The sun., 1903-12-23
DEAD FIRE CHIEFS GALLANTRY
COLEMAN HAD RISKED HIS LIFE
OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
And His All.Round Record Was the Best
In the Depart Pensions for His
children. but None for PrObatiOner
Joycc's Widow--kruger's Generalship.

The bodies Of Battalion Chief Martin NJ.
Coleman Of Battalion and Probationary
Fireman r.. j. Joyce of Engine IS in Broome
rect who were killed by falling walls
in the big fire at H. Hermanns furniture
factory in Mott street on Monday night
we're found yesterday. Chief Coleman
a. the head of two engine companies. had
gone into courtyard in the rear OF 1872
Mott st rect and Joyce was at his side when
Coleman yelled to the firemen with him to
get out, rs the wall was falling. Several
Of the men had narrow escapes and Cole
man and Joyce were pinned down under
big pile of beams and brick.
Streams of water we're played on the ruins
where the two flremen were, but the work
Of removing the debris to get at the bodies
was postponed for several hours until
officials of the Building Department made
sure that several nearby walls were not in
immedia'c c danger of falling. Then laborers
hired by contractor We're put to work
under the direction of the fremen and
about O'Clock they came across the
bodies of the two fremen within a foot of
each other.
Fremen carried the bodies to the house
of Engine 55 in Broome street where they
remained until Coroner Scholer gave a
removal permit, and they we're taken away
by undertakers.
Neither body was much dishgured or
burned The Coroner said that the men
had been killed inst antly.
According to Secretary Leary of Com
missioner Sturgis's Office. Coleman had the
best record of any man in the department.
He had been fireman since April "a, 1887,
and for eight years was driver of Hook
and Ladder 8. He was born on Feb 3.
1862 and little more than ten years after
his appointment to the department was made
an assistant foreman. In 100 he became
foreman and in August last Commissioner
Sturgs made him battalion chief.
Coleman's name appeared seven times
on the roll of merit. and in 1897 he received
the Bennett medal for exceptional bravery.
The medal was given in recognition Of his
herosm at fire at n East Tenth street.
Coleman was on u ladder when a woman
at window above him became panic
stricken and jumped He caught her, and
for an instant appeared to sway, but re-
covered his balance and carried her to the
street.
Coleman rescued his own wife at fire
shortly after he received the Bennett medal.
He responded to an alarm and found that
the fire was in his own house 1t had been
caused by the explosion of an oil lamp.
Coleman ran up a ladder to his rooms, found
his wife severely burned and carried her
out. She died a year ago.
Coleman was the third chief of Battalion
q who has been killed since 1894, and the
firemen yesterday were beginning to talk
of the post as -hoodoo." Chief Bresin
was killed in fire at Twenty-third street
and Sixth avenue, in 1894. and in the follow
ing year Battalion Chief Shaw fell down
hatchway at a fire in Mercer street and
was killed
Chief Coleman lived with his four chill
dren, John, II years old; Mabel, 8; Agnes, z.
and Lille, 3, in a fiat at 3o8 East Fourteenth
street Mrs. Mulligan, his mother-in-law,
kept house for him.
The chief didn't leave much money, ac-
cording to Mrs. Mulligan, but until they are
IS years old his children will each receive a
na sSne ef Fl be Ge abepey the
When the firemen who knew Coleman
talked about him yesterday they had nothing
hut praise for him. He was big man.
they said, and knew no fear. He never
and he usually led them in dangerous
Places just as he did when he met his
death.
Proba. ionary Fireman Richard J. Joyce
was married and lived at 915 Lorimeretreet,
v Williamsburg. He was 20 years old and was
always an enthusiastic "buff." His friends
said yesterday that he gave up good job
as foreman in paint factory in order to
Join the Fire Department he passed his
examination and got his appointment as
probationary fireman on Dec. IL, his birth
day He was then assigned to Engine SIS
-nd attended the school of instruction in the
afternoon.
AS Joyce was not full-fedged fireman
his widow will not be able to draw pension.
The city Charter makes no provision for the
dan. h Of a hn ioDnry m IOvca is the
iirs. probat ioner ever killed at & fire. II
is proba BILE, ii was said at fire headquarters
yes erday. thai the Legislature will be
called upon ii. it's next session to pass an
amendment granting pensio ms to the widows
Of proba ionary firemen killed while on
duty.
Coleman's funeral services will be held at
10 o'clock Tomorrow morning in the Church
Of The Immaculate Conception at sos East
will officiae a. the church. Four bait alion
chiefs will act as pallbearers and four
companies will be de, allied as escort.
Fireman Joyce will receive all the honors
that would have accorded to an accepted
will act as psllbearers at his funeral on Sun
day and one company as escort. The flags
on all the Fire Department buildings were
put at half mast vest rday and will remain
30 until after the funerals.
Joyce was married two years ago. HIS
wife has been in poor health for long
time. When news of her husbands death
reached he- Yesterday she collapsed com.
pletaly. and last night it was doubtful if
she would survive the shock.
The fire in Mott street was the first big
FIRE that hes occurred since Acting Chief
Kruger he's been in command Of the depart
ment. Those who keep pretty close track
OF the work of the department had nothing
but praise Yesterday for the way he handled
the fire. Few men, they said. would have
had the moral courage to ring two 9's for
a fire which was confined to go small an
ia but there was not Il word OF criticism
Of his ection, and it was pretty generally
admitted that only the big fighting force
and good gcneralship saved the adjoining
buildings and the ramshackle tenements
in the iear in Elizabeth street. Il e walls
OF some of which were within thirty eet
of the ear of the burn ng build ng.
Chief Kruger has made study of the
formation Of most of the big downtown
factory buildings and stores, and he knew
N" Hermann building thoroughly. He
adopted the old Bonner method of manage
ment. and his familiarity with the details
ol the building enabled him to stand away
from it and give orders to his subordinates
without peFscnll investigation. Kruger
,oceived reports from the battalion chiefs