The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-21
FAMILY OF SIX
AND 3 OTHERS
PERISH IN FIRE
Trapped Oh Top Floor of
Tenement, Are SuffOcated
in Their Beds.
FIVE ARE CHILDREN
Thirteen Families Escape
to Street, Aided by Po-
lice and Firemen.
BRIDE is AMONG VICTIMS
Flames in Building in West
146th Street Started in
Baby Carriage.
BRIDE Is AMONG VICTIMS

An entire family of six persons, a
mother and her daughter and bride
Of four months lost their lives early
yesterday morning in fire that swept
through the five story tenement at 3O7
West 146th street cutting off three
families that occupied the top floor.
OF the fourteen persons asleep on that
floor when the blaze, which started in
a baby carriage on the ground floor,
shot up through the stairwell and
mushroomed out only five of them
escaped.
When the fire had been subdued suf-
ficiently to permit fremen to enter the
top floor of the building evidence was
found of the panic which had enveloped
the nine victims, five OF whom were chill
dren. when they found themselves cut
of from the stairway and being slowly
surrounded by flames. Two of the chill
dren of Ralph Gibbia, whose family was
entirely wiped out were found In the
apartment of Alfred Powell, who with
his wife and two children, succeeded in
escaping. 1t was apparent that the
youngsters had fed to the rear in the
hope of reaching a fire escape. but were
overtaken by the tongues or lame ana
felled in their path.
Mrs Gibbia's body was found lying
across the window ledge of her apart
ment, her feet dangling inside Nearby
lay the bodies of two of her four chill
dren, Carmella, z years old; Frank D;
Lena, 3, and Jennie. Is months old.
The bodies Of the children were so badly
charred they could not be distinguished
from one another. Mr.. Gibbia's body
was found In an adjoining room.
Bride Is Suffocated.
Mrs Ada Frank, the bride, was suffo-
Gated when she had gone to arouse her
sister. Mrs. Bertha Reynolds, and the
latters daughter, Ruth, 16 years old,
who lay asleep In another room OF the
Frank apartment Mrs. Reynolds and
her daughter apparently were suffocated
In their sleep, as their bodies were found
in a mass of twisted iron that had once
been a bed Charles Frank. the hus-
band. escaped to a rear window after
having failed to locate his wife. al
though he had CROPPED through the smoke
filed apartment. Wife and husband be-
came separated through their anxiety to
salvage the weekly pay envelope. which
had been laid on a bedroom dresser.
ledge facing an adjoining building on
Bradhurst avenue. BY that time the
street was filed with fire apparatus, as
three alarms had been sounded after
policeman discovered the blaze, and lad
ders were being thrown up against DO
sides of the building, which Is at the
northeast corner of Bradhurst avenue
and 146th street. But the window ledge
on which Mr.. Frank stood was just far
enough back from the avenue to prevent
his being seen by those in the street.
Neither could his yells be heard.
1T Families In Panic.
Mr. Frank was swaying backward
and forward from the effects of the
smoke pouring out of the building all
around him when, so he told the police
afterward, a man appeared at a window
Of the Bradhurst avenue apartment and
shouted to him to step across. There
was so much smoke Frank did not real
lie the other window was so near. He
did as he was told and made his way