The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-11
FIRST FLOOR BLAZE
COSTS EIGHT LIVES
One Hundred Persons Trapped
by Burning Rubbish in Es-
sex Street Tenement.
BUILDING LAWS OBEYED
Chief Kcnlon Points Out Defects
in Ordinance Which Would
Minimize Such Fires.

Fire trapped I 90 persons In the tene-
ment at 90 Essex street at dawn yester-
dag, Eight are dead and seven are In
Gouverneur Hospital recovering. Others
were hurt less seriously. The building,
according to the records Of the Tenement
House Department. belonged to Mrs. Clara
Newman Of $50 West liith street The
blaze started In rubbish In closet under
the first floor stairs.
THE DEAD.
MRS. HANNAH GAYNER burned to death
In her NTH floor rooms when she left the
IRE escape to get her Jewelry.
IStDOR GAYNER her twenty-two-year-o
son, Jumped from the nth story nre es-
MRS ROSA SCHOEN. burned TO death in
her NTH floor rooms
MRS. SARA SCHLtNSKA. picked up un-
conscious In rear yard and died In
Gouverneur Hospital
JACOB BOYERKOSKI. her twenty year old
son by a former marriage. burned to death
with his mother. whom he was found
olaspng.
IDA KAPLAN. burned to death near Mrs
sohoen and her son. trying to get to n
window.
MRS ANNA LEVINE, died at the hospital
from burns received escaping with her
family. all OF whom were hurt.
One woman unidentified.
The building was very old. but had
compiled with every requirement Of the
law II was last inspected by the Tene-
ment House Department on May H. and
Mrs Newman was Informed that there
was no violation OF any sort agains' the
building Some trifing defects were
called to her attention last March, but
the inspector who came on May IA found
that they had been attended to-
The fire escape ladders were vertical
and not slanted flights, but the law al
lows this on buildings erected prior TO
1901. Even on new tenements there Is
no legal provision to isolate fire escape
approaches so that flames cannot mush-
room from windows and fire the clothing
OF those huddled on tho iron balconies
William II. Abbott. Jr., acting Tenement
House Commissioner in the absence OF
John J. Murphy, said:
This is a case where we have done all
we could under the law and where the
owner has fully done her part and yet
the house burns. with considerable loss
Of life.
Were we allowed to insist on n fire.
PROCEED second story cutting Off first floor
stores. such existed in this house from
floors housing families this kind of dis.
aster could be much minimiZed. The
blaze at 80 Essex street started on the
first floor, a fireproofed second story might
nave prevented it's spread VI. In any
case II would so have delayed the course
~ the fire that those in the upper storie:
would have had time 20 escape"
Since the building met the law n
every point, Fire Marshal Priars inquir,
comes down to Il question of incendiar
ism. no evidence OF watch was apparen
Yesterday. Fire Chief Kenlon said afte
his work was done.
The fire spread rapidly that per
81. a.. a
their lives Whenever | hear a secon,
alarm from one of that class of building
I know there will be loss OF life. Tn,
Tenement House Department is not I,
blame. The construction of the buldin,
Is at fault Partitions between rooms an,
fats are made with two by four uprights
with lath on either side. forming verltabl
tiues and fire tears through them taste
than man could run.
Another thing is the law regardint
glass panes in the upper half OF all door
leading into halls. The Tenement Hous
Department lives up to the strict lette
OF the law which does not provide 70
any particular kind OF glass In conse
quence the cheap. plain glass gives wa
at the first blast of heat and anothe
series Of hues is created. This law shoul
he changed and made TO provide for wire
glass that would withstand heat"