TRAGIC OCCURRENCE IN EDINBURGH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 180, 25 April 1908, Page 10

TRAGIC OCCURRENCE IN EDINBURGH.

FOUR ..CHILDREN BURNED TO, DEATH

distressing;, scenes. L ; ' ?"h e . groafc danger .of ; lcaving 'fouiig; cliil- : is —R l *,. K,omo- .unattended,,'.. nhich r '.is-.jso,' oftori brought. to inotioo by the occurrence , of burning accidents, was demonstrated- in a tragic Uiantier, on tlio night of'March-9,- , i'l, Edinburgh, when, four children'.Vcro L biirncd to death or suffocated, in a',, one- . roomed houso at Milne's Couri, 'Lamunarkot, ono of the most congested'alum areas :• °l. tho-- city;. It seems -tliaifc" two .neigh-' : ' bci'urs,; Mrs.. Catherine Moore .or Dehli'am i : - , ai s Brown, liad . arrangod . a'^visit..to Leith, arid . during 1 their flbsonco ,'thoy,;ie.(t; ' t-|iolr• • children together, •'•in Denham'S I ■ ?hV neighbours;.krieW'• the- children. ; wei;o -.there;; and ..they ,seemed '.'qiiite ijuipt.'; ■ fire . originated heen'.ascerr' taiiied; , but there is .q string 'prpbabjiity ; - that! thp' children'-;had <'been- playing either. 1 ; .with; matches -or in front of;:'the. fire. ' Tho first intimation ~tbat.'anything Fas' wrong, ■ Was ,the. -.raising -'of an . atarmdof fire, fey,, a; ' ', i fourteen named Charles Holt, who! : resides at.;s'.Milno|s 'Court-.."'.'Ho. had been, looking from tlio window of his home, whiclii faces tho back of 1 the • Lawninarket, when l he.. observed . smoke .and : (lames at tho.'window .'of-. Mrs; ;Denham's . house.;■■>. Ho at 'oncei rushed .-.out Vtq tlio .istr'cet, and informed a . policeman,ii who; firo; ;6rig-; ade. : • Holt ran back, to Rthei stair '-where.; the firo. was,'and in-'a moment most, of-tho neighbours know. : • : ' HOUSE . LIKE 'A FURNACE. . \ .They. swarmed'• out -of • • their.,warrens-r----there, aro. -said to be over';fifty onc-roomcd houses in- tho ; ,stair^an'd ; pandemonium reigned... Women went into, hysterics, others wept,/and; men wont'about shouting, direc-; tions, , o.f which . nobody'" for.:,'a''-timo took ■ any ; notice., •..< There : wero'. olio-, or two . .wlip .: rotamed .their. -prefielico 'of .mind, aiid,va-la- ■ ho.unsr' named, James .Conway.;,took; tho 'ini# tiatiyo.Tho,door was l forced/.^.andiConway.;, dashed into, tlio house,; 'wdiiohjioisfound*.'"as-■ ho .explained it, ■ "liko a>furiiapp.V Ho sayr two children-lying on tho hodj..-and; catejiing thein .'Up ho ''rushed • outf., ,to-;tljo.,.stairrhead. again.■ Here there;;,was; a. number. of- the neighbours, and ;tho. rescucr.nVas .'relieved .of his burden. despite tho fact .-that;he : had received 'nasty burns on both, hands,., mado : .'another,.,yisitw.tb the: houso,-. and .'this time.:.he\ was joined;.by •. another•' neighbour, a baker named David ilyles. By this tinio .tlio , fire ...in, tho narrow.' room' was- raging ftior'o fiercely than < evorj.• and •• ■though they, knew thoro were ot.hor children in danger, if:' not .alr.eaily- deadj. they had .to retreat because, ,-of.>the.heat, .which they , could not stand. .- 'The' fire' brigade had arrived on. .the..scene-,. by;-.this. 'time, and . a party, 'of the men,! led by .Superintendent' Allan, ritshed uptho stair. .-, .At itho door ; of ; 'tho burning house they were momentarily; checked, "by the.' heat... and..'.,smoko, : -..but ; .'rwithout » hesitation soreral-'of-' them, went;on' to their knees and crawled-ini.V'i-Mr.V Man- niado for- tho : bed', ancl at.-tha.,very back lie found another.child ; m-'o terrible, state, -. and 'evidentlyquite' dead. , -Throwing ly. blanket, over , the ' littlev-body.,. hei..;oarned,-,it ( to', a ; houses .and■jhis .child'; and - tlio,?-oho whioh., Conway' ;had : . lufijmary,,in»the police, ambuLanpe thi»;-s&"0 .jt,( was;thought. drpn had,.;been:- got oout. ■ • Tljoshro under .control,', but tlio ..small hpusp,- with :,its. humble ;furniturOj;; |/qs .completely .wrcpkeil. : y'ANO.THER' LJ.TTLE BiDJDY FOUND.'. ' . : was': ; deputed- to turn . 'over, the.;debris; after ;.tho .other'.members -of .tho brigada.had lofti' ; and-ho'.had}just comm.enced . his - task ; ; .ißhqn, : •turhing";.over. :,a ilargo.; box. in-, a-recess 'pf.. tlib/ rponj, ho .found ,another littl.o body;r .Evidently this;,.chili;l jhji!tl-,,b^n.\^n'ng''abpnt;;thftirobiri J 3fallm ; ..puffooated, .'-Jor" thejq -.lirore i,x6ry,le^,;;hu^hs, oii'. iti.VTh'e'.^ai^hukflfcV/vfilik'&ipt 1 ;' ,ipurn'ey, ! .; v diVd;. .fdurtli. yic/' tim','also'-;sent. oiiVto'tKo, iiifirmary':. ' Afwr--wards all 'four,. bqdies" : w6rb; takqh- to. 'thp'.city; niprtua,ry. ,- , Tho' children's names ; are; v ' j - ' ..'-Sarah ' Denham'/ -isis.- years. , -'. v.;.;Katio\Denham,:.'fivo'years..','. . Alexander-;Denham,..three years; ; • ■. .-George«.Brown;--.three --years.-• ' Superintendent'-; Allan-,' br'tJheMiVb'rigadpV'' ;iny. an v >'iii.tefvieW;'i''.saaflj .thht^rbtenj'tlio'brigade;. arriv , edi'dft-''tho isbehsji th.s?sm"Plfd , 'Vasvpoming: th'6;'"- , §is^stpl l y'. pointcd'.'.te i 'the 'prpbabiiity. of' there boing> r : .firo : . ;, ',,:Wheir , ho';.iiniiS hiw/men' dashed up .the stair thero were crowds;'ori : every landing,; and in all the passage's, : and ■ everybody was in a state of. the, greatest expitement. On tho way up they mot a man jvith a child in, his armpjfiand further up tlioy met a second reSpubf';; with a; little bundlo.' The smoke ancl'.;, theyJidat, were intense, and it was get into' .the houso without cra-wlingi oiit;their hands and knees. Mr. Allah .went..to' tho bed and found a little boy there. Owing, to the fire I being in,;.the'attic the/water would not rise, ' and there was also sonie difficulty-in getting the hoso/.up tho' orpwded- stair. Oncp tlio prossuro/was obtained, tho,.fire; was yopn got but, and ;the' fourth v'was; discovered isoon afterwards.. The, scanty,furniture was 'all topsy-turvy,-';'a'nd/.this'\was' accounted for by Mr. Anan^hy''the;the'pry.' J that one of tho early rescuershad; grop- ; ing about in v'thV; smoko'."-,!- The; rbom was • wrecked by the.:fire,'';whicli'at bhe;time was showing through r th'p;'rbpf. ..The neighbours j who had arrived •car!v : ;ha'd tnroWn water' . into the house, ,'biit ' that .oflty ' reached tho | floor, and the badly burned, j