The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1909-03-16
TWO GIRLS FOIL
:. F|REBUC;; SAVE
(. BIG APARTMENT
Dressmakers, on Returning
Home, Detect lncendiary
Setting Fires in Hall.
PUT OUT ONE BLAZE.
Another Starts Panic in House
4 Tenants Flee to the
| Fire-EScape.
PUT OUT ONE BLAZE.

Two girls returning from a dance
shortly sitter midnight to-day dis
covered piles of blazing cotton batting
IN the halls OF No. s5S Eighth avenue,
q fve.story apartment house, and frus.
trated a daring incendiary attempt.
There was panic In the building.
during which five families In various
stages OF undress streamed out onto
the Microscopes and into the street.
There was also a search over the roofs
OF the block for the inrendiary, who
mhst have escaped by way Of the scut-
tie. The fire was put out before the
arrival OF Engine No. % and the dam.
age to the building Is about 500.
Misses Kate and Mary Grant are
dressmakers and live on the top floor
Of the apartment They had
spent the evening in Remey's dance hall
Eighth avenue and Fitty-ttth street,
and were escorted home by Thomas
Feeney, OF No. AS Ninth avenue. and
Joseph began OF No. i2j East Fiftieth
street. The young men were telling the
girls good night at the door when Miss
Kate smelled smoke.
Found Girl Fighting Fire.
''wait minute" she said, and ran
into the hall. A second later they heard
her yell Fire" and when they Joined
her they found her beating at a blazing
roll OF batting with door mat
-
10 a grocery store operated by Meyer &
Meiners, and the flaming pile Of cotton
batting had been placed at the door
leading from the hall into the store
The young men had just thrashed II
out when there was another cry o,
Fire" from Rose Grant.
Quick" she cried. The stairs are
on fire." and they saw smoke In clouds
on the first landing. By this time ten
ants were tumbling out OF their rooms
and when they smelIed the smoke they
set UP howl that was heard blocks
away.
On the first stair landing they found
. second roll OF cotton batting, oil. !
soaked like the first and blazing away
Here the woodwork Of the wainscoting
had caught fire and there was more
difficulty in putting It out than there !
had been in the lower hall.
Patrolman Quick, OF the West Forty
seventh street station, and William
Brown. the ianitur, Joined In the work
at this time ana with few buckets OF
water put the fire ont. When they
made On inspection Of the upper halls
they fcAtnd several other rolls Of bat.
ting all oil soaked, but none on fire
Hunted on Roof for Frebua.
The incendiary must have been at
work when the girls coming home
surprised him. for the batting in the
lower hall and on the stairs was
freshly LIGHTED When he heard the cry
o. Fire" he must have run on up
tho stairs and escaped out onto the
roof through the scuttle. which was
found open
Policemen Quick went out that way
and searched the adjoining roofs bat
without success. The Fire Murshals
Office, the Central Office aud the West
Side Branch Of the Detective Bureau
were notified
The tenants We're so terrified that IL
was with difficulty obey were con.
WINGED there Wa no more danger and
returned TO their rooms. 4 fireman !
from Engine Company No % was left
on guard. Had 1t not been for the re.
turn of the girls from the dance and
the prompt work OF their escorts many
lives undoubtedly would have been