Fatal Fire in Manhattan.

Fatal Fire in Manhattan.

Four persons were killed and a score of others narrowly escaped death in a fire in a 7-story and basement building at Nos. 542, 544 and 546 Water street, which destroyed the building and did about $100,000 damage. Two hours after the fire was extinguished, Battalion Chief Galvin and the men of truck 9, in overhauling the sixth floor of the building, came across the badly burned bodies of four persons. Up to that time it had not been known that any lives were lost. The bodies were burned beyond recognition. A superficial examination led the firemen to believe that two codies were of men and a third that of a woman. The sex of the fourth could not be distinguished; but the body was thought to be that of a woman. It is believed the victuns, groping around In the smoky darkness, narrow and crooked passageways of the building in an effort to escape, were overcome by smoke. While the firemen were searching for bodies six of them fell from the sixth to the fourth floor. Two had their ribs broken. After the second alarm had been turned in Deputy hire Chief Guerin arrived. He led a rescue party into the building from the Cherry street side. The flames had not reached that side of the building on the third and fourth floors On some of the upper floors the deputy chief and his men found the sweatshop workers sitting at their machines. In front the flames spread out like a fan and finally covered the entire east side of the building from the third floor to the roof. Shortly after the engines arrived the fire burst through the roof. In a vacant loft on the third floor of 544. which is just west of the centre of the building was found a small blaze. There is no opening in the wall which separates 544 from 546 and 548. The firemen were ordered to chop away the floor boards; no blaze was beneath them, which seemed proof enough that the fire was of incendiary origin. Similar fires had apparently been started in 546 and 548, the east wing of the building. It was this wing which was burned from the third floor up. There were a number of vacant rooms in this part of the building, although the entire fourth, fifth, and sixth floors were occupied by sweatshop wi rkers. Some of the workers lived in the building, sleeping in little rooms adjoining the main workrooms. In rescuework all along the front of the burning building on the west wing fire ladders were run up high as the fifth floor just after the firemen arrived. The top floors of the building were devoted to sweatshop work, but w’ere also used, contrary to law, as sleeping apartments. The whole building was old and ramshackle with woodwork so dry, that it went up like tinder. On the same site the Haywood chair factory was burned down in 1894. In this last fire all the horses in the livery stable on the ground-floor were got out in safety.

Four persons were killed and a score of others narrowly escaped death in a fire in a 7-story and basement building at Nos. 542, 544 and 546 Water street, which destroyed the building and did about $100,000 damage. Two hours after the fire was extinguished, Battalion Chief Galvin and the men of truck 9, in overhauling the sixth floor of the building, came across the badly burned bodies of four persons. Up to that time it had not been known that any lives were lost. The bodies were burned beyond recognition. A superficial examination led the firemen to believe that two codies were of men and a third that of a woman. The sex of the fourth could not be distinguished; but the body was thought to be that of a woman. It is believed the victuns, groping around In the smoky darkness, narrow and crooked passageways of the building in an effort to escape, were overcome by smoke. While the firemen were searching for bodies six of them fell from the sixth to the fourth floor. Two had their ribs broken. After the second alarm had been turned in Deputy hire Chief Guerin arrived. He led a rescue party into the building from the Cherry street side. The flames had not reached that side of the building on the third and fourth floors On some of the upper floors the deputy chief and his men found the sweatshop workers sitting at their machines. In front the flames spread out like a fan and finally covered the entire east side of the building from the third floor to the roof. Shortly after the engines arrived the fire burst through the roof. In a vacant loft on the third floor of 544. which is just west of the centre of the building was found a small blaze. There is no opening in the wall which separates 544 from 546 and 548. The firemen were ordered to chop away the floor boards; no blaze was beneath them, which seemed proof enough that the fire was of incendiary origin. Similar fires had apparently been started in 546 and 548, the east wing of the building. It was this wing which was burned from the third floor up. There were a number of vacant rooms in this part of the building, although the entire fourth, fifth, and sixth floors were occupied by sweatshop wi rkers. Some of the workers lived in the building, sleeping in little rooms adjoining the main workrooms. In rescuework all along the front of the burning building on the west wing fire ladders were run up high as the fifth floor just after the firemen arrived. The top floors of the building were devoted to sweatshop work, but w’ere also used, contrary to law, as sleeping apartments. The whole building was old and ramshackle with woodwork so dry, that it went up like tinder. On the same site the Haywood chair factory was burned down in 1894. In this last fire all the horses in the livery stable on the ground-floor were got out in safety.