Jersey City, New Jersey
Tenement Fire
January, 24, 1891
John Gussman Suffocated in a Burning
Tenement House--
NEW YORK, Jan. 26.--A chapter of accidents
hinged upon a fire in a Jersey City tenement
Saturday afternoon.
At 4 o’clock Saturday afternoon flames were seen
bursting out of the rear windows of the ground
floor of the old tenement at the northeast
corner of Essex and Greene street in Jersey
City. Before any engines arrived the flames had
got complete mastery of the inflammable old
building. The first efforts of the firemen were
directed toward saving the tenants, consisting
of six families, including many children. Only a
few succeeded in escaping by means of the
stairs, and the crowds surrounding the fire were
horrified to see faces at nearly every window on
the Essex street side. The prompt work of the
firemen in rearing ladders rescued many of these
without injury. However, several casualties
occurred. The saddest accident was that to old
Mrs. Flannen.
She was driven by the flames to the window and
before a ladder could be raised for her rescue
she was forced to jump. She struck on an empty
piano box, crashing through it, and was picked
up for dead, but recovered consciousness, and it
was found her right leg was broken and that she
had sustained internal injuries. She was taken
to the house of a friend and is expected to
recover.
When the firemen reached the top floor of the
tenement, a portion of which was standing, they
found the body of JOHN
GUSSMAN, who, with his wife and five
children, occupied the rear rooms. It is
supposed that he had been suffocated by the
smoke. The tenement house belonged to
John Offerman,
who lives at Washington and Sussex streets. The
total damage was placed at $2,000, and was
nearly covered by insurance.
Dunkirk Evening Observer, Dunkirk, NY 26
Jan 1891
Transcribed by Audrey. Thank you,
Audrey!
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