EXCITING FIRE SCENE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 108, 8 May 1908, Page 3

EXCITING FIRE SCENE.

OHILDBEN THBOWN FROM A

WINDOW

A fire broke out on March 10 in Albert Street, Barnsbury, and though the fire was not in itself of a serious 'nature, some exciting scenes occurred, while a child lost its life, and a number of people received injuries. The street is one of four houses, and the premises involved were occupied by five families. The fire was caused by the boiling over of some tar, which a man named Cousins.',-was preparing down in the basement in. the front kitchen; The place burst-into flames, and was soon filled with dense* smoke. Cousins, his wife, a Mrs Mac Henry, and the infant child of a Mrs George, who were in thel kitchen, made their escape by the back way, but not before Cousins himself had been rather badly burned about the head, and his wife, who is an elderly woman; was also injured. Most of the occupants of the top floors were out at work, but a Mrs Stoneman, who lived on the second floor, happened to be in, and, becoming greatly alarmed as to the safety of her children, rushed to a window and dropped one of them, Dolly, aged five years and three months, but of it, calling to the below to catch her. The unfortunate child, however, fell away from the people into the area, and was almost instantly killed. Mrs Stoneman then dropped a second child, Nancy, aged two years and six months, who. was caught by a Mrs Bell, a neighbour, but in her fall the child struck some railings, and was so severely injured that she was at once taken to the Royal Free Hospitkl, and was not expected to live. The "frantic mother then threw her twelve months old baby, Sidney, out of the window, and he was caught by two men without being injured in any way. After this the woman herself got out of the window, and was about to jump to the street, "but,the people below urged her not to do so, and she clung to the parapet. A number of men went into . the.adjoining house, and, leaning out of'a second floor window, managed to get hold of Mrs Stoneman by her arms and shoulders, and gull her safely in. She had received several burns, and was suffering considerably from shock. When the fire brigade arrived the fire was quickly extinguished, the damage being confined to the lower part of the house.