DEADLY BLAZE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 26 July 1907, Page 4

DEADLY BLAZE.

la the "millionaire district" of Lung liranch, -New Jersey, lire has consumed the summer hoinc of Walter Schiller, a wealthy cigar inauufaelurer, killing his two daughter*, Kuth and Marion, aged fourteen and ten, his two female servants and the governess, making a total of live deaths, while Mr and .Mrs ik'hiffer themselves were terribly injured as well as l'uur others. Xu one who was in the house at the time of the outbreak escaped injury.

Four of the servants were all painfully but not seriously burnt, and saved their lives by Jumping from the windows. The affair was n typical summer residence lire such as occur so frequently in the vicinity of Xew York at the opening of the holiday season. The big inftammablc wooden structure mm not equipped with tire escapes, and the stairway and well acted as flues, and the inmates were trapped in their sleep. The whole family were asleep when the fire started in a cellar shortly before midnight, and the house which contains a great deal of wicker work and other summer furniture, burned like tinder. The father and mother tried to rush upstairs to rescue their children, two beautiful girls, but the fire and smoke proved impassable barriers, and after sustaining terrible injury both staggered downstairs into the open air. After the flames were extinguished., the firemen found the two children on the floor locked in each' other's arms. The smoke had probably suffocated them, and they had died painlessly. When Mr Sihilfer's partner was informed of the tragedy he was much shocked, and said that only two days Iwfore the fire he had a realistic presentiment that Mr Sehiffer's' children would died violent deaths. He had seen them in his sleep surrounded by lire, and now hi* dream had come true. Doth Mi and Mrs SchilTer had gone away from Xew York to the country earlier than usual this season, because both were very mm h run down, and they proposed under medical advice to take a rest cure.