The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-03-22
GIRL BUSHES BACK
IN BLAZING HOUSE,
RESCUES KITTENS
Tom and Minnie and Their
Four Little Ones Have
a Narrow Escape.
FACTORY PLANT BURNS
Brooklyn Firemen Follow
Child Into Flames: No
One Is Hurt.
ESTIMATE LOSS 100000
Hundred Families Are Driven
Into Street as Tenements
Are Threatened.
FACTORY PLANT BURNS
LOSS 100000

IIoughton Stubs, his wife and their
six children, of 100 Devoe street,
Brooklyn, were one of more than 100
families that were driven into the
street early this morning when four
alarm fire destroyed the four story
frame factory building III 80 Devoe
street, at Leonard street. causing .
loss of more than 100000 and Great
ing such excitement that reserves
from several police stations had to be
called to handle the panic stricken
tenement house jewellers and the
crowds that came to the blaze from all
sections of Brooklyn.
Stubbs and his wife marshalled their
six children, among them Helen. 10. and
Webster, %, across the street from their
home, and watched while the fire spread
from the factory building and gained
Roadway in the roof. They saw the
flames dip downward into the structure,
and In few moments the third floor
was burning and the fire was getting
foothold in the second floor II was just
about this time that Helen Stubs re-
membered that the family cats. Tom and
Minnie, together with Minnie's four
weeks old kittens. were in their boxes in
the bathroom on the second floor. II ap-
peared as If their fifty-four lives would
be lost.
Daddy" said Helen, I'm going back
TO get Minnie and Tom
Stubs tried to stop her. and so did
her brother, but the girl lodged under
their arms and plunged into the burning
building, Webster broke loose from his
father and mother and ran AFTER her,
and half dozen 9reIneL who had heard
the words TON and Minnie" thought
the gtrl and her brother had gone INTO
the place to rescue some children They
dropped their hose and ran in after
them A policeman ran from his post
and followed. and a man who had been
watching the fire from behind the police
mans back came tumbling at his heels.
At least dozen persons rushed into the
burning Stubbs home within two min
utes after Helen Stubs had cried that
Tom and Minnie were In there.
The police. the f1remen and the crowd
thought that thrilling rescues of babies
and perhaps invalid old women would
follow. The crowd pressed as close as
possible, the tiremen turned extra lines
or hose on the dwelling and the police
pushed their lines back and did their
best to hold the eager crowd in check.
They could hear Helen Stubbs. inside
the house, crying for Tom and Minnie,
and pretty soon several Of those who
were closest TO the building heard the
meowing Of cats.
And then through the doorway came
Helen Stubs. her hair slnged a bit, her
face covered with dirt and smudged
with smoke, but with Minnie and the
four kittens clasped safely iii her arms.
Behind her was Webster Stubs car
rying Tom, and behind them both
trooped the firemen, the policeman and
the volunteer from the ranks OF the
citizens. No one was hurt, although all
of the humans had smoked faces and
blackened hands. The cats looked as
fresh as II they had just stepped from
bandbox.
The police and the firemeu said that
they had no idea how the fire started.
The factory building was a frame
structure. as was the Stubs home, and
burned so briskly and was so filled with
inflammabie materials that the four
alarms were turned in quickly as a
matter of precaution. IL was also for
this reason that the hundred and more
families were ordered to vacate their
apartments. All of them excepting the
Stubs family were able TO move back
after the fire was under control The
eight Stubbses and Tom and Minnie and
the kittens went to the homes OF neigh
bors.
The first floor or the factory building
was occupied by the Interstate Parlor
Frame Company. the second floor by the
United Can Company and the third and
fourth floors by the Perfect Cork Com
pany. Because OF the crowded condi-
ton of the district the police summoned
ambulances from the Greenpoint. Will
iamsburg and st. Catharines hospitals.
but no one was hurt and the ambulance
surgeons had nothing TO do.