The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-03-17
OF H FLAMES
Burned to Death in
ement House Fire In New
York.

gre WHICH destroyed tNe 1Ee-StOly
tenement house at los Allen street
early on Tuesday. More than 40
were injured and only a few OF the
sleeping inmates escaped unhurt.
Several Of those who persisted were
roasted to death in plain view Of
thousands in the streets. Coroner
Goldenkrans declared after an inyes-
tigation that he had reason to believe
the blaze was the work OF ar incen-
diary.
He issued subpoenas for the fire
marshal tenement house and build
ing inspectors and health and police
officials 10 appear before him at the
inquest Thursday.
The fire started in the basement
and spread with irightiul rapidity to
the roof. The victims were caught
in traps Of flames. the halls and exits
being rendered impossible in a few
minutes after the blaze started.
The building was one Of the usual
crowded tenements and the disaster
was the worst in the history of the
East Side. The district attorneys Of
lice has begun an investigation to
place the blame for the great loss Of
life.
Chief Croker Of the fire department
asserts that the police and the ten
ernent house departments are to
blame for the violations of the fire
escape law. The tenement house de-
partment officials. however, say that
the blame is On the shoulders of the
fire commissioner.
OF the 70 dead. three bodies, those
Of a boy and two girls, remain uni
Identified:
The scenes were heartrending. The
fire started in the basement occupied
by Isaac Davis. his wife and three
children. When Davis reached his
home early this morning and went
INTO his store or the same floor he
saw a kerosene lamp in the rear ex-
plode. He awoke his wife and both
tried to put out the flaming lamp,
but without success. A policeman
who heard the cry OF alarm rushed
to the scene and every effort was
made to rouse the sleeping people.
Meantime the flames had spread
with startling rapidity and the occu-
pants of the upper floors awoke to
find themselves confronted by a wall
of flames on nearly every side. Panic
stricken people rushed to the fire es-
capes only to find them Uttered with
rubbish. On some Of the escapes
the rubbish was so closely packed
that it became impossible to pass
certain points and men, women and
children stood literally roasting to
death as the flames roared through
the windows around them. One of
the escapes was manned by Police
man John J. Dwan, who had run a
plank across to the window OF an ad-
joining building. He rescued nearly
a dozen persons, but finally fell 20
feet to the pavement and shattered
his shoulder. Doz,-:s of people were
taken from the crowded fire escapes
and upper windows. By this time the
building was a furnace and the res
cues were effected in many cases only
through heroic efforts of the firemen.
Lieut. Bonner, son Of the former fire
chief, assembled the now red-hot fire
escapes five times. Four times he
brought down a omar or a child in
his arms. The fifth time he was de-
scending with an unconscious Wo-
man. but staggered and was barely
saved from death. Once Bonner res
cued a little girl from a window
where she stood surrounded by
flames. She pleaded with him to
leave her on the escape and go in
after her little brother who she said
had fallen unconscious. Bonner
jumped into what looked like a fur
mace. found the boy and saved him.