The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-11-28
FIRE IN new YORK
KILLS Is PERSONS
IRcENDIARiEs SUSPECTED OF
BURNING A. TENEMENT.
VICTIMS ALL ITALIANS
Seven Of Them Are children-saloon
Keeper Discovers Flames and
Rescues His Own
Family.
VICTIMS ALL ITALIANS

New York, Nov. 26.-Thirteen per-
sons lost their lives and several 9TH
ers were injured Monday in a tene
ment house fire at One Hundred and
Ninth street and Second avenue. All
the dead were Italians. Seven of the
10 were children The bodies were
found huddled together in rooms on
the top floor of the four-story build
ings where the terror-stricken people
had been driven by the flames which
rushed up from the lower floors. They
had succumbed before they could
reach the windows which led to the
fire escapes. Some had been enYel-
oped in the flames and burned alive.
others, overcome by smoke, were
spared the agonies Of death in the
flames.
Work Of incendiaries.
That the fatal fire was the work of
incendiaries who sought revenge is
the opision of the police and firemen
who made the first hasty examination.
Three weeks ago three Italians were
caught in the act Of attempting to
rub safe in the saloon of Giuseppe
Cudano, on the ground floor. The safe
contained over $4,000 which the sa-
loon keepers friends had withdrawn
from banks during the money panic.
The would-be robbers were arrest
ed and are now awaiting trial The
fire started in Cudano's saloon and
the police believe that it may have
been the work of friends of the prs
oners who took this means of squaI.
ing the account with the saloon keep
err. Cudano discovered the fire when
he went down to open his place Of
business As he opened the door he
was met by a rush of flames and
without waiting a moment to investi-
gate dashed up the stairs to the tene-
ment above, crying out for the eccu-
pants to run for their lives.
Rescues His Family.
When he reached the rooms occu-
pied by his own family he burst in
the door, and, SELLING his young son
Dominic in his arms, told Mrs. On.
dano and other members of the fam
ily to follow. Cudano and the boy
sszhAgod 70 find their way down he
stairs to the street, but before ,he
women could get through tho names
had cut on exit by that avenue. 1t
is supposed that Mrs. Cudano and the
other children sought safety in the
upper part of the building.
Just what happened m the burning
building before the fire was checked
never will be known. So quickly did
the flames spread that almost before
the firemen arrived the whole building
was a furnace and it was impossible
for anyone to enter. Even the cries
of the agonized women and children
were drowned by the roar and crackle
Of the flames, the kissing engines and
the frantic, babbling crowd which
pressed as closely as possible to the
fire lines. Not a single person was
seen 10 appear at any of the windows
OF the blazing building with the ex-
ception of those on the second floor.
from which several persons reached
the fire escape and were rescued. The
reason for this was explained, whsn,
after the flames had been partially
checked, firemen fought their way
through the smoke to the upper floors.
Find Fallen Victims.
There they came upon piles Of dead
where they had fallen victims to the
rush Of flames and smoke even before
they had chance 10 attempt to save
themselves. In one Of the heaps the
firemen found woman who had made
one last desperate effort to save the
life of her baby even when she knew
that she herself was doomed to hor.
rible death She had folded her arms
tightly around the little one and hud-
died down close TO the floor, her own
body protecting that of the child. The
mothers body was badly burned. That
Of the child bore scarcely mark, but
it was dead from suffocation. On
every side of the mother and child lay
the bodies Of other victims.