The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-03-23
MANY DIE IN FIRE
Nineteen Charred Bodies Tell Grim
Story Of Death
ROASTED IN A TENEMENT HOUSE
More Than 40 Others Were Injured,
and Only Few Of the Sleeping In
mates of the Building, Which is on
the New York East Side, Escaped
Unhurt.

New York, Special.-Nineteen per-
sons were burned to death in fire
which destroyed the five-story house,
zoos Allen street, early Friday. More
than 40 were injured and only few
of the sleeping inmates escaped un-
hurt. Several of those who perished
were roasted to death in plain view
of thousands in the streets. Coroner
Goldenkrane declared after an inves-
tigation that he had reason to believe
the blaze was the work Of an incen-
diary. He issued subpoenas for the fire
marshal, tenement house and building
inspector and health and police officials
to appear before him at the inquest
Thursday.
The fire started in the basement and
spread with frightful rapidity to the
roof. The victims were caught in traps
of flames, the halls and exits being
rendered impossible in few minutes
after the blaze started. The building
was one of the usual tenement and
the disaster was the worst in the his
tory Of the East Side. The district
attorneys office has begun an investi-
CATION to place the blame for the great
loss Of life. Chief Croker, Of the fire
department, asserts that the police and
the tenement 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 nineteen dead, three bodies.
those of boy and two girls remain
unidentified.
Crowded fire escapes in the rear OF
the tenement house were largely re-
sponsible for so many deaths and in
juries among its population, which ap-
preached 200 souls.
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 on the same floor he saw a
kerosene lamp in the rear explode.
He awoke his wife sand 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 arouse
the sleeping people. Meantime ne
flames had spread with startling rapid
ity and the occupants Of the upper
floors awoke to find themselves con-
fronted by wall of flames on nearly
every side. Panic-stricken people
rushed to the fire escapes only to find
them literred with rubbish. On some
of the escapes the rubbish was So
closely packed that it became impos-
sible to pass certain points and men,
women and children stood literally
roasting to death as the flames reared
through windows around them. One OF
the escapes was manned by Police
man John J. Down, who had run
plank across to the window OF an ad-
Joining building. He rescued nearly
dozen persons, but finally fell 20 feet
to the paved yard and shattered his
shoulder. Dozens Of people were taken
from the crowded fire escapes and up
per windows. By this time the building
was a furnace and the rescues were
effected in many cases only through
heroic. efforts of the firemen. Lieu
tenant Bonner, son of the former chief,
descended the now red hot fire escapes
five times. Four times he brought
down a woman or child in his arms.
The fifth time he was descending with
an unconscious woman but staggered
and was barely saved from death.
Once Bonner rescued 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 whom she said had
fallen unconscious. Bonner jumped
into what looked like furnace, found
the boy and saved bin.