The sun., 1919-03-27
FIRE TRAPS FAMILY;
SPERISH, 2 ESCAPE
Mother Gives Her Life in FL
fort to Save Two of Her
Children.
HUSBAND IS NEAR DEATH
Bodies Of Victims Buried in
Ruins Of Recently Bought
Richmond Hill Home.

Mrs Louise Mercier gave her life yes
terday in fruitless effort 70 save two
OF her children after fre had trapped
the family in the second story OF their
frame cottage on Oracle avenue, Rich
mond HUI Circle, Queens. The mother
and her daushters-Leonia, e-Sears old,
and Helen. 3-were burned to death.
George Mercier, the husband and father,
who is a signal man employed by the
with Emily. aged s years. the third
child. Both were injured. however, and
are in st. Mary's Hospital, Jamaica,
where II is feared the little girl will die.
Mercier came home frem work at Q
o'clock yesterday morning, banked the
FIRE in the kitchen stove and then went
upstairs to bed. At . O'Clock the lower
part of the house was In flames.
The fire evidentally originated on the
lower floor. but MERCER said in the
hospital last night he did not know
whether II started inside or outside the
house. He says that a workman he
had employed about the place threat
| ened on Monday to get even" with
get no pay II he didn't finish his Job.
whereabouts OF tho man just prior to
the FIRE.
Mother Awakens sIeepers.
Mrs. Mercier. who was sleeping IN the
back room over the kitchen with little
Helen, was the first to awaken. She
hurried to the stairway 70 hnd that es-
cape was cut off. Her husband and
Emily were in the front room and
Leonia alone in the middle room. She
aroused them by her screams.
hurried survey of the situation told
MERCER that the windows offered the
only means of escape.
"Ill jump" he told his wife. Then
you drop the children down to me and
I'll catch them then you can jump too"
MERCER smashed the glass In front
window with his fist. cutting his right
hand badly. Dressed only in his night
clothes ne dropped to the ground. One
Of the neighbors arrived at this juncturs,
and. taking OF his overcoat he and Mer-
cier held II under the window as a life
net. They caught Emily In 1t safely
Her hands and face were burned and
lungs from the flames she had inhaled.
Tries to Rescue Wife.
Mrs. Mercier disappeared from the
window. having started for the other
children. The two men below waited
anxiously for a minute, but she did not
come back. There was no ladder ip tho
vicinity so they ripped of section Of
picket fence and placed 1t against the
side of the burning house. which by this
time was mass of flames.
MERCER mounted to the window and
had his head and shoulders inside when
there was an explosion. as a back
draught swept through the aperture and
he was blown backward and fell TO the
ground. spraning one of his ankles He
tried TO mount the improvised ladder a
second time and fought when those who
had by this time arrived sought to re-
strain him.
The neighbors formed. bucket
brigade to the little creek which runs
nearby, but the house was doomed. Tho
nearest city fire company was at South
Ozone Park, and MERCER said last night
that the firemen ignored three alarms
sent in by telephone. There are no
alarm boxes In Richmond Hill Circle
and the hremen started for the scene
only after a resident drove to the engine
house in his automobile and gave the
alarm. according to Mercier. who added
that it took them an hour to reach his
burning dwelling.
Denies Delay In Responding.
This was denied by George Cava-
naugh, acting chief OF the Fifty-frst
Battalion. in charge OF the district.
II am informed that the fire broke
out at A. NJ he said. I'VE re-
ceived the alarm by telephone at 5 III
and l reached the scene within eight
minutes to find one company already
there. Two others arrived within seven
more minutes. Considering the distance
We had to go-almost three miles,
consider this remarkably quick time"
Mercier insists that the first piece
Of apparatus did not arrive until 8
o'clock and that even then the fremen
did nothing until some one told them
a woman and two children were still
inside the burning house. He says they
| then turned the contents OF a chemical
extinguisher on the flames without ef-
| feet and Joined the neighbors in the
bucket brigade which had been already
| formed.
Had the hremen come with a steam
| fire engine they could have pumped
water from big sewer only 100 feet
from the house. or they could have
pumped it from the creek" said Mer-
cer NO engines came, however
nothing but hosecarts-so no water was
| available"
Mrs. Mercier and her two children
we're buried in the ruins when the root
and sides of the cottage collapsed The
bodies were afterward recovered,
Mr.. and Mrs. MERCER were married
twelve years and formerly lived In
| Ridgewood. They bought the house at
Richmond Hill last summer and Mercler
gave all his savings for it. There was