Cats in the Mews: February 4, 1897
When William P. Davenport took in a stray cat that he found outside his second-floor apartment, he did not know that he had just made one of the best decisions of his life. Not only did the cat save his life, but it also saved the lives of about 150 other people living in the Hermione building at 80 East 116th Street in Harlem.
For those who know popular literature, you might say the stray cat of the Hermione building was a very special wizard. In fact, I think I’ll call him Harry.
According to the New York Tribune, William saw the strange cat in the hallway upon returning home from his night job at 3:30 in the morning. The cat purred and rubbed himself against William’s legs as he pet it. William could tell Harry was very friendly, and he didn’t have the heart to toss him outside. He brought the cat into his apartment and went to bed.
William had just started to fall asleep when he heard a loud howling noise coming from his front door. He endured the noise for a short while, and then decided to get up and let the noisy cat back into the hallway.
As he opened the door, he saw that the hall and stairwells were filled with smoke. Bright orange flames were running up the elevator shaft in the center of the hallway. With the door open, Harry the cat made a mad dash to escape.
William shouted to alert the tenants in the 27 other apartments, and then ran back inside to get his family. The Davenport family, including his wife, their infant child, a boarder, and a servant, were all able to make it safely down the smoke-filled stairway. Many of the other Hermione residents on the upper floors were forced to escape via the roof or fire escapes.
George Simms and his wife, who lived on the fourth floor, were two of the people forced to make their way to the roof. Mr. Simms and fifth-floor resident Allen D. Moor broke off a large section of slat flooring used to protect the tar roof, and made a bridge to cross the six-foot chasm over to the neighboring building.
When the fire department arrived, the men had to rescue numerous people in various states of dress (and undress) who had crowded onto the fire escapes. The firemen soon had the fire under control, although not before it had caused about $15,000 in damage. An investigation determined that the fire had originated in a basement storeroom.
Everyone who lived in the building agreed they all would have been smothered or burned in bed had it not been for the stray cat. The day after the fire, William headed up a neighborhood hunt to find Harry. The plan was to adopt the cat as the building’s mascot as soon as it was found.
The Hermione Building on Park Avenue
