The sun., 1909-01-04
SAVED The NEW BABY FIRST
THEN THE MOTHER AND Va RISE
AT 4 FIRE ~ FL4TBCSH.
seven sleeping children Also Jeopar.
diled, but the Older Ones Rescued the
juniors Mother and Nurse Badly

Burned Police DOGS Bayed Alarm
Lady and Donna, police dogs Of the
Parkville station. bayed out the first
alarm early yesterday morning Of fire
which partly destroyed the two family
house at 424 East Fourth street, Flatbush,
Jeopardizing the lives of seven sleeping
children and helpless woman with her
new born baby.
The house a two story and attic frame
structure Of Queen Anne style. was oc-
cupied by Samuel Stevenson. who works
in the Surrogates office in Brooklyn,
and by Charles McCaferty. lawyer
Of s73 Fulton street, who used to be coun-
sci to the State Comptroller. Stevenson,
the owner, reserved the first floor and
attic for himself and let out the second
floor to McCafferty
Saturday night the Stevensons went
out for the evening. first putting the
children to bed. There were Ave Of
them that Mrs. Stevenson called good
night to as they trudged up stairs to their
cots under the caves. They were Helen.
10 years old; Dorothy, 5 Marion Thomas,
! H. and Alice Thomes IL, two nieces whom
tho Stevensons brought up Besides
these thers was little Nixon O'Neill who
had come from his home at $50 Eastern
Parkway in the afternoon to play with
the Stevenson children and who begged
80 hard to stay over night that his mother
let him.
You'll look out for them, won't your
Mrs. Stevenson asked Miss Mary Ryan,
the young nurse from st. Mary's Hos
pital. who had come to care for Mrs. Nc
Cafferty when a boy was born nine days
ago
Miss Ryan promised and the Stevensons
went out. Pretty soon it was bedtime
for the McCaferty children. too. They
'arc Kathleen, years old. and Mary. 8,
and they were tucked into their cribs in
the little bedroom back OF their parents
apartment.
Mrs. McCaferty and Miss Ryan also
retired early. the patient being put into
the big bed and the nurse lying down
beside her. Mr.. McCafferty slept in a
another room.
At in the morning Mrs. McCafferty
awoke and Miss Ryan got up to give
her an alcohol bath. Nobody knows
exactly what happened after that. Miss
Ryan had her back turned to the bed
while she was preparing the BATH and
when she looked around again she saw
a crawling blue flame that widened and
widened along the table top from an ash
receiver in which there lay lighted
match.
She turned screaming to put out the
flame and in doing so must have knocked
over the uncorked bottle Of alcohol. Any
way. it tipped over In an instant the
blue flame leaped from the table on to
the bed in which Mrs McCafferty lay with
her child upon her arm
Take the baby" she said quite calmly. I
Never mind the fire. Miss RYAN
snatched quilt from the foot OF the bed,
which had not yet caught, wrapped the
child up in il and then. as Mr. McCafferty !
burst through the door, she passed il TO |
him.
By the time she got back to the bed |
Mrs. McCafrerty night clothes were afre |
She put thcm out barehanded and had
her bundled up and ready for Mr.. Mccall |
ferty to carry out when he reappearred.
At East Fourth street and Beverly road |
a long block away, Policeman Clement
Christensen and George Wise of the
Parkville station we're passing the time
of night Suddenly their dogs, Lady
and Donna, lying at their feet, began to
whine and strain at their leashes.. The
policemen gave the dogs their head and
they were piloted to the burning house,
where they arrived just as McCafrerty
was taking out his wife. Nobody had
thought yet TO turn in an alarm, and
one of the policemen ran back 10 do il.
while tho other helped in the resouine.
[ pstairS Christensen found John Robin
son, neighbor, of AS East Fourth street.
reeling about in the smoke with Miss
Ryan, who had tainted, in his arms.
Both were badly burned. Without po-
ice help they might not have escaped.
Inc children upstairs, meantime, were
covering in their beds, bewildered by
The noise and confusion below. Finally
Marion Thomas put her head over the
'ailing and smelled the smoke that came
~ from below Alice" she said cruietlv
% her sister, there's a fire downstairs
md we've got 70 get the children out
There's nobody else Here. IN take
Nixon. You lead the other two"
She flung the boy, still sleeping. over
Ter shoulder, and started down. Alice
olowed. leading the two other children
~ the hand, too sleepy to see ANYTHING
IN the way down the little party had 10
,ass the open door into the bedroom
which by that time was burning fercelv
The McCaferty children had escaped ,
'arly by the back way,
The fire burned for perhaps three-uusr- a.,
ers Of an hour. When the flremen got
here they held it pretty well TO the floor q
where it started and TO the attic above
The damage is put at $4,000.
Miss Ryan and Mr.. McCafrerty were ,
emoved TO the Kings County Hospital. A.,
10Th badly burned, Miss Ryan's night
,own had caught fire and she was 80 {
'adly burned that she may die. She is :
? years old, Mrs. McCafferty and her :
'aby were taken TO the home Of the family 7
physician, DR.. Edward G. Hynes of 20 =,
)cean Parkway. Mrs. McCafferty was ,
'adly burned and is suffering as well from
hook. but will probably recover. The .
ably was unharmed.