THE LATE FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

Kumara Times, Issue 1691, 1 March 1882, Page 2

THE LATE FIRE IN DUNEDIN.

FOUR CHILDREN BURNED TO DEATH; i’llllei’ ptlriiculars are to hand of the fire in Smith stifeet, Duiiedih, by which four children wete burned to death; The names of the four children burnt were ;—lfralicis Dischefaki, aged eight years j Minnie Bischefski, aged six years j Martha BischeLki, aged font years ; and Thomas Crofts; aged thirteen years, a nephew of Bischefski; There were five children in the family of Bischefski, who is d brewer in thh employment of the Speight family. The floor of the bedroom fell into the kiteh'eri below, where the four bodies weie found. The following is Mr Bischefski’s statement:—He and bis wife retired to rest about eleven o’clock oil the previous night. They were awakened sc’me lime after by their eldest soil calling out, “ Oh, Mamma! Smoke; smoke !” There was no smoke in Bischefski’s bedroom at the time, blit be immediately jumped out of bed and crossed (he small passage between his own and that in which the children were sleeping. On opening the door of the latter he was met by a strong tongue of flame, unaccompanied so far as he could perceive by smoke. He tried to leach the children, but liis night dres£ caught fire, and he was forced to go tiack. Riinhiug to his own room, he wrapped himself in a blanket; entirely Covering his head and face, and returned to force his Way throUgli the flames.' In the endeavour to make the rescue the blanket was burned about hitii. Again ami again he renewed the attempt. At length the room in which his wife' was at the tithe caught file through the open do'orway, and the flames were making fast headway; Seeing that nothing Could be done for the children, his attention was turned to the safety of his wife and younger child (a boy two and tf-felf years hf age.) 1 Mrs Bischefski had at that moment made a desperate effort to enter the buck bedroom herself through the midsf of the fire, blit her -husband dragged her back in the midst of them, and dashing his fist through the window overlooking the street, seized the little boy under his left arm and swung himself over the ledge. Hanging on to the inner side of the window-framing by his right hand he then extended his left arm holding in it the child, and thus dropped it gently on the pavement. Drawing himself up again he prepared himself in the same way to break the fall of his wife in her descent of a height of ten feet, hut (he flames were so close that he was unable to' endure the heat any longer. She threw herself unexpectedly into his arm before he was quite prepared to receive her, and the sudden weight forced him to relax his hold, both dropped, and the poor woman fell upon her child, which is considerably injured in consequence. Nor did she herself escape unhurt, for in the fall she came down heavily upon her face on the asphalte pavement, and besides sustaining severe contusions on the forehead, she was much cut about the mouth," and had a number of her teeth so crushed in by the force of the blow that it is probable she will lose most of them. . On realising the positiou of things she became quite frantic in her cries for her children, and, hut that her husband kept her back, would in her frenzy have dashed into the burning building.