The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-09-05
Firemen with Net Catch
Mother and Little Chill
dren--Girl Of 4 Hurt.
PUSHES STRUGGLING WOMAN
OUT THIRD STORY WINDOW
Fireman Has to Use Force with
Mrs. Leutel-Ladder Rescues,
Escapes in Nght-Clothes.

Mrs. Mary Leutel and her three small
children We're hurled from a third story
window of the smoke and hame-flled
tenement at 154 Spruce steet by Fire
man William Saupe, of Truck No. ).
into life-net held in the street by a
dozen other fremen early today.
The mother and two oe the children
were unhurt but the third child, Anna,
years old. clutched an electric wire
in her descent and was thrown out OF
the zone of the net. Lieutenant Fred
Henze tried to save her, and as her
body struck his hand his thumb was
dislocated. But the child's fall was
broken and she was saved from instant
death. At the Beth Israel Hospital it
was said she may have sustained in
ternal injuries and perhaps a broken
jaw, besides many contusions of the
body.
Mrs. Yentta Neiss and her son,
Charles. who occupied the rear of the
third floor were cut off from escape
by the flame-flled hallway and fire.
men found them partly suffoeated.
Mrs. Neiss was carried down a ladder
into the rear of the house by F'iremen
Lawrence pannizza and Oscar Kael-
lerer, and Charles Nciss was carried
down the same ladder by William Dar
sin, all of Truck No. ).
Mrs. Neiss and her son were revived
in the open air and went to the homes
OF friends.
Sleeping Tenants Aroused.
When Battalion Chief McDerlnott
arrived at the fire he found
! flames sioo.ing from the Easement OF
j. Lewits drug store. which occupied
the first floor, and Charles Iosen. liv-
ing opposite. was rushing through the
structure awakening the tenants.
Isaac Robinowitz and his wife. Ella
and their daughter. Sadie. Il years old
lied from the second floor in Their night
clothes before the flames broke into the
hallway Frank Adams. living in the
rear on the second floor. carried his
aged mother out the same way.
Fireman William Saupe rushed into
the burning building and TO the third
floor. where he found that Mrs. Leutel,
in her excitement, had barred herself
into the front rooms by drawing the
bed against the door. Her husband
had left for work at ) O'Clock and she
and the children had been reused by
lDe ScTedlllS pI dIdTlll. w men Sdupt
got into the rooms Mrs. Leutel was
running up and down, screaming fran
tically Saupe called to the firemen in
the street to get out the llfe-net, that
escape was cut off through the halls
Four-ye year-old Anna was the nearest
child when the fremen below spread
the net. and Saupe carefully judging
the distance. tossed the child out. In
her descent Anna reached ont her arms,
and one hand struck an electric wire in
front of the building. This diverted her
from her course. and the body OF the
little one was shot over against the
sign above the drug store and then
down to the sidewalk before the fire
men could get the net unde- her.
Forces Struggling Woman to Jump.
Saupe took the precaution with the
other children of wrapping their arms
securely in their nightgowns. so they
could not strike the wires in their
descent. and then he tossed them out.
They landed safely in the net. With
Mrs. Leutel Fireman Saupc had a
struggle to get her TO leap But by
force he got her into the window, just
as the flames We're coming into the
doors from the hall. and pushed her out.
She was saved in the net without in
jury.
The fire, which wes quickly extin-
guished after Battalion Chief McDer-
mott had four heavy streams playing
oil it, was of mysterious origin. 1t
started in the basement and spread
with great rapidity. Druggist Levitt
declares that there was nothing in
the basement which could haVc been
subject to spontaneous combustion.
He never locked the cellar door and
this fact caused protests from the ten-
ants, who we've afraid OF tramps aud
burglars.
Fireman Saupe found himself in
predicament on the third floor after ne
had tossed the Leutel family into the
net. His comrades, when he told them
that all the family was safe put up
the net and did not bother themselves
about Saupe, but manned the fire hose
Saupe thought for moment that he
would have to make the leap to the
street without net when he thought he
would try the rear way out. There he
discovered. after dashins through the
flames in the hall. that the ladder on
which Mrs Neiss and her son had
been saved was still standing, and lie
got down safely.