Omaha daily bee., 1907-11-26
DEAD LIE IN HEAPS
Thirteen Persons Lose Lives in Tsne-
ment Fire in New York.
BODIES FOUND ON TOP FLOOR
Some Burned to Death and others
Suffocated.
ROAR OF FLAMES browns CRIES
Fire Spreads So Rapidly Few
Escaped. p Z
BLAZE STARTED FOR ~ 1E
Friends of Italians wh. .
FOiled iR Attempt to Rob SAT-
Keepers safe Set Fire
TO Building. a.
ROAR OF FLAMES DROwNs erie
Fire Spreads So Rapidly Few
Escaped =. Z
BLAZE STARTED FOR Z.

NEW YORK, Nov. 25.-Thirteen persons
lost their lives and several others we're in
jured this morning in a tenement house
hre at One Hundred and Ninth street
and Second avenue. The bodies were found
huddled together In rooms on the top floor
OF the four-story building, where the ter.
rorstricken people had been driven by the
names which rushed up from the lower
noors Thirteen had succumbed before
they could reach windows which led to the
hre escapes. Some had been enveloped in
the flames and burned alive. others
overcome by smoke. were spared the
asonies Of death in the flames.
That the fatal fire was the work Of in
cendiaries who sought revenge is the opln-
ion Of the police and fremen who made
the first hasty examination. Three weeks
ago three Italians were caught in the act
of attempting 10 rob a safe in the saloon
of Giuseppe Cudano, on the ground floor
The safe contained over 81 600, which the
saloon keepers friends had withdra wn
from banks during the money panic
The would-be robbers were arrested and
now are awaiting trial The fire Of today
started In Cudanos saloon and the police
believe that It may have been the work
Of friends OF the prisoners who took this
means Of sduaring the account with the
saloon keeper.
Warning Given Occupants.
Cudano discovered the fire when he went
down to open his place Of business carly
this morning. As he opened the d1or he
was met by rush of flames. He dashed
up the stairs to the tenements above. cry
ing out for the occupants OF the building
TO run for their lives. When he reached
the rooms occupied by his own family he
burst In the door and, seizing his young
son Domonio In his arms. told Mrs Gu
dano and other members of the family to
follow. Cudano and the boy managed to
hnd their way down the stairs to the street
but before the women could get through
the flames had cut Oft the exit by thai
avenue. 1t is supposed that Mrs. Cudano
and the other children sought safety in
the upper part of the building
Just what happened In the burning
building baf0ne the sfire was checked never
will De known So quickly did the flames
spread that almost before the hrcmcn ar.
rived the whole building was furnac,
and Il was Impossible for any one to enter
Even the cries OF the agonized women ant
children were drowned by the rear and
craokls Of the flames. the kissing engine,
and the frantic, babbling crowd which
pressed as closely as possible to the fir,
lines. Not a single person was seen I,
appear at any OF the windows OF the blaz
ing building with the exception of thos
on the second floor from which scvera
persons reached the fire escape and wer
rescued The reason for this was ex
planned when. after the flames had beer
partially checked, hremen fought their wa.
through the smoke to the upper floors.
There they came on piles OF dead, where
they had fallen victims TO the rush o
flames and smoke even before they had
chance to attempt to save themselves. II
one OF the heaps the firemen found
woman who had made one last desperat
effort TO save the life OF her baby evel
when she knew that she herself wa
doomed to a horrible death. She ha'
folded her arms tightly around the littl
one and then huddled down close TO tn
floor her own body protecting that Of III
child. The mothers body was badl,
burned. That OF the child bore scarcel
q mark, but II was dead from suffocation
on every side OF the mother and child la,
the bodies OF other victims.