Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1907-07-29
TOday's Telegraphic News
Fire and Loss of Life.

New York, July 29.-The Black Hand
was almost certainly responsible for q
tenement house fire early today in which
nineteen persons lost their lives and
about thirty were more or less seriously
injured.
To the same organization the police
attribute yesterdays fire at Coney
Island which swept S5-acre tract in
the heart of the resort, licking up
Steeplechase Park and other property
with total loss estimated at 81, 500, 600.
Todsy's fire was in 6-story tenement
at 222 Christie street. Ii is possible the
list of dead may exceed nineteen, the
police fearing that more bodies may be
found 10 the ruins, and of the thirty in
jured several will probably die.
The blsze was characterized by ter
rife panic in which men, maddened
with fear, trampled on women and chill
bred and pushed several from lad
ders and ere escapes in their own efforts
to reach safety.
The fire, starting With an explosion
in the basement, swept from top to
bottom of the 6story structure 40 quick
ly that the tenants had no opportunity
TO escape down the stairways, but were
driven to the fire escapes. The flames
bursting through the windows swept
even these places of refuge, forcing the
occupants either to dash back into the
burning building or drop to death on the
pavement below.
Fearing the vengeance of the Black
Hand few OF the residents in the vicinity
raised hand to aid those in the burn
ing tenement. There was a delay, too,
in turning in an slarm and the panic
made it almost impossible for the police
and fremen to do effective work. II
was necessary to knock down several men
who persisted in trying to rush down
the ladders, leaving women and children
to their fate. One mother, certain her
children had persisted, preferred death
to rescue, and leaped from sixth story
fire escape with the fremen only few
feet away and was dashed to death by
her fall.
VIM. Brandt, who gave the first alarm,
was passing through Christie street in
front Of the tenement when a terrific
explosion, supposedly of bomb, blew
out the entire front of the Nicslo
Dimaco's store on the ground floor
and dashed Brandt from his feet. The
entire neighborhood was awakened by
the explosion. Instantly the head Of
every family within hearing seemed to
begin firing his revolver. Thinking
they had thus given warning that
their homes were guarded, the authors
OF the fusillade retired to their rooms
and locked the doors. The Italian ten
ants rushed into the halls but were in
stantly driven back by the flames. The
families on the first and second floors are
believed to have escaped in safety, but
those above had no such chance. They
stood in clusters on the fire escapes, the
men in places of vantage fighting back
their own wives and children that they
might have a better chance Of rescue.
Women and children began leaping from
upper story windows even before the frat
fire engine reached the scene. A few were
able to limp away, but most of them
we're unable to rise and we're lifted into
ambulances and taken to hospitals. Ital-
ian detectives we're rushed to the scene.
They report positively it was of incen
diary origin, adding that many of the
tenants of the building have been terror
lied by the Black Hand.