The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-01-17
400 HOMELESS AS
RESULT OF BLAZE
IN POOR DISTRICT
Many Go to Hospital,
Disfigured for Life

were urlVen INTO Ine cola streets
when fire, starting in the little cloth
ing shop of Marcus Greenstein &
Son, swept upward through the en-
tire tenent house at 1852 E. 10TH St.,
in the working class district of Har-
lem, early yesterday morning.
The fire, starting shortly after
midnight, was famed by the brisk
winds into a roaring blaze, cutting
off all the exits from the tenants,
asleep after a hard days work.
Thrown into pandemonium by the
fire, which soon had spread to al
most every floor of the old red brick
five-story building with out of date
and inadequate fire-escapes, the ten
ants tried vainly to escape. When
the charred bodies were found two
mothers with infants clutched to
their breasts were among them. The
dead are;
Mrs. Justina Martinez, as years
old.
Olga opposite, years old, her
grandchild.
Manuel opposite, weeks old, an
other grandchild
Dionisio opposite, 80 years old.
Herminia opposite, % years old,
bis wife.
Miguel opposite, 6 years old, their
SON.
Forced Into Streets.
The blaze started shortly after
midnight in the basement and had
spread to the dumbwaiter shaft when
discovered by Maurice Gasparo, a
worker living on the ground floor
1t yras Gasparo, who, hurriedly
slipping few clothes on, sped to
the nearest fire alarm box and sum-
moned firemen to the building, al
ready furnace.
The roofs of three adjoining build
ings, all tenements of the same type
as that in which the fire started,
were crowded with workers and their
wives and children. The flames had
begun to spread to adjoining build
ings, and workers in these too were
forced to flee for their lives into
the cold street Other workers were
cropping. their lungs filling with the
fumes, through the halls of the burn
ing building filled with heavy chok-
ing smoke.
Women Hystericai.
When the firemen arrived, ladders
shot up en- all sides, firemen helping
scores to descend to the street, where
neighbors led hysterical women and
frightened children to their homes
up and down the block. Some were
taken to the Bellmore Theatre oppo-
site, from which all had been evicted
to make room for the victims of the
fire.
Before the roofs had been cleared.
flames were bursting through them,
showering the entire neighborhood
with sparks that started other iso-
lated fires throughout the block.
Many Collapse.
Mrs. Marie Martinez and hel
daughters, Marie, 8 and Julie,
months old, who were badly burned
blythe. flames and almost unconscious
from having inhaled the thick smoke
and fumes, were hurriedly removed
to5the Beth David Hospital. Fireman
James Donahue, of Hook and Ladder
Cdhpany LAB, was badly burned OF
hiSl hands and overcome by smoke
willie Searching for other workers
trepped in the burning building. His
mites carried him down ladder ant
sent him to the Harlem Hospital.
Louise Aldo, a tenant, was fount
living in a hallway of an adjoining
btjSidiHg while the fire was raging
most furiously. Overcome by smoke
she--sss,~ treated by an ambulance
surgeon. Searchlights were trainet
or the building while twenty stream
of wafer continually played on it
Over fifty families in adjoining
buildings fled, wet and cold iron
TIN streams of water, into the street
Most of the workers left homeless
bE the fire are Portuguese, Spanisl
and Latin-Americans, many OF whom
are employed as laborers on tn
8th Ave. subway now under construc
ton. Others are employed at tn
docks along the East River, fey
blocks away. In spite OF the fac
that the building was an old an
moderate sized tenement, it was oc
cupied by almost 200 families, VIII
crowded into one or two rooms be
cause the rent for more was pro
hibitive for them. All six OF tn
dead were found in little two-roor
rear apartment on the third floor.
Late last night many Of the home
less were sick in the crowded home
Of neighbors, many with influenz
and pneumonia after the exposure 7
the fire and streams Of water an
the cold streets. Others had lost thei
Jobs. being too weak to go to wor
at 7 o'clock in the morning ate
the rigorous night.
In the hospitals to which the in
jured had been removed, it was sal
th.t all would recover, but woul
be disfigured for life.
@By nbolishing private property
II Hand, BY nntionalfEinE the en-
terprises, the banks. which are NJ
NJ fhfs moment engaged In organic
fer Industry. we have exposed our
" .--1->~ "a nhousts fvOns NIL aides Ia