The Washington herald., 1922-10-23
Maniac's Torch in Group
Of Baby Carriages g.
Starts Holocaust.
CHILDREN AMONG
UNKNOWN DEAD
Fifth .;.Incendiary Blaze
In Same Vicinity
Marks Tragedy.

maniac. applying his torch to in
hammable garments in a group Of
baby carriages parked for the night
in a lower hallway. converted two
Lexington avenue tenement houses
Into flaming furnaces and brought
a toll of death today estimated at
between fourteen and twenty men.
women and children.
Selecting the most advantageous
point for perpetrating his madness
light wicker perambulators Of all
sorts at the foot of a stairway
the pyromaniac saw the flames take
hold rapidly and mount upward.
trapping the sleeping tenants on
floors above. Quickly spreading.
the adjoining tenement building
was swept by the FIRE before the
FIRE apparatus could make effective
headway against It,
Fifth Fire Set In Neixhborhood.
While firemen are raking the
ruins of the two five-story build
ings for missing bodies. every
available detective has been as
signed to the task of ferreting out
the madman responsible for the
holocaust.
The tragedy was the fifth in
cendiary fire to be reported in the
same neighborhood recently. Last
Sunday morning and the Sunday
previous at least six false alarms
were sounded In the district. Po-
lice incline to the belief that an
insane person. obsessed with the
excitement ordinarily attending a
fire. is responsible for all Of them.
Eleven Bodies In MorEue.
A number of children are among
Abe unidentified dead. One or more
ad been dropped from windows by
frantic mothers just as aid was
about to reach them. Eleven bodies
taken to the morgue were burned al
most beyond recognition.
The streets in the vicinity of the
FIRE were roped of by the police
shortly after the fire broke out early
this morning. The lines were
stormed by grief-stricken relatives
Of the occupants of the tenements
and thousands of spectators who
watched thrilling rescues by Are
me and police.
ONLY q few weeks ago six persons
were killed in an apartment building
fire IN Broadway. a few blocks from
the buildings destroyed by today's $
blaze. That fire began in baby
carriage more than a year ago a fre
of the same nature trapped inmates
If an apartment building and cused
less Of life, 1t began in baby CAR
riage. -.
Myor John F. Hylan visited the
scene OF today's fire as the firemen
were searching amid the charred
debris for the bodies of seven per
sons still missing Fire Marsnai
Rrophy told him he believed the hre
wa caused by a maniac. The mayor
then ordered the police to start
man hunt
The tragedy of the Silver family
was learned after the survivors mad
!, been cared for
The Silvers escaped from the roof
of the burning building to the rooi
OF the adjoining building ana
reached the street. Then Sara Sill
YER q years old, screamed that
she had forgotten her engagement
ring received only a few hours be-
,ore. There was to have been
party this afternoon at which her
nrasement to Edward Pine would
he announced
Sara ran back into the burning
apartment. followed by her father
Reniamin. 80 years old; her two
brothers and two sisters They i'm
pIored her not to go back. but when
she disreEarded them. they ran az
,er her All six died in one room.
Pine. Miss Silver's fance. knew
nothing about the young woman
death until he arrived to attend
the party.
The Sugarman family. consisting
~ twelve persons. all living In one
apartment. lost three Of its mem
hers, Sidney. %: Katherine. 26. and
Marie. q.
Michael Nolan was one of the
first rescuers He was chatting
with Patrolman Stephen Wall when
they saw flames burst from the
building. Wall hoisted Nolan high
enough 50 that Nolan could grasp
the see-saw ladder which hangs
about ten feet from the sidewalk.
Fate of Hero Unknown.
Nolan hauled down the ladder
permitting Wall to mount it. and
they went up the fire escape to-
gether. smashing windows. alarm
ing the inmates and hustling peo-
pie down the fire escape. They
assisting in bringing down about
thirty persons. Nolan was burned
by the hot bars Of the fire escape.
but had his burns dressed and
returned to the rescue work. He
was last recognized at a window
on the third floor which collapsed
soon afterwards. His fate could not
be learned.