New-York tribune., 1902-01-06
TWO DEAD, TWO OVERCOME.
FAMILY LIES FOR HOURS WHILE GAS
POURS OUT.
THAT WIFE AND A COUSIN WERE SAVED
DUE TO A BELATED NEW YEARS
CALL BY A RELATIVE.


Two persons are dead and two in a critical
condition as result of gas escaping yesterday
in the rooms of Peter A. Lynch. who lived with
his wife and child on the second floor of a fat
house at No 35S West Forty-seventh-st. The
dead Lynch. who was twenty-three years
old. and his son Peter. nine months old. Mrs.
Lynch and her cousin Miss Mary Healey. nine
teen years old, waitress out Of employment.
who living with the Lynches temporarily.
are in Roosevelt Hospital. 1t is believed that
from early hour yesterday morning until
p. m. gas pouring into the three rooms that
| the family occupied from gas cock intended
for range in the kitchen. The baby dead
when found. The father died three hours after
his removal to the hospital.
Lynch was bartender employed in the Gilsey
House cafe. He worked at night and seldom
reached home until after ! a. m. When he got
home yesterday morning is not known. Miss
Healey slept in the parlor of the little fat and
the Lynches in the room adjoining.
All yesterday morning the tenants in the
house smelled gas, but no one seemed TO think
enough about II to ask that investigation be
made until Mrs. John De Groat, who lives di-
rectly over the rooms of the Lynch family. at
10 a. m. sent her son to tell the jantor that
somewhere in the house gas was escaping.
Apparently nothing was done until . p. M.
when Frederick Reid, Of No. 2l7 Pearl-st
Brooklyn, young cousin of Mrs Lynch, called
at the house to pay belated New Years call
He rang the dooTbell Of his friends fiat in vain
and knocked on the door as well. He could not
understand why no one was at home at that
hour. he knew that Lynch went to work
about 8 p. m. At last Reid made inquiries of a
family named Kemp that lives on the same
floor as the Lynchs Mrs. Kemp said that she
had wondered why she had not seen her neigh
bors all day. She did not believe that they We're
home for she had not heard them stirring in
their rooms. Then the gas thought of, and
Reid and Mrs. Kemp at once concluded that the
Lynch family might be overcome.
John Ott a of the janitor of the fathouse,
hurriedly summoned from his home at No.
676 Ninth-ave. Messengers ran to the West
Forty-seventh-st. station and asked Sergeant
Shbles TO send a policeman TO the house.
Another called DR.. Morgan. of No. 344 West
Forty-seventh-st.
Before the doctor and Policeman MCGOWAN
and Detective Fitzgerald arrived at the house,
John OFT had entered the Lynch fat by descend
ing the rear fire escape and raising a window.
The gas was oVerpowering, and ii several
minutes before OFT could climb into the rooms.
gaslight was burning dimly. The gas fixture
had an attachment for stove on il. 1t would
be easy thing for person shutting off one
cock to turn the other. The one that
intended to feed a stove was turned on and there
was tube.
OFT first found Miss Healey. She was uncon-
scious in bed. In the adjoining room he found
Mr.. and Mrs. Lynch and their baby The baby
was dead. Before Lynch, his wife and Miss
Healey had been removed to the hospital.
Lynchs mother and syster, of No. 450 West
-sixth-st., arrived at the fiat They went
almost wild with grief when the news was
broken TO them
Lynch did not regain consciousness. The doc
tors at the hospital fear that Mrs. Lynch when
she RECEIVERS consciousness and learns that her
husband and baby are dead will become insane
They will try to keep the news from her until
she becomes stronger.