Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-10-19
Eight DE- IN The FLAMES,
Occupants Of New York Tenement
Perish.
HEMMED IN ON ALL SIDES.
Fire Starts After NIIdnlght and Building
y II Soon Roaring Furnace--M irAcu-
lous Escspes-EIrefighters Unable to
Render Much Assistance.

New York, Oct. 1s.Eight people
were either burned to death or sutfo-
Gated in fire which partially destroy
led the three story and attic frame
double tenement house, As and ASH
Hester street. The Are was discovered
shortly after 1880 o'clock by the jani-
tor OF the buildings. He ran out into
the hall to find it ablaze. His shouts
aroused the others in the house, but
the flames had already gained fierce
headway, and few of those in the
building had time to save themselves
by the stairs. The dead are: Sarah
Sass, SO years old; Samuel Sass, IL;
Lena Sass, 8; Morris Sass, 2: Mrs.
Horowitz, 46; Rosa Lewis, So; Mendel
Strauss, 60; Samuel Strauss 20. 4
Mary Murray. 40, was severely burn
ed about the back and was taken to
a hospital. Est
Victims Hemmed In.
On the third floor of No. As lived
Charles Saas his wife and four child
zen, his mother-in-law and a Mrs.
at hand and rushed to the fire escape.
He managed to get down to the bal
cony in front of the building on the
second floor, and supposed that his
wife and the others were following
him. Mrs. HorowitZ was the only one
who followed him, however. She took
the child from his arms when she saw
their escape cut off and cried to po-
1iceman below to catch it. The po-
lcenlan held out his arms, and as the
child fell he caught it safely and
shouted to her to drop.
Sass had already hung down and
dropped to the ground. Mrs. Horo-
witt was about to drop when flames
suddenly burst through an awning on
the first floor with such fury that she
was driven back against the wall and
her only escape cut off.
Burned In Sight of Help.
So fierce were the flames that burst
at the same time from the awning be-
low. from the window behind her and
from the floor of the balcony under
her feet that it was impossible for the
firemen to rescue her. On the bal
cony, only a few feet above the
ground, but hedged in on all sides,
she was burned to death before the
eyes of the terrified crowd gathered IN
the street Mrs. Sass. with little Nor
ris. had been unable to get further
than the window when they were both
overcome by smoke and persisted.
Lena Sass ran into the hallway and
was caught by the flames there and
died. Samuel tried to rescue Mrs.
Rosa Lewis from the flames. but was
unsuccessful. and they persisted to-
gether. Their bodies were found in
the hallway, the lads arm still clasped
about the aged woman's waist. as
though he had died while trying to
drag her ont.
sufocated in the Attic.
The front room in the attic was oc-
cupied by Mendel Strauss and his son
Samuel. Both were suffocated before
they could escape.
Mary Murray and Mary Martin,
scrub women, who lived in an apart
ment back of the Strauss We're awak-
ened by the smoke and cries and start
ed down the rear stairway, reaching
the ground in safety. On the stairs,
the Martin woman's dress caught fire,
but the flames were beaten out by Mrs.
Murray, who was slightly burned in
the back. The loss by fire is estimat-
ed at $4,000.