The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-11
POLICE HUNTING FIREBUGS.
THEY AND FLAT DWELLERS IN
A BAD STATE OF SCARE.
Trouhie began with Inceudisry Attempts
on Goth street BIOck-Queer Fires
on East and west sides One Cop Gets
YounE Burglars BY o Mistake In Smoke.

an N2AI Nv WCoN hs1 W y
Young Burglars by . Mistake In Smoke.
Ar 10 o'clock last night what appeared TO
30 an lndoubted incendiary fire was found
in the basement Of a five story tenement
to, - at 3O3 West l4pth street. Some one
ballad a quantity Of paper and wood In the
hallway on the first floor and act It blazing.
The carpet and steps were burning when
Car,v Dean Of 3O4 West Iisth street dis
covered the fire. He organized a water
buc.et brigade and put out the fire before
thu engines arrived.
Almost the whole police force of Manhat-
tan and many apartment house jewellers
IN the thickly settled districts have been
in a state bordering on nervous prostration
for the past couple Of days on account OF the
many fires Of mysterious origin which have
been reported from both the East and West
aides. Every fire that has amounted to
ANYTHING since Thursday night. and many
that amounted to nothing, have been inves-
tirated most thoroughly by the police, and
the sound Of engines in the neighborhood
has been enough to empty a tenement
house in short order.
The five fires in West Sixtieth and
West SiXty-frst streets within two hours
early Friday morning are responsible for
this unusual condition Of general ner-
yousness. One woman died Of fright and
several persons we're seriously burned in the
fires in that district. Although a youth
was arrested suspected Of being respon-
sible for these fires 1t is generally believed
that he had nothing to do with them.
All day Friday the police were watching
every fire, expecting to And other clear
cases Of incendiarism in order that the
frebug might be nabbed red handed. h
police OF the East Twenty-second street
station house have good reason to believe
that threefires within two doors Of one an
other in East Twenty-ffth street on Friday
night were.s set because gasolene was found
have been used in each. Only for the
location Of engine 10 in the same block
all the fires might have proved serious.
The first of the three was in the cellar OF
the tenement house at 227 East Twenty
fifth street. shortly after it had been put
out a blaze was found on n OF the upper
floors Of the building. The firemen had to
work hard to keep this blaze from spreading,
and before they had finished the JOB another
fire was reported from the cellar at Isl.
Both these houses are owned by Mrs. Annie
Schmeneker. who lives in 229.
Fire occurred at Sis o'clock in the
All llOOh III AN v WI ~
g98 Ninth av enue. There are eight families
in the house. with a saloon on the ground
floor.
The fire started in the cellar at the foot
SCOT spread to all the floors n broke out
through the roof. All the people in the
house got out without injury. Mrs. New
man, the janitress, tainted, brt quickly
recov cred and got out with the other ten
ants.
Chief Croker said he was unable to sx-
plain how the fire started, but he could not
say that il was i~ncendiary. The police were
also at a loss to explain the origin OF the
blaze. Sylvan Metzger. tie owner OF the
house, said he was across che street when
the alarm was Civ en- and was puzzled as to
how the fire started. He said any one could
have gone into the cellar from the street,
but no one had been seen to do 30.
The building is valued at $40, 600 and was
insured for $4,000. Croker put the damage
at IS, ZOO.
The early hours Of last night were the
busiest the firemen have had Tor a long
time, which increased the feeling that not
only one but a whole family OF nreougs
between 5 and 10 o'clock. Several OF them
proved to be blazing fences and ~billboards,
which had evidently been set on hre by
boys.
the wallpaper factory OF Fred Beck d Co..
at 1884 Seventh avenue, was discovered at
& o'clock. The firemen had to work hard
10 save the building. The blaze seemed
to have started in the upper part OF the
an i~ncendiary to get in his work.
While the firemen were working on the
Seventh avenue fire a two story brick build
ing in the rear Of 247-25l west lwentieth
street. and used as a stable, was found to be
ablaze. On account Of the scarcity Of fire
fighting apparatus in the district an emer-
gency alarm was turned in for Engine 4 in
East Eighteenth street, and Engine ! in
West ~lwenty-ninth street. which called out
the second Of the double company in the
latter house. The building is occupied by
John Hartigan. While there was no par
ticular evidence of incendiarism. the fire.
men and police were unable to find the
cause of the fire. A number Of carriages
and a lot Of harness we're destroyed, making
a total loss Of 1900
Policeman Hughes of the West Sixty
eighth street station house. while on post
early yesterday morning, detected smoke
coming from the top OF a shoe shining
stand owned by Giuseppe Caprino, at the
northeast corner of Fifty-sixth street and
Eighth avenue. After sending in a fire
alarm the cop, with visions OF firebugs hoat-
ing in his mind, hustled back to the stand.
Smoke was now pouring out OF the transom
and Hughes grabbed the door handle with
such vigor that he pulled the out OF
its easement and landed in the gutter with
il on top Of him. There was q cry n
three figures shambled out into the dark
ness. The cop caught sight OF them and
extricating himself from the door shouted
Hey there, you re under arrest. The
captain will be Interested in looking you
over
Instead Of stopping they started on a
dead run. Hughes drew his revolver.
After firing a shot in the air az a warning
he Was ahIe to round up the trio.
BY thist time the firemen had arrived.
The shoe shining stand In afre,' cried
the cop. I've got the frebuSs here.
'Aw, you re kiddin' US, answered back a
sleepy fireman a few minutes later dis
glstedly. there's nothing in that place
but q good strong cigaroot SMELL
The engines returned TO their stations
and the cop dragged his prisoners to the
station house. They said they we're Thomas
Wilson, II years old. of as West Forty
second street; William LOOMS, 10 Years old.
OF jE3 West Fiftv-frst street. and Edward
Murray Of 3l4 West Forty-seventh street.
In the West Side police court Magistrate
Bteinert sent Murray to the Children's
Court and held LOOMS and Wilson, in 5000
bail for trial on a charge Of burglary.