New-York tribune., 1906-12-07
SET FIRES. POLICE SAY.
SIN HOUSES 4BLAZE.
Tsco alleged Uptozcn Tenement
FHc5ugs" I4rrestcd.


Shortly after o'c.oclz this morning the police
of the West 100th street station arrested two
young men charged with being suspicious per-
sons The specific charge, the police say is that
of setting fire to FIVE FIVE story tenement houses
near Amsterdam and Columbus avenues and
1G;;d street. between q o'clock last night and
12:45 o'clock this morning
The lives of more than one hundred persons
were endangered short.y after midnight this
morning in another fire IL the fve-stOry apart
ment house at No. POO West 101st street. which
the police certain was of ncendiary origin.
but say they are not sure had any connection
with the other fires. The fremen carried out
more than a dozen and children, and
many others escaped by the fire escapes Of the
house Fearing that they could not control the
flames. the fremen Who first arrived turned in
second alarm. The first floor of the building
and the basement were ruined. and the apart
ments the second floor were badly damaged.
When it was learned in the neighborhood that
the fire was of an incendiary origin the tenants
were thrown into state Of terror. The ma
jority OF persons for several blocks around re-
fused TO go to their beds preferrin~ TO stay up
rather than the risk of being burned to
death.
Almost every house in the neighborhood had
some one of the tenants stationed at the lower
floors a safeguard
The fire was discovered by PatroIman Martin.
of the West Tooth street station who stand
ing at the corner of 101st street and Amsterdam
avenue. He saw flames shooting from the base
ment. which is occupied by Charles Beale as
fruit and vegetable store.
The patroman turned in an alarm and then
hurried to the house. He placed his shoulder
against the door leading to the basement and
forced il open
According TO the police, a window in the base
meIlt had been broken and cloth and paper satG-
rated with oil had been thrown into the store.
The patrolman pressed several men into ser
vice and ordered them 20 go through the build
ing and arouse every person in the house. Pa
trolman Martin then hurried to the fire escapes
and let down the ladders from the second floor
TO the street.
When the ladder had been lowered the engines
on the first alarm arrived. Patrolman Martin
suffering from the effects of the smoke. but
he stayed at the window on the second floor and
helped women and children in the building to
descend the fire escape.
A Mrs. Haskin, who lives the third floor.
tainted from the effects Of the smoke. Patrol
man Martin heard of it, and, leaving a man TO
help the women the fire escape. hurried 10
the third floor and carried the woman out.
When the iremen arrived they found more
than score of persons crowded around the
windows unable 20 get out upon the fire escape
because of The crowd. They erected several
ladders to other windows and took about a score
The prisoners are John STAGE. twenty years
old. pasterer, of No. 105 West Tooth street,
and Joseph Glasser sixteen years old, OF No.
S2S Columbus avenue.
The first OF the fires which these men
thought to have been connected with occurred at
S45 o'clock IN the FIVE story brick tenement
house. at No. 212 West 1O5th street. where rub
bsh in the cellar was discovered to be burning,
and extinguished with slight damage.
The second fire was at 1875 o'clock. in the
basement of the five story brick tenement house,
at No. SOS Columbus avenue. This fire
extinguished with slight damage.
The third fire was discovered the same
time 11.35 O'Clock in the five story tenement
house az No. $40 Columbus avenue. blaze
in the basement caused damage which. the
police say. will be about 500
The fourth fire was discovered at 12:45 this
morning in the basement, at No. sI1 Amster-
dam avenue This is a big tenement house.
Shavings and rubbish saturated with kerosene
found in great quantity. This burn
ing when the iremen arrived The loss was
S5D0
The fifth fire was discovered a few minutes
later. in the tenement house. at Amsterdam
avenue and 1O3d street. Shavings and straw.
with other rubbish, was here found abaze and
extnguished with small loss
The police say that they have two men as wit
nesses who went TO all the fires. They are DR.
William F Hough of No 213 West 1O4th street.
and Colonel William Bennett. OF No. 146 West
l03d street. both Of whom have been interested
in the constantly recurring small fires near their
homes. They went to these fires to observe
things.
At the last fire they two men whom they
were sure they had at one or two of the
other fires. earlier in the night
DIR. Hough seized one Of the two suspected
young men, and called 10 a stranger 10 take
the other, while Colonel Bennett telephoned to
Police Headquarters To send police TO the scene.
roundsman and two policemen attached TO
the West Tooth street station arrested the sus-
pecteG men. They were CHASER and STAGE.
The police, Colonel Bennett and DR.. Hough
believe the two prisoners were implicated in the
starting OF the five fires.
Both prisoners denied the charge which they
understood would later be made against them
RTITN AFTER EXPLOSION