Altoona, PA: Altoona Mirror, issue of Friday, 28 January 1916, p. 1, col. 2   MOTHER RESCUES CHILDREN WHILE HOME IS ABLAZE   Residence of Abraham Blair of 1709 Twenty-Third Avenue Threatened When Fire Starts on Second Story.   THOUGHT THAT BURNING MATCH SET PAPER AFIRE   Mrs. Blair Discovers Flames In Adjoining Room When Large Mirror Is Broken by Heat of Flames.   Attracted to a second floor bedroom by the noise of a crashing mirror which was broken when the apartment was swept by flames early this morning, Mrs. Mary Blair, wife of Abraham Blair of 1709 Twenty-third avenue, saved the lives of her three small children who were sleeping in a room adjoining.   Only the presence of mind on the part of the mother after she discovered the fire saved the home from complete destruction and made possible her escape from the second floor with the three children. The fire was discovered shortly after 7 o'clock, over an hour and a half after Mr. Blair had left for work.   Both Mr. and Mrs. Blair had arisen about 5 o'clock and Mr. Blair, who is employed in the Pennsy brass foundries at Sixteenth street, left his home at 5.30. A small son, Jones, aged 5, was in the kitchen at the time, the father left but was later placed back in bed with the other two children.   H.C. Blair, a brother of Abraham Blair, and in whose room the fire originated, left the house at 6.15. No one save the mother and the children were in the house at the time the flames were discovered. Mrs. Blair, after placing the second oldest child in bed returned to the first floor and started to iron some clothing. She engaged in this work for almost an hour when she heard a loud crash on the second floor.   Believing that the noise was caused by the explosion of a kerosene lamp which was burning low in the children's room she rushed to the upstairs and was horrified to see smoke and flames pouring from a bedroom at the back of the house. Clutching the door which was partly ajar she closed it and prevented the smoke from sweeping into other parts of the house.   Fortunately the door opening into the room where the children slept had been closed. Both doors are within an arm's length of each other and both flames and smoke were beginning to lap up against the sides of the hall and the children's room door when Mrs. Blair reached the head of the stairs.   Escape In Night Clothing.   Arousing the oldest child, Gertrude, aged 13, and the son, Jones, Mrs. Blair took her 2-months-old daughter, Ruth, in her arms and assisted by the oldest daughter made her way to the first floor. The children were attired in their night clothing and were rushed to the back porch directly over which the flames were bursting against the windows.   J.D. Karlheim, who lives a short distance away, on Twenty-fourth avenue, was just passing the house at the time and after noticing the children on the porch glanced at the second story window and saw the flames inside the window.   He hurried to box No. 133 at Nineteenth avenue and Sixteenth street when he turned in an alarm, companies 1, 4, 6 and truck A responding. The alarm was pulled at 7.12 but some little time elapsed before the firemen could reach the scene owing to the muddy condition of the streets in that vicinity and the steep hill on which the Blair home is located.   Before the firemen arrived several men who were attracted to the scene, including Ralph Brennecke, George Saylor, Harry Hartman and a Mr. Glunt, endeavored to extinguish the flames by carrying water in buckets to the bedroom. The progress of the fire was kept somewhat under control until the firemen arrived.   In the meantime Mrs. Blair and her children were taken to the home of Alexander Moore of 1625 Twenty-second avenue where they remained until the blaze was extinguished.   It is not known exactly just how the fire started. It was evident that the flames originated in a trunk filled with sheet music and other papers in the room occupied by Mr. Blair's brother. It was at first thought that the brother had struck a match to light a cigarette and a spark had dropped on the paper but Mr. Blair stated that he had not lighted any matches upon arising this morning. The loss will not exceed $100 as it was confined entirely to the one room. No insurance was carried.   So deep was the mud and mire along Twenty-second avenue that the large motor truck from No. 1 station sank to the hubs and was compelled to remain about a square away from the house.   Mrs. Blair, in rescuing the children, severely burned the fingers of her right hand.