New-York tribune., 1900-03-01
FOUR FIRES TOGETHER.
THREE CHILDREN LOST AND
A POLICEMAN HURT.

Il OJLl Ii 4 II
DETECTIVES TURN OUT TO LOOK FOR IN
CENDIARIEs NEAR THIRD AND SEC
OND AYES AND NINETY
SECOND-sT.
Citizens fremen and policemen repeatedly
risked their lives to rescue six families i'm
pered by a fire which broke out at midnight
in the four story store and tenement building
at No. 1871 Third-ave
At 1:3O o'clock Battalion Chief Castles found
the bodies Of three children In the Friedner
apartments on the top floor. The children were
in bed and had been suffocated. They were
George, four years old; Ettie six years old. and
Sammy, eighteen months old. The parents were
out at the time of the fire.. the father being an
employe Of the Dewey Theatre At fire about
one years ago the family lost two other children
| by suffocation. The bodies Of the children were
taken to the East Eightyeighth-st. police sta
tion
Mrs. Friedner. who it was thought had been
| burned returned to the house just before the
| bodies of her children found
| AT 1:45 o'clock the fremen said they had made
a complete search of the ruins. and were sure
| that there more bodies In the place.
Policeman Thomas Tracy. Of the East Eighty
| eighth-st police station, entered the burning
| building repeatedly. finally dropping the
| third floor. overcome by smoke. His comrades
| carried him out and he sent to the Presby-
| terian Hospital He will
Roundsman Miller. OF the precinct, car
| ried out fve-year- old Harvey McCoen who was
| found unconscious In his home the third
| floor
Roundsman Miller's hands painfully
| burned The boy was restored when in the
| open air.
The fire broke out IN the basement of the
| building The building was destroyed. except
| the walls, The loss is placed at $4,000.
The strange coincidence OF this fire and an
| other for which three alarms were sent In at
| No. 1S2S second-ave.. a block distant, aroused
Captain Freers Of the East Eighty-eighth-st
| police station. He at started an investiga-
| ton. He believes these two fires. with dozen
| in the same neighborhood that have occurred
| within q month, are the work Of frebugs. and
| he will redouble his efforts 10 learn the truth.
| The fire spread strangely fast. Good fuel for
| the flames large stock of feed in store
| kept by Benjamin Strauss, the ground floor
| Hay and other infammabe material gave the
! fire great start.
POLICEMAN TRACY HURT.
On the other side of the same floor a
| fRh n-Id oyster shop kept by Solomon Hyman.
| The tenants of the building were: Second floor.
John Glennon and wife and Lawrence Cleary
| and family; third floor. Henry McCoen and
family and Alexander Hoffman and family:
fourth floor Edward Friedner and Richard
Malaney and family.
The fire discovered by Detectives Smith
and Higgins While one sent In the alarm the
other broke into the building and aroused the
tenants. carrying out several children. Police
men Tracy Cullen and Taylor Joined the de-
tectives and citizens arrived.
When Policeman Tracy was carried out un-
conscious calls sent In TO the Harlem and
Presbyterian hospitals. and ambulances arrived
from both about the time.
The fire seemed bound to destroy the building
adjoining at No. 3o1 East Ninety -fourth-st.. and
its tenants were ordered out Two alarms were
first sent In, and these quickly followed
by third and then a fourth.
Intense excitement prevailed in the neighbor-
hood, which is densely populated. Tenants from
adjoining houses. half clad, rushed into the
street and surged against the police and fire
lines crying for news of their relatives In the
turmoil and excitement many could not be
found. and the rumors that lives were lost
spread adding to the excitement.
The many streams. however, quickly
trolled the fire, and it did not get beyond the
Thrd-ave building. The building was burned
out. Some OF the floors collapsed while others
ANOTHER FIRE BREAKS OUT
While the firemen were fighting this fire an
other broke out under almost similar circum-
stances is the fve story tenement building
at No. 1872 Third ave-. five blocks north. On
the ground floor there is furniture shop kept
by II. Rubenstein.
The fremen had not yet uncoupled their lines
of hose when another fire broke out in No |. .155
IiArd-ave, about midway between the other
cd n he Gfrihf
1t seemed TO be at the bottom of airshaft
and caught all the flats filling them with
smoke. The tenants all taken out in
safety The fire in this building DESTROYED prop
erty worth about 81. .U0O
The police were more positive than ever that
incendlares were at work when the two smaller
fires were discovered. Chief Croker seemed to
share this view. While he would not talk he
acted significantly. ASKED If ne believed there
were irebugs at work he replied:
Il don't know; we shall see later Detectives
from every police station In Harlem were turned
out on the case, and If hard work on their
part can solve the mystery II will he done
Fireman Bieffuth of Hook and Ladder No {
detailed to drive Acting Battalion Chief SxeIly
reported to Chief Croker that when he reached
the fire at No. 1155 Third-ave. he heard
screams Of Murder, Help" etc. He ran to the
top Of the building and met by a woman
hysterical from fright. She said man with a
fire badge had struck her. knocking her down
and then rifing her bureau He had taken
jewelry and a watch and made his escape The
woman's name could not be obtained the police
preferring to withhold 1t present.
Roundsman Boyle. of the East Eighty-eighth-
St station, and Sergeant Casey of the East
One-hundred- and -fourth-st. station both said
they were convinced that the fires We're the
work of incendiares
MANY RESCUES MADE.