Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-15
NINETEEN LIVES
LOST IN FIRE
JEWELLERS OF GHETTO PERISH
MISERABLY
FIRE ESCAPES lMPASSABLE
Jewish Tenement House District
Witnesses the Most Appalling
Tragedy Since Memorable
sloeum Disaster
FIRE ESCAPES lMPAssABLE
BY Associated Press.


were so badly hurt that they may di
and forty others were slightly hurt II
a fire that destroyed five-story tene
ment house in Allen street early today
The fire had gained great headwa,
before it became known to most of tn,
tenants, and many were cut off befor,
they could make an attempt to saw,
themselves.
Thrilling rescues and daring leapi
for life marked the fire. Many person!
were carried from the blazing build
ing. Firemen climbed the walls OF
scaling ladders, braved the flames anc
reached the imperiled tenants. OF tn,
bodies thus far recovered only the fol
lowing have been identified:
RACHEL SOLOMON, aged As.
JACOB SOLOMON, aged 16.
ISAAC SOLOMON, aged IS.
JESSIE COHEN, aged Is.
ROSE WIENER, aged 90.
SANDER WIENER, aged As.
IDA MUSTOKAwITZ, aged 10
HARRY KAUFMAN, aged 10.
ROSE MILLER, aged 4.
NORRIS MILLER, aged months.
Crowded fire escapes in the rear of
the tenement building were largely re-
sponsible for the number of deaths and
injuries among the inmates, who ap-
proximated 200 souls. The scenes about
the building after the fire and when the
search for the dead was begun was
heart-rending.
The fire started in the basement oc-
cupied by Isaac Davis, his wife and
three children. Davis had been out
last night and returned home early this
morning. entering his store just in
time to see a kerosene lamp in the rear
explode. He awoke his wife and both
tried to put out the flames, but with
out success, and they then gave all
their attention to getting their children
out of the burning building, A police
rushed to the scene,s and every effort
was made to arouse the sleeping per-
sons in the house.
Fire Escapes Almost ImpassabIe
In the meantime the flames had
spread with startling rapidity, and
those on the upper floors found them
selves confronted by a wall of flames
on every side. The panic stricken peo-
pie fighting for their lives rushed to the
fire escapes. only to find them Uttered
with rubbish of all descriptions and
almost impossible.
Down through these cluttered narrow
passageways flowed a stream of hui
manity. 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.
Coroner Goldfrank declared, after an
that he had reason to
believe the blaze was the work of an
He issued subpoenas for the
fire marshal, tenement house and build
ing inspectors and health and police
officials to appear before him at the
inquest Thursday. q
OF the 10 dead, three bodies, those of
a boy and two girls, remain unidenti-
fed.
In the meantime the firemen had
run up ladders at other points around
the building and dozens of people were
being talen from the crowded fire es-
capes and upper windows. BY this
time the building was a furnace and
rescues were effected in many cases
only by the greatest bravery on the
part of the firemen.
The position of those who had taken
refuge on the rubbish -choked fire es-
capes became more and more desperate
every minute. They feared to jump
and they could not wait until the seal
ing ladders reached them, so intense
was the heat. Now and then one would
jump to the ground with a scream.
skyIeht Tightly Frozen
After the fire was under control the
street was filled with half-dressed,
weeping people, seeking for their rel
atives. imploring the policemen to go
into the burning building and rescue
the loved ones whom they believed to
be perishing there. Yet one man whose
family was saved bewailed the loss of
some jewelry left in his apartment
and begged fireman to save it for
him.
One cause Of the terrible loss of life
was negligence in falling to keep the
skylight door free and clear. 1t was
not only fastened tightly. but also
frozen. AS the flames rushed up the
stairs the tenants dashed for the roof.
They found the door. which should
have swung easily open. fastened
Down. Unable to burst it open and
wedged in by the surging mass below.
numbers We're burned to death,