New-York tribune., 1908-05-04
SIX KILLED AT FIRE
FOUR OTHERS INJURED.
williamsburg Incendiary Causes
.4parfment House Horror.


IL Humboldt street. williamsburg. early yesterday
morning -Four were overcome In their
apartments and almost incinerated by the names.
The other two were brother and sister, who. after
beine shockingly burned. leaped from windows
The man was instantly killed. but the woman lived
until nearly noon yesterday with = broken back
besides her burns She and her brother were MEN,
hers Of a family OF five which the IRE wiped out
Of existence.
Many were less burned or injured. but
only four Others required treatment at the hands
Of the surgeons from St Catharines, the Eastern
District and Williamsburg hospitals. which sent
srnbulances the scene. only one of these was
removed a hospital The others were cared Tor
by relatives. The dead are;
ABRAMS Mrs Dora. sixty-two years Old
ABRAMS. Charles. a thirty-two wears old
ABRAMS. Sadie. a daughter. twenty-five years old
ABRAMS. Gussie. twenty years old
ABRAMS. Annie. another daughter sixteen years Old
COHEN Mrs Jennie siXtyeight years old
The injured:
HIscMAN M & Mr. , Asa "a ,Fo q EssS ESa Ge SqT"sd
HIRsCFFMAN Annie nineteen old. oontusions OF
back due 70 leapins iron, window and missing the
Ere net: cared for by friends
HIRsCHMAH. Fannie. fourteen years old, shock ana
Ray tnirtEtHa ola s daughter e,- o;
for by friends
The building was four stories high, Of double
brick and rather ancient construction There were
no fire escapes in the front and those in the rear
were not available for all inmates The flames
eating their way through the old-fashioned air
shaft burst into the halls. setting fire TO all the
surrounding woodwork and effectively cutting OF all
escape OF the inmates. even the first floor.
Shortly before O'Clock Isaac Tattenbaum. at
work in the cellar Of his bakery on the opposite
corner cloud Of smoke issuing from the up
per floors o. the building. While he was running
IN search Of the fire key Frank Damato the jani-
tor Of the dwelling and his wife awakened
by OF their children Selling whatever clothing
hand Damato carried his children TO
the rear fire escape and lowered them and his
wife 20 the yard below. His cries awOke the others
fn the burning building and heads Of screaming
and children appeared al windows. only TO
disappear again.
By this time Patrclman Thomas J Carroll. Of
the Stagg street station, appeared and quickly
brought his help Sergeant TwiIman and Patrol
man Thomas j Noshy. Ia a twinkling they had
wrenched loose the :ron ladder from the FIRE
escapes I'm front Of the big apartment house ad-
Joining. This they raised 10 the second story. and
with il managed TO rescue seven Of the inmates.
One CT these. Mrs Ray Neblc had been badly
burned in her flight through the flames from her
apartments third floor the second floor
The men OF Salvage Corps >, the first to an
the fire alarm. entered adjoining house
and made their way 10 the upper floors. next ap-
pearing at the front windows. By clinging to the
small copings like flies they managed reach the
windows OF Mrs. Rose Potar. the fourth floor
Of the burning building. Mrs. Potar and her
daughter were lifted from the burning building
into the adjoining
Charles Abrams. evidently blinded and suffering
intense agony from his burns. appeared at fourth
floor window. out of reach of the salvage corps
rescuers. He poised himself for instant the
edge of the window sill and then plunged head
first 10 the sidewalk below He was dead when
picked up.
The fremen had arrived by this time and spread
their life nets: but they quick enough
TO catch Annie Abrams. who appeared at a
window almost immediately after her brother,
With a shrn snriek she plunged out and struck
Sergeant Twillman the sidewalk below. The
blow a giancing one. and she rebounded and
down heavily the iron railing covered
with short spikes in front OF the house. Willing
hands conveyed her into the bakeshop across the
street. where she was attended by ambulance
surgeon and quickly removed 10 st. GATHERINGS
Hospital.
4 few minutes later Annie Hirschman appeared
at a front window the second floor and leaped
for the net spread by the iremen below. She
struck the edge, hut saved from striking
the sidewalk.
a second alarm brought Chief I-aIy. from Brook
lyr. and the fire had spread To the upper floor
Of No l. a third alarm was turned in While both
police and hremen worked like Trojans owing
the intense excitement and the dazed condition
Of those who had been rescued from the blazing
building Il hard 10 ascertain whether all had
escaped. That the remaining members Of the
Abrams family had been penned in their apart
nents by the flames only discovered after the
frenen had extinguished the blaze, as the
with aged Mrs. Cohen, who the mother of
DR. Samuel A. Gluck. of No. - Humboldt street,
the member OF Assembly from that district.
She lived with the Neble family the same
floor did the Abrams family. only on the oppo-
site side She had evidently followed Mrs. Nebe
and her niece 10 the front windows, where she
succumbed the thick smoke before she could
be rescued by the salvage corps.
The eighteen families with their many children
driven from their apartments. the story
double apartment house No 19 Humboldt
street. by the smoke and sought refuge in Totem
baurns bakery. Many Of them nothing but
hastily grabbed UP bed clothing and they suffered
intensely from the cold and exposure.
Both the police and fire officials agree that the
fire Was the work of incendiaTy. They say that
only a few hours Before there had been less
than three fires in the immediate neghborhood All
had been started with oil soaked rags rubbish.
placed near air shaft, but had been discovered
in time. IN one instance young Italian
connect HIM With the blaze. He found in
apartments At No % Cook street. with the
locked on the inside Frank Damato, the janitor
Of the Humboldt street building, said that Sat
urday he had cleaned the cellar thoroughly Of rub
bish and that the only way blaze could have
been started cor person TO bring in the mate
rial and Apply the torch.
The building Is part Of the estate Of the late Sen
stor Jacob Worth. at time Republican leader OF
Kings County The damage is sloc0.