The sun., 1916-12-10
ACROBATIC FEATS
SAVE MANY AT FIRE
Tenants Of Blazing Theatrical
Boarding House Owe
Lives to Skill.
TWENTY PERSONS HURT
Tiremen Make Thrilling Res
cues From Building In
West 44th Street.
TWENTY PERSONS HURT

IN an early morning Are yesterday In
theatrical boarding house at 1ss West
Forty.fourth street twenty persons were
burned or otherwise injured In scenes
contained az many thrills as a movie
director could pack into Ave reels. Q
fire in any usual boarding. house would
almost surely have caused a large loss Of
life that no one was killed yesterday
was due to the work Of professional aero
bats among the tenants.
Some scaled the walls. front and rear.
0lingins by their toes and nnsernails.
until they reached safety; others
awesome Jumps from the window to an
extension In front or knotted their bed
saothes hurricdly into life p and de-
ssended hand under fist to the ground
Hsman Chain saves woman.
The biggest thrill was that afforded by
Games Moore. an actor. and George Muir
ray, an acrobat. From the roof Moore
held Murray by the heels until his
fingers touched Mrs. Moore's. leaning out
. ton floor window. she leaped and
caught his wrists. and from this peril
Gus position Moore hauled them both TO
thc roof and safety.
The building is owned by May Irwin
And the boarding house Is conducted by
william J. Blalock and his wife Jane.
Last Washlngton's Birthday a fire In tho
house caused the death OF five persons.
Most OF the theatrical occupants Of the
house had dropped of into their first
49,. .f.n. ...has an ha1thnn nj thu
Claridge saw flames shooting through
eAe lower floors at twenty minutes after
o'clock. lie turned In an alarm. but
She flames spread 80 fast that the In
terior Of the house was engulfed when
the iremen arrived.
g. Make Hush 10 the Roof.
Men and women In their night attire
were awakened on each floor. The
Oar mes had shot upward through the
halls and there was little hope for Ca
rape that way. 4 few Of t.;ose "n the
top floors were able to get TO the roof.
Others orowded az the front windows.
Hundreds OF persons who were up
I'M about In the district crowded In
the streets. The windows Of the As.or.
the Claridge and other nearby hotels
we're thronged with spectators. Deputy
Chief Ross called to a crowd OF chauf-
feurs to help the iremen In their rescue
work.. and then the thrills began.
Charles Monfort and his wife clam
6efed from q top floor window down 10
the front extension. John sturgeon. an
actor. made a life line out OF a sheet
and had climbed down to within ten
feet Of the ground when II broke. Mr..
IN Mrs. Blalock. aided by William
Hale. who occupied a room on the third
floor near theirs, after Jumping to the
extension roof crawled along the face
Of the building while the crowd sasped
until they reached the window OF the
house next door. where they were as
sisted inside.
Chauneurs Aid Rescue.
Meanwhile the iremen and chaufYeurs
were running UP ladders. Miss Rita
ZIlmini of the Russian Ballet and her
mother were on the fourth floor. scream
ing that they were about to jump.
The firen,en induced them 10 wall
while the ladders were going up. Abra-
ham krause, a taxicab driver, crawled
out the fourth floor window OF the
house next door. Skinned along the house
front until he relched the m and
aided them, one at a time. back to No.
1853. Firemen carried a number OF men
and women down the ladders. Police
man Daniel Eberle carried Mrs. Frank
Morgan into No. 1853 across the front
OF the house at the fourth floor level.
Those injured wotst were Mary Hal
mon, Mrs. Laura Murray. her son Rob-
ert, Mrs. Mary Wentworth and Mrs
Blalosk. These were taken to Poly
clinic Hospital. Others were treated q
the spot.
Mrs. Blalock notified the police that
$4,000 worth OF jewelry which She kept
under her pillow was missing. william
Hale reported that his watch and ring
xal.ad Al SioS .hah ham a.olen