The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-25
SMOKE KILLS
GIRL; MANY
OVERCOME
Big Tenement House Fire
Sees Some Heroic
ReScueS.
CHAPLAIN RISKS LIFE
CHAPLAIN RISKS LIFE
Ten year old Gives Alarm,
but Her Younger Sister Dies
While Waiting for Ambu-
lance. Families Taken Out
of Windows ON Ladders.

NEW YORK, Oct. 25.--At least one
life was lost, more than dozen ten
ants and five firemen overcome by
smoke In blaze that nearly destroyed
the five-story double-decked tenement
at 455 Broadway, Williamsburg, early
today. The fire started in the cellar
and is believed to have been of incen-
diary origin.
Stella Burch, 10 years old, aroused
her mother, Mrs. Carrie Burch, who
lived with the family of six in one of
the top-fioor apartments.
''There Is a fire in the house and the
smoke is suffocating me, mother" she
said. Then the child ran to the win
dow and shouted for assistance.
Policeman TIfiski heard her cries, and
after turning in an alarm, ran to the
rescue. He found the front door of the
tenement locked and had to break it
open. As he entered the hallway he
was almost overcome by the thick vol
ume of black smoke that filled the hall.
He managed to climb to the top story,
however, and was just in time to save
the life of little Stella, whom he found
lying unconscious near the window from
which she had cried for help.
Panic-stricken by the alarm the
mother had meanwhile jumped across
the airshaft into the adjoining tene-
ment at 457, leaving her six children
helpless.
When Battalion Chief Wackerman ar
rived with Engine Ill the fire had made
such headway that he sent out a Sec
ond alarm. and Engine 100 and Truck
10S responded. The firemen had busy
..la
tenants from the suffocating fumes.
Assistant Foreman Swengert, of
Truck 10S, and Foreman Clooney pro-
cured rope from the grocery shop Of
Charles Wagner on the ground floor
and lowered themselves from the roof
into the apartments of Mrs. Bureh.
They took out Harry Burch, years
old, and his brothers, Charles and
Eddie. aged and 8, respectively.
Father McGronan, the fire depart
ment chaplain, arrived at the first
alarm and helped to drag out the ten
families. lie found Beatrice and Flor
ence Burch, aged and years. lying
unconscious on the floor. While watt
ing for an Eastern District Hospital
ambulance the chaplain applied re-
storatives to the seuseless children. but
Florence died before the ambulance ar
rived
Meanwhile John Hoffman, driver Of
the tender of Truck 10S was having
battle with his life in 457 BY break
ing the slxylight on the roof he was
able to reach MRS. Mary Dacazza, So
years old, and her son George, rs years
old. Both had been overcome by
smoke Hoffman struggled down the
stairway with the woman on one
shoulder and the boy on the other but
when he had nearly reached the en-
trance he was overcome himself and
fell with them into the street, where
his fellow fremen sprang TO his aid.
Battalion Chief Lally, who arrived
after the second alarm rescued the
Petersen family from the second floor
by ladders All Of the tenants had to
be taken either to neighboring houses
or to the Eastern District Hospital to
be treated for smoke Inhalation and
shock. They lost practically all of
their belongings in the blaze.