HomeMy WebLinkAboutmemorial efvc_0004THE 'HACA JOURNAL,
ITHACA, N.Y., MONDAY EVENING, APRIL 6, 1953
gef;,klenburg Rd, was still afire when 1 nnapp, 'u, lvb� r•c= ••_� ••• •• •• - R
Woman, 71, Dies
;In Fire in 'Home
Fire this morning claimed the life of a 71 -year-old Tru-
mgnsburg RD 1 resident and badly damaged her 2 -story
frame home on Mecklenburg Rd.
The, fire victim was Alrs. Yellie Knapp, 71.
The 2 -story, 10 -room r.ome
Body Found in fittcnen
which she occupied with a son,
E -act cause of the !'ire _':will•,;
Leland Knapp, is about 300 yards I
probably never be known," one',
'west of Woodside Inn. She was
of the ,firemen said. Partially ;
alone at the time of the fire. . I
burned papers were found jn a
The blaze was discoNered
coal range. It is believed they
shortly before 10 a.m. today by
may have Pared up and ignited
neighbors. Dense smoke def,•ated
bars. Knapp's clothing. Her body, i
l;
a rescue effort by three teem -ers. (
was found near the door of the
.. Firemen from Enfield, 1' ick-
kitchen. Her son said she had'i
lenberg, and Trumansburg it fight
been in poor health, t
the, wind -whipped blaze for
Dean said nearly 20 minutes
about 2 hours. Before the hre-
had elapsed before he was able
men arrived, Joseph Dean, who 1
to contact the firemen by tele- f
lives across the road from the I
phone. He declared that other E
Knapp home, attemped to fight '
users of the party line which t
the blaze with buckets of. water. a
serves the area disregarded his E
Aid was summoned by the (
fire emergency call. Mrs. Dean 1
Deans.
managed to contact some other t
`.., Coroner Ralph J. Low of 'Pru- 1
nearby residents. v
mansburg said death was acci-
1
Among them was 15 -year-old;' l
Woddsidely
dental and was caused by as-
Bill Reed who lives at
f
phyxiation.
Inn. He ran to the scene. Simul-!
taneously two girls, Florence $
11
Duvall, 16, a neighbor, and
Nathalie Hodge, 15, also of MIC k-
Icnberg Rd. came upon the fire. a,
a'
,Smoke Forces Them Out tv
The three teenagers then went gl
into the burning house in an ef- S1
fort to rescue Mrs. Knapp. The ti
dense smoke made it impossible Ili
for them to see anything and ti
forced them out of the building,
they said. The girls then drove to o
the Mecklenburg Fire Depart- b
ment to summon aid. Enfield v.
firemen were first on the scene.
Sheriff's Deputy Ray Stark
said the fire once was "nearly
whipped" in its early stages but
the water supply ran low. I�
Mrs. Knapp's son, Leland, was ;l
a work in Myers when the fire '
occurred. Mrs. Knapp is also sur-'
vived by another son, Raymond
of Slateiville, and a daughter,
Mrs. Louise Rumsey of Mecklen-
burg Rd.
The body was taken to the
Wagner Funeral Home.