New-York tribune., 1909-03-20
TWO KILLED, FIVE HURT.
Fire Panic FOLIOycing Explosion IN
Cdndy Store.

Two children were killed and FIVE persons we're
injured in a fire which followed an explosion in
candy store at No. 161 East 96th street just be-
fore noon Yesterday Although the property
damage done by the fire slight there was
panic on the five floors above the store. That
there were not more fatalities was due to the
prompt work of the aremen and police Two Of
those injured were hremen. They received their
injuries while helping the occupants of the house
90 escape. The list OF dead and injured follows:
DEAD
EPSTEIN Annie. years. hands and face;
died Harlem Hospital
HALE. Beatrice. three years fell from fifth floor
INJURED
EPSTEIN Mrs Minnie. 80 years burns and
face. taken to Harlem Hospital
HAMMIL~ Frank; Engine Company So burned body:
face and hands
SIMMONS. Gertrude months. broken and coutu
sion. Harlem Hospital.
Just as the pupils in Public School Sc. at seth
street and Lexington avenue, about TO be
dismissed for the noon recess there was an ex-
ploson in the store, which was conducted by
Mrs Minnie Epstein. In a short time flames
were making their way up through the five
floors. J. J. O'Reilly. principal OF the school,
ordered the teachers TO hold their pupils until it
could be ascertaned II there was any danger,
and this done
floors OF the building a of flames.
The tenants had run toward the roof but they
found that the scuttle leading to the roof was
locked. and they became wedged in the stair
ways coughing and gasping for breath. Some
Of the tenants used the fire escapes, but the most
Of them were too panicstricken TO know in which
direction TO go.
The hremen found Mrs Epstein with her child
I'm her arms vainly trying to put out the fire in
her store Hammil. leaping from his engine,
took the child in his arms. and. smothertng the
fire in her clothing. pushed mother and child TO
the street Then he ran to the third floor The
stairway had been undermined by the flames.
and II gave away with him. dropping him one
aonr There he was rescued by McCauey, who
was burned himself Annie Epstein was so
badly burned however. that she died last night
in the Harlem Hospital.
On the third floor lived Mrs. Catherine Hale,
who was employed in downtown office build
ing. Four Of her five children were at school
and Beatrice had been left with Mrs. Helen
Simmons who lived on the top floor. When
the cry Of fire came Mrs. Simmons seized
Beatrice and her daughter Gertrude. and tried
to make her way down the fire escape.
Beatrice struggled. and finally escaped Mrs.
simnonss grasp, falling to the courtyard be-
low. Gertrude also fell but landed IN the arms
Of Sergeant AimamilleT, OF the fire patrol, and
escaped death. Mrs. Simmons. frantic with
grief was about to leap to the courtyard when
she was seized by Firemen Lewis and Quigg.
William Haney. who lived next door, in No
lG3. and Patrolmen Hough and Flynn, of the
East 104th street station carried out several
members of the Mersky family from the fourth
floor. on the second floor Abraham Tuckerman
and his family lived. They escaped by the fire
escapes, but left behind them many presents
which had been sent for the wedding this even
ing OF Maurice Tuckerman and Belle Rosen-
berg
Several rescues were made by Morris Green
Of No. III West 18TH street. He ran up
through the house and forced the scuttle en-
abling the tenants to reach the roof. Assisted
by others, he lowered rope over the edge and
drew up several women from the fire escape on
tn fifth floor. from which they were unable to
descend.
No one seems to be able to tel what caused
the explosion, explosives were kept in the
store where the fire started. Mrs Hale was at
work when informed of the death of her daugh-
ter.