New-York tribune., 1906-11-30
HOLIDAY VISIT FATAL
OLD WOMAN DIES IN FIRE.
Exploding Lamp Cause of Tragedy
Old Friend Rescued.

oiie Ola woman was burned to death and an
other suffered from shock in fire caused by
ene explosion of an oil lamp in the basement of
frame house in the rear of No. 317 West goth
street last night
The woman who was burned to death was
MRS. Elizabeth Strong, eighty years old, Of No.
4O1 West 18th street. Mrs. Annie Conway also
eighty years old, in whose apartment the fire
started. was prostrated from its effects. The
fire caused only triiing damage to the furniture
in the house.
Mrs Strong. who lived with her son Charles
at the 18th street address. visited Mrs. Conway
yesterday afternoon. The women had been
friends for half a century and took turns in
visiting each other holidays. Yesterday it
was Mrs. Strong's turn, and early in the after
noon she reached Mrs. Conway's home.
AT nfghuall the women decided to light the
lamps While Mrs. Conway wiped the teacup5
Mrs. Strong started to light oil lamp on
table In a middle room. The old woman struck
match, and second later the lamp exploded,
scattering flaming oil around the room Mrs
Strongs dress was ignited and she ran scream
ing into an adjoining bedroom and threw her
self the bed
Mrs. Conway ran into the room and tried TO
find her friend, cropping in the dark and the
smoke, but without success. She fell in a chair
and held an apron in front of her face, crying
A little girl in the front house heard the sound
OF the explosion, and when she saw the curtain
take fire she through goth street toward
Eighth avenue crying Fire" Patrolman Kiel,
of the West goth street station, who had been
standing at the corner, turned in an alarm and
TO the house.
Edward Ward, man who lives at No. 800
West 21st street was near the house at the
time and with the policeman entered There's
a woman burning To death in that room!" Mrs.
Conway cried, and while the policeman went in
search of that room" Ward caught UP the
chair in which Mrs. Conway sat and pushed
chair and woman out of a window. breaking the
glass and dropping the TO the court
yard.
The iremen broke in at this point, and with
lanterns assisted the policeman in his search
for Mrs. Strong, who was found on the bed, an
unrecogniza BILE mass of scorched flesh. The
firemen reeed from the room. The woman
dead.
Mrs Conway was carried into a neighbors
house. refusing TO go to the hospital for treat
ment The police were unable to determine
what TO do with the they later sent
her to the Charles street police station. 10 re-
main in the custody of the matron there until
some disposition be made of her case.
Mrs. Conway says she has relatives in this
city, but that family named Martin at Water
ford, \. Y. are related to her She said she
had been receiving money every week from
rich woman living in West Seth street.
Central Park West who was a friend Of her
family. Miss Annie DAILY. young woman living
at No. 315 West 2oth street. who wrote letters
for old Mrs. Conway, was away from home
when the police went in search of her last night
TO learn who Mrs. ConwaY's uptown friend
might be. A technical charge of vagrancy was
made against the old woman at the station
house, for the purpose of keeping her there.