New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-12
SIX LOSE, LIVES In FIRE.
MOTHER and CHILDREN.
Seuen Families Rescued By Too
Policemen.

In fire that ragged through the big five story
hathouse at the southeast corner of Columbus
ave and 1OOth-st last night six persons, a
mother and her five children, were burned TO
death; two were injured, including an ambu-
lance surgeon who was trying to rescue ram
lily penned in by the flames, and hundreds We're
thrown into a wild panic The dead are: Mrs
John Thcnason, forty-two years old; John ana
Anna Thomason, twins, three years old; Will
lam J. Thomson, nine years DID, Thomas
Thomason, seven years old. and SAMUEL Thorn
ason. seven months old. The injured are Am
bulance Surgeon Elbert Norton. of the j. Hood
Wright Hospital, burned about the hands, and
Fred Nagel, twenty-three years old, burned
about the head and shoulders.
The seven other families, which included about
thirty people, were rescued by two policemen OF
the West 100th-st. station, Andrew Mclaughlin
and Charles Fisher both of whom got to tho
roof of a one story cobbler shop adjoining the
fathouse on the east and managed to get the
panic stricken tenants down the fire escape.
Scenes of TIE widest excitement prevailed as
soon as the FIRE broke out, and when the potee~-
men arrived they had no end of difficulty in
pacifying the children as they were being car
ried down the escapes.
Except for the courage of the two policemen
several of the families would have been hemmed
in by the flames, which shot through the build
ing with such rapidity that all escape through
the halls cut off. Mclaughlin and Fisher
knew that the flames were raging through the
interior of the building. sweeping up through the
stair,vays from the first floor, and their only
hope in getting the tenants to safety was by
means of the fire escapes on the rear Of the
house.
Mclaughlin climbed the iron ladders to the
top floor and with flames enveloping him he
directed the descent of the women and children.
Fisher remained below and caught them, one
by one as they jumped from the bottom rung
to the roof of the cobbler shop.
MANY SCENES OF PATHOS.
The scenes attending the fire. which did
$40 600 damage to the building were pathetic.
Mrs Thomason who lost her life in a frantic
endeavor to save her children, found in
her rooms, her little ones. their bodies -charred
by the fames lying around her lifeless form.
She had heard the cry of "Fire!" that rang
through the building as soon the blaze was
discovered and Immediately sought to get her
little ones to safety. In some manner that
cannot be explained the latch of the door lead
ing to the hall from the kitchen would not
work and she and the children were penned in,
with no means OF escape except by jumping
from the fifth floor to the street The woman
evidently didn't have the heart to throw the
children from the window and even when the
flames burst through the door she resigned ner-
self to her fate.
Eight families occupied the house. two on
floor. The ground floor is saloon. kept by John
Began, and there are entrances both on Column
bus-ave and Tooth st
Mrs Mary Redham. who occupied apartments
on the first floor on the north side. was prepar-
ing supper in the kitchen. She left lighted
lamp in the parlor. which exploded. and when
the woman. rushed into the room she saw names
spreading rapidly along the walls and the cell
ing One of her sons, shrieking Fire.. at the
top of his voice fed from the apartments;
dashed down the stairs to the street and started
for an alarm box He met Patrolnan NC
Laughlin, who turned in an alarm, and then
dashed into the building When he got to the
first floor he found that the flames had spread
to the hallway, and that all escape was cut on
for the tenants on the upper floors. Mrs Rad
Nd
got her and her younger son to the street
Patrolman Fisher, who joined McLaughlin'
quickly went to the roof of the cobbler shop,
lifted his partner up, and the work OF rescue
began On all the upper floors the tenants were
stricken with fear that they did not know
which way TO turn. The flames had swept up
clean through the centre Of the big hathouse'
spreading rapidly to both the north and south
apartments all the floors
At the end of each hallway. separating the
north and south apartments, is a fire escape
which leads to the roof of the cobbler shop. The
hallway was narrow as was the window. and
the work of getting all the tenants through the
small aperture nearly resulted IN oeheFs OF Ine
Iaughlin got them on the escapes the flames had
reached the hallway, and with showers OF SPARKS
and sheets of flame, which shot through the
windows, the policeman dragged the chlloreh
out first and then the women.
While Dr. Norton, of the j. Hood Wright Hos
pital. was dressing the burns of man the
latter said: Say, doctor, I'm afraid the
Thomasons didn't get out. There's moHer
and FIVE children on the top floor.
REsCUER's CLOTHES BURNED.
Dropping his surgical case. ne dashed INTO the
blazing house He CROPPED his way to the second
floor only to find that the staircase had been
burned avav. The surgeon was undaunted.
however. and plungfng through the smoke he
got TO the entrance to the fire escape He
Climbed TO the top floor and got into the nall
way then burst open the door ana Iouiu me
ttjtes His white duck suit and his Overcoat
caught fire and except for the presence OF the
fremen who quickly smothered the names ne
might have been fatally burned.
John Thonason. the husband and father haa
teSt the house a few minutes before the nre
bro,e ont When he learned of the fire he
rushed 10 the police station.
Tbonason's brother broke the news TO the
man and with several friends walked nm l
a9 o,T,5 Central Park until late at night doing
their best to get his mind off the sorrow that