and Cotters were not entered by
either fremen OF policemen until the
flames had been put out.
The fire was all out in less than an hour
after it started The hremen drove it Up.
inch BY inch. TO the roof a property loss
Of only sS,0CO or thereabouts was caused
The building was not Quilted \ little re-
placing CT woodwork and plasteriug viii
make it as good as it was or better.
The saloon CT Alderman James Smith
occupies the whole ground floor Of the
building Rimming the cornioe over his
saloon and extending across the front Of
the building is a large wire sign which
makes balcony with the corniee. and
was very useful this morning on that
account. There are hre-eseapes. both
front and rear. the ladders in each case
extending Up from the top OF the first
d.
landings in front and at the rear Of every
apartment in the tenement The fact
that there were such easy ways OF escape
makes it difficult for the police and fire.
men TO understand how the tenants Of the
building failed TO use them. The fire.
fighters and lfe-saveTs went up and down
these ecapes after they had reached the
scene
Patrick Byrnes. a lodger with Miss Mary
Jordan. who occupied the whole second
floor. discovered the fire about 235 O'Clock.
He awoke to find the rooms filed with
thick smoke and growing hot He gave a
yell. jumped out Of bed, and rushed 20
his landiady's room. He dragged her 10
the front window and then ran back and
spread the alarm. He failed TO save him
self, as il turned out. He discovSSNd the
fire and gave the first alarm TO the house.
but some madness tempted him back into
the rooms and sent him down by the
blazing stairway.
Policeman Purfeld. OF the Delaney Street
station, making his way along the ground
floor hallway 20 the rear. FlortIy after the
JOrdans escaped. found the stairway a Dit
OF flames from bottom to top and Just as
he got to the foot OF the stairs. Byrnes
jumped through the FIRE and fell at his
feet All ablaze- He died later
The first alarm Of FIRE was turned in to
the department several minutes after
Byrnes had alarmed the house, or so much
OF il as woke up. A German baker who
turned in the alarm wasted several pre-
cious moments through his ignorance Of
the mechanism
Policeman James T. Knowles Of the De-
lancey Street station, at the risk OF his
own life, got twelve persons out OF the up
per floors Of tie building and only quit
his post OF danger when driven from the
fre-escape by flames and smoke. Other Do