The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-10-23
FOURTEEN PERISH
IN TENEMENT FIRE
Many More Hurt in New York Holo-
caust Believed to Be OF In.
cendiary Origin.

New York, Oct. Fourteen per
sons, most of them children, lost
their lives early today in fire be
ileved by city officials to be the WORK
OF pyromaniac. The flames swept
with murderous suddenness from ce..
lar to attic OF fiye-stpry brick tene
ment at Lexington avenue and One
Hundred and Tenth street, In the
thickly populated East side.
The blaze apparently started in O
baby carriage under the stairs in the
lower hall, under almost identical CIR.
cumstances as the recent incendiary
fire in an upper West-side apartment
house, which resulted in seven deaths
so quickly did the flames shoot
through the building that number
OF the dead we're found in bed, burned
or suffocated without the slightest
opportunity to escape.
Soon after In the morning smoke
was seen Issuing from the hallway of
the building. Within a few minutes
me wnoe building, the ground floor
OF which is occupied by stores, was a
mass OF flames and exit by the stair
ways was cut off. Most OF the per.
sons on the second floor succeeded In
making their way down the fire es.
capes, but those on the upper floors
had to bate through smoke and
hames pouring out OF the windows.
Several tenants perched on upper
story windows threatened TO jump.
but were prevailed upon by firemen to
remain until ladders could be raised
TO take them down. One aged woman,
Mrs. Mary Inglass, disregarded the
warning and leaped from the fourth
floor. suffering injuries which caused
her death tonight.
While the fremen were at work
on the second floor and preparing to
fight their way to the one above, the
third floor collapsed. but not before a
warning roar had sent the firemen to
safety.
Nearly score OF persons owe their
lives TO l7-year-old James O'Donne.l,
a mechanics helper, who was eating
at restaurant in the vicinity when
he heard woman cry for hep Run
ming to the street, he saw the woman
leaning out OF the window on the sec.
ond floor OF the burning tenement
with two small children by her side.
The young man clambered on the
sill OF store window, jumped and
caught swinging sign and pulled
himself up to the window. He led the
three frightened tenants down the
fire escape to the street and then ran
back and rescued the woman's IS.
months-old baby. who was asleep in 4
crib. Later. he went TO the roof OF an
adjoining building and by throwing a
board over the alley space, made 1t
possible for number OF tenants. who
seemingly had been cut off from es'
cape. to cross in safely.
/ William Corners. 90, who lives with
his mother across the street from the
burned building, also rescued mum.
Der of persons from the third floor,
including Mrs. Silver. He was badly
burned when gust OF flame burned
the clothing from his back as he was
walking down the fire escape with Il
woman in his arms.
Everything points to the fire being
OF incendiary origin said Assistant
District Attorney Hennis, who is con.
ducting an investigation. Hennis,
one of the first officials to visit the
scene while the blaze was in progress
has noted the marked similarity be-
tween the FIRE and that In the West
side apartment house several weeks
ago, when seven persons were burned
To death.