New-York tribune., 1911-01-07
BIG FIRE IN CHINATOWN
Two Charred Bodies Found In
Ruins of Tenement.
FOUR MORE MAY BE THERE
Firemen, Police and Others
Make Rescues in The House
with Five Entrances.

VIII I've GuLTduCeS.
Ire charred bodies OF two unidentified
Cinnamon were found in the ruins Of
The House with the Five Entrances
Nos. II and IA Pell street. which was
destroyed by fire yesterday at noon.
Four other bodies are believed to be
buried under the wreckage on the third
floor.
Battalion Chief DAWN and two fire.
men, while picking their way through
the building last night. saw four objects
which resenbled human forms. One Of
them, they felt sure. was the body OF
woman. on account of the dangerous
condition OF the building DAWN decided
TO postpone further search until to-day.
One Of the bodies found Is supposed to
be that of Lem Yen, an aged paralytic,
who was reported missing shortly after
the fire started.
Three persons were hurt In the fire.
Hen Chow was picked up severely In
jured from jumping and taken to the
Hudson Street Hospital. Mrs. Lulu
Shoe, the white wife Of Fong Shoe. In
whose rooms the fire started. from an
overturned lamp. was burned about the
head before she was carried out. oom
Now. who was slightly injured. was
taken care OF by friends.
At Nos II and IA Pell street is a Ave
hnnaa t9 fhAN
forty years old, and the flames leaped
rapidly through its seasoned interior. In
less than an hour nothing but the brick
shell remained. The adjoining tenement,
at No 10, also FIVE story brick build
ing was partially destroyed. There were
over three hundred occupants In the
burned buildings. and they swarmed out
into narrow Pell street In excited and
chattering throngs.
The flames spread SO rapidly that
second alarm was turned In, and Chief
Croker and Deputy Chief Binns were
called away from the ruins OF fire In
Wooster street to take charge. Owing 10
the excitc5le nature Of the Chinese
crowds, extra police reserves were sent
out to preserve order. Under the direc-
ton Of Deputy Commissioner Driscou
they drove the budding Cinnamon out
side the fire lines.
A number OF loud explosions on one OF
the upper floors gave rise to the rumor
that boxes Of ammunition had been
stored there by members OF the -Four
Brothers Society. many Of whom lived
In the buildings. Tho fire lines were
driven back further. lest any one be In
tured by stray bullets. The explosions
were later said to have been caused by
f,recrackers, stored there for celeora-
tions.
At the time the fire started number
of employees of the Consolidated Gas
Company were eating luncheon across
the street In the New Restaurant. They
were Henry Hough. Arthur Holmes
William Stark and Edward Flood. They
rushed across the street into the burn
ings buildings and assisted the termed
tenants 20 find their way out. Tney
found a number OF white women, wives
of Cinnamon, helpless in the sursing
rush for the narrow stairways. They
gave their assistance to the white women
first and conducted about twenty-five o,
them 10 safety.
Two of the entrances Of the house
with the Ave entrances" open on the
ward in the rear OF the building. A
hundred Cinnamon with their wives
crowded into this small space, and theh
did not know how to get out until the
police finally drove them through tne
tenements in Bayard street. directly De-
hind the burning buildings.
When the excitement started there wa
the busy clatter OF chop sticks In tne
Savoy Restaurant. on the second moor
or No. Is, then a hurried exodus. and
rice and chop suey were deserted. inc
ton floor OF the same building Ia occu-
r,ad bv the Free Masons, but only
very much frightened cat was seen to
escape from there.
II was an hour and a half before the
Are was drowned out, so that search
for bodies could be begun. The Thiro
avenue cars were blocked most OF THIS
time. The damage to the buildings was
about $4,000
Later Frank Nan, secretary OF tnS
Four Brothers society, Identified the
bodies found in the ruins as Lee Gnu
Furg and Lee Yee Yu. members OF the
Lee company and relatives Of Tom
Lee He made the identification through
rapers found in the victims pockets.
dozen members OF the Lee company VINO
went to the Elizabeth street station and
said they had never seen either OF tne
men before could not explain how tns
20 ners came in their possession