The New York herald., 1922-12-01
70 FAMILIES FLEE,
\ BABIES LEFT IN FIRE
Passerby Shouts Alarm in
Henry Street Tenement;
Rescues Infant.
CRIPPLED GIRL SAVED
Policeman Finds Her Hid
4. inc Under Bed as Smoke
Fills Room.
TIREMEY CARRY OTHERS
Frenzied Crowd Led From
Blaze to Synagogue
Next Door.
TIREMEN CARRY OTHERS

Joseph Mompalto, a driver for the
Street Cleaning Department. was
passing the six story tenement at 81
Henry street late yesterday afternoon
when he saw burst of flame in the
handkerchief store Of Jacob Sharoot,
on the ground floor. He ran into the
house and found the Railways filed
with smoke, but he made his way up
the stairs, shouting and banging at
doors as he went. until he reached
the fourth floor. There he found an
open door, and across the threshold.
unconscious from smoke, lay four
teen-month- old baby, Dorothy Osof-
sky.
Mompalto picked up the child, ran into
q room and wrappei her in blanket
Then he tried to get down the stairs
with her, but found the halls filled with
smoke and congested with the frightened
tenants who by this time were running
shrieking, toward the street. So he went
again into the Osofsky apartment and
climbed through a window on the fire
escape. He went down the ladder to the
second floor where he met a fireman
coming up He gave the baby to the
fireman, who carried her to the street
and into the synagogue next door at SO
Henry street and then Went BACK TO
help other tenants escape
Not far behind Mompalto when he
went into the house was Patrolman John
McEntee of the Oak street station. He
stopped when he reached the third floor
because he heard child crying. Open
ing door he found. lying under the bed
in q room filled with smoke, a twelve
year old crippled girl, Freda Schaefer.
who had not been able to walk and who.
when smoke began to come into the
room. had crawled under the bed. 1t
was her invariable refuge, she told the
policeman, and she did not think that
anything could get at her there. When
the policeman found her she was almost
overcome He carried her downstairs
and into the synagogue.
Tho firemen raised ladders against
the building and one Of the first to go
up was Fireman Henry Hagewald.
chauffeur for Battalion Chief Kavan-
augh In one of the Railways Hagewald
met Charles Risnick with a three
months-old baby in his arms wander
ing about crying frantically for his
wife She had started down behind
him. he said, but had got lost. Hage-
wald found her unconscious on land
ing ana carried ner TO tne stTeet
BY this time other policemen had
come and were going through the house.
Among them was Patrolman Swider of
the Clinton street station. He fought his
way through the smoke to the fourth
floor and in an apartment there found
Bernard Kabakol. 13 months old. He
wrapped the baby in his coat. carried
him down the fire escape to the second
floor and handed him to a fireman. The
baby was taken into the synagogue.
where all the other members of the
twenty-five families that live in the tene-
ment had gathered and where those who
had been hurt by smoke or slightly
burned were treated by DR.. Stein of
Gouverneur Hospital.
After forty-five minutes work the fire.
men extinguished the fire. II was con-
find to Sharoots store and caused dam
age estimated at $1,000.