The evening world., 1911-01-11
MEGAPHONE Jump
ADDS TOF|RE PERIL
OF z FAMILIES
Men and Women Leap From
Escape Balconies With
Rescuers Near.
IS SOUGHT.
Second Tenement Also Aflame,
Menacing "a More
Families.
INCENDlARY IS SOUGHT.

Twenty-Five families, crowding and
fighting for g place OF vantage on the
nrc-cscape OF a burning nve-story tene-
men. house n No. 20 Suffolk street at ]
O'Clock this morning. were made mad
with terror when n man standing on the
nre-escape Of the house across the
street yelled through q ~megaphone.
Jump! Jumpl" and In their fright a
number did swing from the balcony on
the first fioor 10 the pavement.
Before the men and women or the
higher balconies could leap Truck Com
pany No. Is had raised ladders. and
then moro than twenty-five persons were
carried TO the ground.
The escape in the rear of the rouse
vas also TANNED with screaming ten
ants. Firemen raised ladders here and
carried down two dozen or more.
Al tie while the mar with the meg
sphone continued TO cream: Jump"
Lieut.. Mckenns of the Oak street sta.
lion saw the man and dashed M the
stairs. The man dropped his megaphone
TO the street. dived back through the
window and escaped.
Kindled Under Gas Meters.
The origin OF the fire Is n mystery,
but the fact that II was lighted In a
woodbin directly under ten gas meters
leads 70 the belief that It was incen-
diary. Hardly had tie fire got a good
start In the bin before the gas pipe con-
nections broke n in n few seconds
the entire house vas flied. When the
iremen came they could not light the
blaze on TIE inside OF the house.
Not until the gas company's employees
came and turned of the mains In .he
street were the dremen able to battle
with the flames. Tn nremen we're
working hard when there came an alarm
from a six-story tenement house at No.
i92 stanton street In the same district.
There when tho cry Of fire sounded
t~wenty-four families took TO Are.
escapes. front and rear. and TO the roof
A second alarm was sounded and this
brought half a dozen engines and tive
hook and ladders TO the scene.
Panic at Second Fire.
The panic was such at this fire when
the nremen were slow In arriving thai
tenants huddled together on the IRE.
escapes were threatening TO jump.
Deputy chie Langford took charge O,
the work OF rescue. Samuel Reich. hi,
wife and four children were In the!i
rooms on the second floor. front, wher
Policemen Henning and Mccarthy and
Fireman Benish got TO them. Tn,
Reichs. stupid from smoe. were crop,
ing their way about the rooms. scream.
.ng for help. They had TO be carried e
he street.
On the third floor two hremen fount
Joseph Shapiro. his wife n their fouI
children nearly unconscious from smok,
and carried them down the ladders
Then Samuel Kaufman. his wife an,
children were taken from the fourtl
ioor and next Jacob Moeihisch and hi
vile were found wandering about. help
less on the NTH floor.
The flames became so dangerous tina
the tenants In the house at No. 10
stanton street were ordered out. Tn,
police ran from floor. TO floor and whel
he families dashed TO the street the,
added to the panic.
The fire started In a barber shop o.
The ground floor. Louis Yusto, who wa
asleep In the rea OF the shop, told tn
police he was aroused By the flames
which he believed came from an over
neated stove.
The damage was confined TO the IRA
floor. stairways Ind halls.