New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-25
FLEE FIRE ON PLANKS.
Tenants of Central Park Vest
apartment House Thus SaUed.

Planks placed across a ffteen-foot courtyard
saved several tenants from suffOcation yester-
day in a fire that burned an hour fin the seven
story apartment house No. 3sS Central Park
West 1t the thoughtfulness OF several
workmen employed in the construction OF new
apartment house At Nos. 3S4 and 3S5 Central
Park West that made the bridge possible. and
the workmen guided the frightened people
across. Several rescues were made by hremen
some Of the tenants went down the fire escapes
and one invalid woman carried across an
airshaft into the apartment at No 2S2 by nurses
who were attending her.
The fire started in the cellar. and, it is sup
posed, was caused by crossed electric light
wires. The flames rapidly assembled the dumb
waiter and elevator shafts and cut off the ten
ants on the two upper floors.
Boyd Potter. delivery boy. was delivering a
parcel in the apartment Of Mrs. NJ. E. East, on
the seventh floor. when the fire broke out. With
Mrs East live Mrs. W. NJ Butte and Mrs. A
n Heron, her daughters and their husbands;
Mrs East's sixteen n-year-old son, Lloyd Seldom
East. and Mrs. Herron's two-year-old baby,
Phyllis. Potter was delivering the parcel 10
Mrs. Butte. While he was waiting for her to
sign the delivery check Mrs. Butte detected the
odor OF smoke. She went TO the dumbwaiter
shaft in the private hall and. opening the door.
was almost sti1ed by a rush Of smoke IN her
face
She screamed. and, telling Potter 20 look out
for the others IN the apartment started TO tell
the other tenants on the same floor. When she
reached the 12-foot hallway on which the three
apartments on the floor open. she found Il filed
with smoke She rang the bell IN the apartment
OF Montague Howard. but there was no re-
sponse. Then she rang the bell IN the apart
ment OF Ernest Monkhouse Mr.. Monkhouse
a.
Butte was unable TO return TO her own apart
ment on account Of the flames. With the
Monkhouse family she went 10 the rear OF their
apartment. and the four went down the FIRE
escape All had TO drop twelve feet from the
lower part OF the ladder. None were injured.
During this time there was great excite
ment in the East apartment. Smoke was rising
Up past the only window that led TO the fire
escape Mrs. East. Mrs. Heron and Lloyd got
TO the fire escape but were afraid 70 descend.
Potter brought out Mrs. Herrons baby. He
opened a window on the courtyard and held her
so that the air could strike her.
In the mean time the workmen employed on
the seventh floor OF the new apartment house
saw the two women and the boy the fire
escape They got long planks and stretched
them from the window sill of a room in the
new building to the railing Of the fire escape.
one Of the workmen then crossed the bridge
and led Mrs East across. other workmen held
the planks and guided the others.
An electrician, assisted by two worlmen. got
a plank across from another window 20 the sill
of the room where Potter was holding little
Phyllis Then Ball crossed the plank and took
the baby from Potter. He recrossed to the new
building. followed By the delivery boy.
The rescues were seen from the street by
large number Of people.
Mrs. Julia Brown ill with pneumonia
In her apartment on the sixth floor. She was
being attended by two nurses. The apartment
is on the south side OF the building. and the
fire escape is within two feet Of that the ad
joining building. The nurses easily carried MIS-.
Brown into the next house.
other rescues were made by fremen.
They say many people escaped by the roof
The fire discovered by the janitor. Charles
Abbott. the colored elevator boy. ran his ele-
vator I'D TO the third floor. The smoke was al
ready coming uD. and Abbott abandoned IT and
up TO the roof
Boice's apartment was the only one damaged
b. fire but all the others were damaged by
blaze 10 the basement and the two shafts, and
did So The damage by fire is estimated at
$1,000 though the total damage Will be about
1000
There are twenty-one apartments in the
building The apartments extend along the
sides OF the building about three-quaTters of the
way 10 the rear The third apartment is across
the rear of the building and is reached by
long narrow hall raining between the side
apartments.