New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-06
Tenement Fire
Kills One, Many
Lodgers Saved
Night Blaze at Ninth Ave.
and 10th Street Drives
Sailor Roomers to Roof
When Escape Is Cut Off
Firemen Form Life Lines
Priest at Phone IL Minutes
i'll Vain Effort to Raise
Central and Give Alarm

One man was burned to death in a
spectacular fire last night that de-
stroyed a four-story brick tenement
at Fortieth Street and Ninth Avenue
operated as boarding house by Per
rely Abraham, of 400 West Fortieth
Street. Fifty Greeks and Turks
roomers in the house, we're cut off by
flames and smoke. They were res
cued by means of scaling and extern
sion ladders.
The dead man was identified as Shiel
Smael, twenty-seven years old and mar
ried. He is said by the police to have
separated from his wife three months
ago. His body was found on the top
floor of the building after the flames
had been extinguished. More than
5000 persons witnessed the fire. Police
reserves controlled the crowd.
Abraham, lessee of the building, was
sleeping there last night. He was one
of THOSE carried down scaling ladders
by Lieutenant Philip Fitzpatrick, of
Truck a. He was unconscious, but re-
covered under treatment by ambulance
surgeons.
Priest Twelve Minutes at Phone
The Rev. Father Polczynski, assist
ant pastor of ST. Clements Roman
CATHOLIC Church, which is three doors
from the tenement, was awakened by
roaring of the flames. He tried for
ator in order to turn in an alarm, but
was still at the telephone when the
first fire companies arrived, having
been summoned by a pedestrian who
turned in an alarm from a street box
When Captain O'Connor with Truck
21 arrived the building was ablaze from
cellar to roof and smoke was billowing
from windows on all floors. The build
ing was occupied entirely by men room
ers. Had women and children been in
any of the upper floors heavy loss of
life would have been inevitable, the
firemen said.
Egress by means of fire escapes was
entirely cut off when Captain O'Con-
nor and Lieutenant Fitzpatrick, of
Truck d, made their survey. A score
OF men had gone to the roof, from
which they shouted appeals for help.
Captain O'Connor megaphoned the men
to stay where they were and all would
be rescued
Five minutes after the first apparatus
arrived the extension ladder swung into
Forteth Street and was run to the roof
Before that scaling ladders were brought
into play and men who had been trapped
in rooms on the third floor were brought
down.
Rescuers Hidden by Smoke
Firemen stationed on scaling ladders
hung like flies on the front of the blaz-
ing structure, visible only occasionally
through pillows of smoke. Men emerr-
ing from windows were passed from lad
der to ladder and finally to the street
One man taken down the scaling ladders
weighed 230 pounds. He Travelled legs
up part of the time, but was passed
down without a scratch.
Most of the roomers were seafarers.
thirty being members of ships crews
from Greek and Turkish ports on yes-
sells now in New York Harbor. One
sailor, Greek, who said he had serve d
in the Greek navy, descended by means
of zinc pipe at the rear of the struc-
ture. He was at first reported missing
but later explained how he reached the
street.
Eight persons were slightly hurt
Four were treated for smoke sickness.
None Of the injured required hospital
trextment