The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-11-22
KILLED IN TENEMENT FIRE
Holocaust il Brooklyn, N. y, Wipes
Out Two Families.
SUFFoCATI0N CAUSE OF DEATH

Closed Windows Make the Air Unbear~
able and Flames and smoke Choke
Their victisns-srany Reach Safety by
she Fire Escapes Delay in sending 40
The Fire Alarm.
New York City -.Smothered before
they could reach the rear fire escape
in the frame tenement house at 1856
Trautman street. in the williamsburg
district Of Brooklyn. dozen persons
met death shortly before O'Clock in
the morning. According to Coroner
Flaherty and the ambulance surgeons,
ali the victims were suffocated but
the bodies were badly burned before
they were taken from the ruins BY the
bremen
The wiping out Of two families was
complete with the exception Of one
member in each.
The house at 1856 Trautman street IS
in the centre of q row of three story
frame tenement houses, and for many
blocks in every direction these wooden
houses stretch on either side OF the va
rious streets. Only two Of the houses,
the one in which the fire broke OUT,
and 1874, next door, are occupied py
Italians, the rest of the neighborhood
being peopled by Germans no. ieo
contains the only store on the block, q
grocery kept by A. @. Minaldi. All the
persons killed and injured lived on the
third floor above. The family OF Mln-
aldi and the persons living on the scc-l
ond floor got out in safety.
There are two theories as to the orr
gin of the fire. One is that it started
In the cellar of the grocery, where
lot Of infammable material was stored,
including Kerosene oil. The other -
that it began in a w0odshed IN the
rear of the grocery
Once under way, the fire spread IKE
lightning through the house until e
entirely cut off the families on the TWO
floors above the store, except by the
rear fire escape, the only one on the
building. Minaldi, who lived back OF
the store with his family got them out
after the smoke had awakened him.
and those on the floor above climbed
down the fire escape.
1t was on the door above that death
reaped its harvest. All the bodies
were found in the rear room. 1t was
evident that concerted rush had been
made for the fire escape, as the floors
below were q seething mass OF flames,
and flight in that direction was impos-
sible. The windows o. the room were
tightly closed. however, all having per;
ished even before one could be opened.
Precious moments were wasted IN
turning in the first alarm There IS
a box in Central avenue, near Trautt
man street, short block from the ten
ment, but the first alarm came IN froL
the box at Hamburg avenue and starr
street, three blocks away. Engine -.
whose house is a block away, was the
| first to respond but it went block
| in the opposite direction before the ell
ror was discovered. A second and q
third alarm were turned in, and the
vicinity soon was choked with appar-
ats.
| In all, the police say, there were
about thirty-five persons living in the
| building. and as the ruins have been
| carefully searched, all but the four.
teen accounted for evidently ESCAPED.
| The police made little progress in their
/, investigation Of the FIRE. Policeman
Low the first to reach the blaze, got
/ hold of Minaldi, the grocer. The gro
! Ger refused to say anything other than
! that he was awakened by smoke and
| had managed to drag out his wife and
| family.
| 1t was said by neighbors that the
families killed were clothing fnishers.
| The houses at 1874 and 1856 Trautman
1 street are owned by Mrs. Ossmann. OF