Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-10-23
Work Of F'irebug

baby carriage under the stairs IN the
lower hall under almost identical cir
cumstances as the recent incendiary
fire in an upper West Side apart
nent house which resulted in seven
deaths. SO quickly did the flames
shoot through the building that a
number of the dead were found in
bed burned or suffocated without
the slightest opportunity to escape.
Nathan Silver and four of his chill
dren We're among the victims. Mrs.
Silver escaped. Nh. and Mrs Abra :
ham and Matilslis and Sydney and
Catherine Sugarman. brother and
sister Of Mrs. Matilsky also persisted
in the flames.
Shortly after 1 o'clock this morn
ing smoke was seen issuing from the
hallway of the building. Within
few minutes the whole building. the
ground floor of which is occupied by
stores. was u mass of flames and exit
by the Stairways was cut off. Most
oi the persons on the second floor
succeeded in making their way down
the fire escapes, but those on the up
per floors had to battle through
e.noke and flames pouring out of the
windows.
Several tenants perched on upper
story windows threatened to jump
Lut were prevailed upon by tiremen
to remain until ladders could be
raised to take them down. One aged
woman, Mrs. Mary Inglass, disre-
garded the warning and leaped from
the fourth floor, receiving injuries
which caused her death tonight.
While the firemen We're at work on
the second floor and preparing to
fght their way to the one above, the
third floor collapsed, but not before
a warning roar had sent the firemen
10 safety.
Nearly a score of persons owe their
lives to II year old James ODonenll,
a mechanics helper, who heard
woman cry for help. Running to the
street, he saw the woman leaning
out of the window on the second floor
of the burning tenement with two
small children by her side. The
Young man clambered on the sill of
a store window, jumped and caught
a swinging sign and pulled himself
up to the window He led the tnree
frightened tenants down the fire es-
cape to the street and then ran back
and rescued the Woman'S Is months
old baby, who was asleep in crib.
Later he went to the roof of an ad-
joining building and by throwing n
board over the alley space, made it
possible for a number of tenants,
who seemingly had been cut off from
escape, to cross in safety.
William Corners, %, also rescued
a number of persons from the third
third floor, including Mrs. Silver.
He was badly burned when a lust
Of flame burned the clothing from
lis back as he was walking down the
fire escape with woman in his
arms.
Every thing points TO the fire be-
ing of incendiary origin" assistant
District Attorney Hennis, who is con-
Quoting a investigation, said tonight.
Mr. Hennis, one of the first officials
to visit the scene while the blaze
was in progress. has noted the
marked similarity between today's
fire and that in the West Side apart
ment house several weeks ago, when
seven persons were burnd to death.
At that time, in a doorway next
to the building burned. a tenant re-
ported that just before the fire. he
had discovered a blazing baby car
riage in the hall He extingu;sbed
it. and as lie did so. saw q man, I'M