New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-19
Nightly Visitor Kindles Z
More Battling Blazes In
Tenement Cellars.
POLICE AND FIREMEN
SPREAD NETS IN VAIN
Fitting Maniac, Now Author OF
Fifty Fires, Prefers Places
Near Station Houses.

When lIarlem's frebug klndled his
usual evening fires yesterday, life in
that far land above the park slackenod
and dropped into tho calm OF early
evening reverie. Housewives, hearing
the clang OF the hurrying engines,
Strengthened backs, bent all dav over
the ironing board. and set about pre-
pairing supper for their returning
lords. Clerks in the shops past which
the ladder trucks rumbled sighed in re-
lief at the thought that tho day was
over. Lampighters bestirred them
selves. The frebug was on his evening
rounds. and It was time that the streets
were Illuminated legally also.
Since December % blazing homes
have greeted tho Harlemite each even
tide. Sometimes it was some other
persons nome that held the fire; some
times II was his own. Always at night
fall. one CT two or three burning build
ings shed their glow through the gath
ering dusk. The Harlem frebug is reg
ular In his habits. He works from I
to s, never later, and he takes day OF
on Thursday
As IN quiet country lanes the light
ming bug glimmers in the twilight, SO
in the secluded haunts OF Harlem the
hrebug wrinkles each evening. He has
become an institution in the last
month. The city fathers are contem
plating altering the Harlem escutcheon
by replacing the traditional goat with
a tireDug rampant or a sable field
Fires Strikingly Alike.
Last nights two fires were typical
Of the fifty-odd others which the flame
loving and unidentified gentleman has
kindled since December 2S. They came
ut nigbtfall. They originated in the
cellars of five-story tenements. They
made the firemen swear profusely. All
the rest of Harlem goes home when
the frebug begins his evening rounds.
The fire department goes 70 work.
Fires were started last evening, first
in the basement of 800 West ll6th
Street and later in the basement OF
POS West l17th Street. They were
started at the bottom Of dumbwaiter
shafts with boards torn from coal bins.
Each did about 81 900 damage. and
they came so close together that a
second alarm was sent IN. The engines
Of the district were too busy at the
first blaze to attend 10 the second.
All OF the ith Branch detectives arc
hunting for the inhammatory person
All Of the fire marshals Of Manhattan.
BROOKLYN and The Bronx. under Chief
Marshais Brophy and Prial, have been
concentrated in the territory Dumi-
mated nightly. Patrolmen and fremen
i'm plain clothes scour the streets, pur-
suing the firebug with an energy that
would DO credit 10 the most persistent
zoOlogist. SO far their combined ento-
mological endeavors have gathered only
the following data:
Fircbug Incensus harleriensis);
also known 10 the fremen as that de
leted nuisance" and other more uncouth
titles. Habitat: District lying between
116th and l35th Streets and Lenox and
Amsterdam Avenues. Little is known
of the habits of this creature. Traces
of il are found in the cellars Of tcne-
ments. from which traces II derives
the prefix Of its common name. Be
lieved 10 be nocturnal, shy and retlr'
ing.
Police Hunt in Vain.
At first the students Of the pest be-
lieved that by cleaning up the rubbish
In all cellars of the district tho tirebug
would be thwarted. When this was
done the pyromaniac merely brought
along his own fuel and kindled the
merry blazes in dumbwaiter shaft or
stairway. Then they thought he built
his fires to rob, but nothing ever was
taken from the burning buildings, eN-
cept persons the fremen rescued. Then
they worked on the hypothesis that 1T
was curiosity and love Of excitement
that prompted him, until the bug turned
his back upon the furry of fire at
its height to 60 and start and some
others.
In vain do the detectives detect and
the policemen police. Useless are the
marshallings OF the marshals and the