New-York tribune., 1905-01-16
FAMILY PERISH IN FIRE.
CRY "BURGLARS? HEARD
Roof Ladder Missing-Parents, Tsco
Children and SerUant Dead.

William 7. Mason, a lawyer, OF No 63 Wall
St, and his whole family, consisting of his wife
and two children, Ellen, four years old, and
Marion. six months, with servant. Annie Wells,
perished in a fire at their home. No 133 West
One-hundred- -and-t -thirtieth-st., early yesterday,
told in Sundays Tribune
Although neighbors who heard their cries for
help and their attempts to rescue themselves
yesterday told of cries of Murder and Burg
lars" the police found nothing to indicate that
the fire was incendiary. The whole family was
suffocated. The bodies of the father and
youngest child were untouched by the flames.
Those of the others were probably burned after
they had died.
Frank c. Waldron was at One-hundred-and-
thirtieth-st. and Lenox-ave., on his way to his
home, at No 100 West One-hundred-a and
thirtieth-st., when he heard mans voice
sh putting Fire. Po1ice For Gods sake help
usr' He ran to the middle of the block He
saw nobody. but noticed smoke coming from the
basement and the cornice Of No. 1873.
He ran to the alarm box at One-hundred-and-
twenty y-ninth-st. and Lenox-ave. Policeman
Mangan of the West One-hundred-a d-and-twenty-
hfth-st station. esped him and followed. They
reached the fire box at the same time. Wal
dron had just got the door open when Mangan
rushed up.
thirtieth-st." Wadron said. The policeman
sounded an alarm, and then both hastened back
to the Mason house.
Smoke was issuing from the whole front of
the house Policeman -Mangar saw that there
were flames fn the basement. He smashed tho
window with his nightstick. A burst of fame
and smoke drove him back.
The noliceman and neighbors who had been
aroused then attacked the front door or the
house Two massive oak doors held them back
there. The policeman then attempted to get
into the house by breaking the windows OF the
narlor floor Thick smoke forced him back
The hremen broke into the hallway on the
parlor floor but were driven back by flames and
smoke Ladders were then raised against the
adjoining houses Nos. 131 and 135. and lines
Of hose were carried Up TO the roofs. from which
streams were poured into the burning house.
Lines were carried through the easements of
the adjoining buildings also, and from front
and rear the fire was fought. In half an hour
it was subdUed.
Battalion Chief Short and his men made their
wav to the second floor. They found that the
flames having destroyed nearly everything In
the basement and on the first floors had rusheu
I'D the stairway openings, burning away balus-
trades and woodwork of the staircases charrlng
walls and doors. but not getting into the rooms.
found the bodies of Mr.. Mason and his six
month-old child The father had fallen on the
floor while drawing his trousers The fire
had not come near them.
The flames had mushroomed at the top or the
house. burning into the back rooms Of the thlru
floor The top hallway was obstructed by the
charred timbers that had fallen from the burned
roof, and the chief and his men CROPPED their way
among these back TO the door Of little closet
like room, where the ladder to the roof scuttle
was supposed to be.
The door of this room open. There was no
ladder there and the scuttle, excepting that 1t
had been partly burned away. still closed.
Under the debris Chief Short found the body Of
Ellen. 1t was charred. Just outside the door
were the bodies of Mrs. Mason and the servant.
so badly burned to be unrecogniZable
It was evident that Mr.. and Mrs. Mason and
the children slept or the second floor and that
the parents had been aroused and had tried TO
escape 1t is believed that Mason, on discover
ing the fire. ran to the front of the house ana
sbouted the alarm heard by Waldron, and then
ran back to rescue his wife and children he
directed his wife TO take the four-year-old child
n the roof bv way Of the scutte, and started to
mt on clothing before carrying the youngest
ont cloein, the door to the hallway for mo-
ment to shut out the smoke
In the house of George Freeborn, next door,
members of the family had been awakened they
said Yesterday. by the shouts Of Mason. They
said also that the servant. who had bedroom
IN the rear Of the top floor opened the window
of her room and shrieked. For Gods sake, save
met Fire! Fire. and then rushed back into the
middle OF the house.
The frantic attempts of Mrs. Mason. the maid
and the child to get out were heard by the
neiehbors. The fire, it is thought. started In the
kitchen on the basement floor, or in the neigh
borhool of the hot air furnace in the cellar, be-
low this The basement floor was burned away
None of the second story rooms had any trace
of fire the flames not having got through walis
or doors on the top floor. where they sprean
out. the rear Of the house including the rooI'
was destroyed
chief Short said il evident that Mason
ana his wife had taken ii for granted that the
ladder leading to the roof in place
'The only way that / can see that any burglar
figured In this flre," said the chief, lis that the
ladder may have been removed by one OF the
servants on account of the talk about bursla-
ries in this neighborhood.
This tragedy shows the Importance OF nav
ing those ladders in position. Our men nave
the duty of going about and seeing that they
are All they can do with these private ram
flies is to tell them 10 put one In when lhes
find that the ladder is missing. Some peopie
feel insulted when "A fireman comes around 10