New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-16
many RESCUES At FIRES.
Police and Firemen Act BraVely
in Harlem Tenement Houses.
ONE STAIRWAY BURNED OUT
Eighteen Inch Cornice Used Tor
Fire Escape-Second Blaze
Considered Suspicious.

| The quick work of fremen and the ponce
| a dozen of whom were treated by HoSPlldi
surgeons for cuts, burns and bruises cauS'd
! in the scramble to empty tenement h""S''
of their occupants and prevent the hdil'S
| from spreading saved the lives OF soN'r"'
| hundred persons early yesterday atterh"""
| and drowned out series of had ir'S
which for n time threatened to sweep the
| blocks i'm which they were discovered
| The origin of the fires Is considered 50
suspicious by Fire Marshal John Trial that
! the has been turned over I" ne
! tectivcs The first. at 1l5th street ana
! Eighth avenue. occurred at 4:l0 o'clock. An
alarm for the second. at which the damag"
was the greatest and the danger to tenants
| most threatening. came in few minutes
later and was followed at 40 by another,
at No. 523 IenoX avenue. This blaze, which
was in the basement. was no sooner eX-
| tinguished than an alarm was runG III Tor
another basement fire at No 327 LenoX
avenue The last blaze ten minutes later,
was at NO $50 Lenox avenue and was not
serious.
The first blaze started under the main
stairway in a five story tenement house on
the northwest corner of 18th street and
| ElRnl0 avenue. ] ne Udlll'S E'l Il'f'h wy
with such rapidity that by the time the
first apparatus arrived people were hanging
| from the upper fire escapes and the star
way had been burned entirely away. \
second alarm was turned i'm and the fire
men and police began the rescue work
| Patrolman Wilson. Of the West 10Th
street station. was one Of the first on the
scene He went up fire escape on the
! Eighth avenue side and I'm window on tn"
third floor He found Mrs. Kate Marston
wandering around i'm the smoke half I'M
| conscious and carried her to the fire escape
and down 10 the second floor. Tie ground
| section Of the fire escape had not been
dropped. and Wilson had to perform the
| ticklish feat Of carrying the woman across
into the adjoining house by way of an ~
! inch cornice.
! Patrolman Charles West found child "n
the third floor and several women. all of
them nearly overcome 10y smoke and heat.
| The policeman got them one by one to the
window. down the FIRE escape and across TO
| the next house 10y the CorniCe route one
| woman who was carried out was 50 in
| sistent upon the subject that Fireman GIL
christ. her rescuer. went back ana brought
out her pet fox terrier.
! Deputy Fire Commissioner Olvany arrived
on the scene and was watching the hrcm,u
put the finishing touches 10 the blaze.
| which had worked through 20 the fourth
and fifth stories. when an alarm came i'm
! at headquarters for another tenement houS"
! fire which was practically The duplicate of
! the first. although on larger scale.
| Flames had broken out at the bottom OF a
| dumhwaitcr shaft i'm the centre 81 tie
| building. at Lexington avenue and 1881
street, and had been Whlricd mp through
the structure by the draft With such force
that when IL" first apparatus arrived ar"
was spreading out on Tho thrc" upper floors
! and streaming through the roof
James Gould. a fireman attached tu En-
| CINE g. and Patromcu Boudrcau aud Pront-
| ner, Of the East l9sth street station. ran up
tho fire escape on the l22G street side Of the
| building 10 the top floor and rescued n
woman. a fvc-ycar-old child and a Young
| girl who were hanging out II tho window
calling for help George +. Reardon a ten
ant who had arrived home for luncheon
| Just In time to find the house afro. ran gp
! TO the third floor where ne had lcf, MS
IT other and young son. and got $50 ladlg
! burned before he could be dragged ont hy
! Grcmen. Rearlon's family were SAT, and
among the first 10 Doe rescued. he vas 50
| badly burned that no was taken 10 tho
( Harlem Hospital. In charge of Father Mo
Gean Il the Fire Department
In In" midst "f the ro.cu,- Battalion
| chief Andrews. who had been among th"
first to enter tine building with hi- mon.
became overcome by smoke ON the stair
way between the second and third floors
| He fell and rolled 10 the bottom injur!uC
! both knees. lie was carried out of the
building by iremen and taken 10 a nearly
drug store. He was revived and insisted
on remaining until the ire Was out.
The building was practically wrecked
! The flames ate through tn" tire" upper
floors. and the apartments on the first aud
second floors we're almost "a badly damaged
! by water. The irc marshal and a squad
Of detectives from the West l25th street
| station went 10 work on ;he case last
night