Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-19
FIRE RESCUE CAPS
MOTHERS HERO|SM
Mrs. Park Keeps Family To-
gether Despite Long Chain
of Misfortune
SAVED THREE FROM FLAMES

When Mrs. Annie Mccall Park, Pill
carp street, grabbed her three small
children and hurried them into the street
last night to save them from the flames
at their burning home, she added just
one more stroke to her already long list
of heroic efforts to keep her family to-
gether In the face of misfortune.
Bursting boilers. descrtiou by her
husband, death and serious illness are
some of the forms of hard luck that have
pursued Mrs. Park for the last five years
since she moved into the carp street
house. but never before were the family
thrown upon the kindness of the neigh
bors.
The big household was divided into
three groups last night, but came to-
gether this morning to try to make
| plans for another home.
"I haven't a place to go," said Mrs.
Park this morning as she sat. sur
rounded by FIVE of her children in the
dining room of the home of Mrs. Mar
garet Grohmann, 2115 Earp street.
Comfortable between an oil stove and
coal stove, several of the children
were eating breakfast of molasses
bread and coffee, and Mrs. Park was
/ WTllluK n 'elltI W u NOhoih bNahAe @NA
''If YOU were to kill me for it, !
| couldn't tell you how the fire started,
| said Mrs. Park. 81 had pot of soup
! on the fire for the older children when
| they came home from work. 1t was
about half past eight and Helen said 1t
| sounded as though some one was at the
back door. When l opened the door,
everything was in flames.
! fThe good Lord must have been
watching over us, for, thank Him, the
three children were dressed. just
said "Well now, I'll get you children
washed and put you to bed, when the
| fire started.
"I gave one look at the fire. oh,
my Cod; / exclaimed, and grabbed
the children to me and took them into
'he street. John called for his dog
| Tiny, so ! went back for him. The
| house was full of smoke and one of the
men pulled me back into the street
| risked my life to save the dog"
But Tiny. poor dog, never came ou
of the burning house, but was suf'
focated and John is disconsolate this
morning at the loss of his pet
The four older children were out o
he house when the fire started.
Everything Has Happened"
"When we first moved into the house
five years ago, the boiler burst" sale
Elizabeth, the oldest girl who started
work Monday, after several weeks IL
bed with pneumonia.
1T seems as if everything has hap
pened," Mrs. Park went on. my hus-
band left me July 4, 1915, and I've
never heard from him since. lie left
me with seven children and not u loaf
of bread in the house. He was fine
fellow, could make from five to ten dol
lars day as an elevator erector, but
he was ruined by drink. Before be went
he said he was going to commit suicide
but you never heard of an lrishmar
committing suicide, did youy'
Following the departure of her hus'
band, Mrs. Park took her mother, Mrs
Mccall to live with her. She took care
of the children and washed and ironet
while Mrs. Park worked in a chair fac
tory. Last year the mother died.
Since then Mrs. Park has remained
at home to take care of her three smal
children. Joseph, fourteen years old
on farm for the last three years, ha
lust returned home. to be put to wOrl
by the Children's Aid Society the frs
of the year. The three older childrel
work. Every cent they earn helps t.
support the family.
Neighbors have taken up a subscrip
ton to tide the Parks over the Christ
mas season. Virtually everything tn
family owned was burned or utterl
ruined by the water. Two Bibles gift
from Bethany Presbyterian Sunda
School to two Of the children, wer
saved.
'If we can find another house, We
haua nothing tn mt i'll II, ~ saws MrS
t Park. 1--WE can't stay with these peo
pie. ."
| The three younger children and til
. mother stayed with Mrs Grohmann las
night: Elizabeth with her aunt, Mr'
Elizabeth Mccall, 2140 Sears stlce
and the other children with Mrs. Mar
! Merritt at 1909 Taylor street.