, 1865-12-25
THE CITY.
4 Sleeping Room Filled with Gas.-Six
Men 6mothnred In Bed--TfFe
Found Dead.
A NtOpEL BOARDING Ia0USE-RI-
yAI.S TO THE BLACK HOLE
OF CALCETT1-pAEKI
THE SLEErEkkH.
Preparing to Receive the Cholera

1A>"AA-A
Preparing to Receive the Cholera,
4 terrible t1asedy occurred un the morning ol
yesterday on West Lake street, between Desplaines
and Union. Stx men Ia the prime Of Lie we're
stricken down in mortal agony By the escspe Of gas
from i pipe in their sleeping room. Five were
fourd dead, and the other 30 near the edge Of the
tcub thai biz recovery IL very doubtful,
The house in question IS No. 1a7 Wcet Lske Rtrtet
kept BY 3. G. Sohle Us Germau saloon and boar
Ing houae- In the lover story the proprietor Dis
penses lager, and the rnuso intoxicating beverages
house, willie he noos above Is divided into sleep
Ing roonaE, occnpied chiefly ty German lAborcra.
WHO packed in there to rFosc after the labors or
Jbe back room, little place about fourteen let
eQrAre, wilh low ceiling, was Ihe eccne Of the
Tragedy. In this na1EoV place were laid four beds
sleeping accommodation for eight PERSONS.
SIX men retired to Fcrt On Saturday night, The
time ranging from eleven O'Clock till \ little pa.t
midnight, At eight o'clock yesterday morning,
summoned, and after ~sisinc while without sny
Of The occupants Of thai room making their appear
ance. the proprietor Nenl up TO hasten them. A
knock st The door being nnaus~.red, and seoond
Or third meeting with no Response, the door was
opcncd. "A trrb1c Ftcuch mel the Intruder, forcing
him 10 oea, haEly rctreat-,he room Was full Of
qua. Through the opened door the poieonous ma
presently he ordinary 81 snospee:c e Lad I ssis:d 1n al.
nssiun stt:c1cnl 10 allow Of the room be,nc cz-
p1orrd. horrible sight mel the view. Six inA1l-
nAte forms Ay In the etiliuess Of The grave their
faces swollen, their mouihr 1lied vita ntoth. All
urc dcsdl No rot all! slight movement ia per
ccptihie In one Of those bodice buried, short ret
slowly Icrcrp,tlc breathing in that ftiius atmos-
pLesc. Ill Is sliced and carTied ont into another
IRON ano medical attendance summoned. He
tS,,s ,u.nt ..n,r3, ~, .atad ,t,n .,.,rrn <h...,
which tic de-1roy1ng angel had cufcfed to do his
icn ORR. III the crrlrt OF that lon ceiling tho end
e. =, n! pFott4asa in!o .as h. reom closed u the
uho had undertaken to block up the end, had put
without ANY, I'll Of t.te thstads Of The aczeus ~
rected. TheNosk,nen had applied the rrd dir, dc.
ths e.; IF esp dfoppss;a! 81 during tie aIsht
hait - inch In internal dismeter.
viii TIC asesdy hsSly eafSoni.ea Al aimospse,e a 4
door, or eItnei Of The little windows TO the room,
been upentd, lhe "a: would have escaped Into.
the oulcr ntnosrncze. or had those Openings even
ments, tlerr m,ght sti1l have been 4 sufficient
amount OF ventilation to keep the atmosphere Of
the room Ntthiu vital range. but the one door lifted
the tro~'. Not ting:e $ent was there, and the
mcpl!itlc s1I'o1 lad no me3ne Of cgress. Gradually,
tapid,. mingled With and poisoned The AIR Of tie
room, and cnesed the lungs oi the slecpess. chang
ing their EAtnra rcposc into The sleep that knows
no waking ill the grave raall g1te up Its dead Ut
the sonDu OF the Last trump. No notc Of warning
Nas fonndcd, no one mas near to stop the aspbyxa-
ting i1foeeta. They sunk 10 their rest without u
struggle Or efEh, rave the one 0tanic kpas Of the
involuntary syfttn, which cnsued only after rhe
eoal @ had been ove1po"efed and expelled from the
Our reporter pad visit to the eccne about noon
Yesterday, end found the I've bodies lying tnesu as
they hau died none bad disturbed their sleep,
my Of hope, had been removed, and be lay In an
adiotp1f 1oo. his hcovs ete71 orous breathing and
ths small ruse .,;ia .sng ,oo plainly q he fierce
monster had wcl1 nigh obtained the mastery. The
room, Of death is, as we have Hfeady ttaled about
fourteen i,et square It lfes 10 the southern end Of
saCc which runs past number Of other bedrooms.
The door Is In the northeast corner. 1nd At til !.
southern end are t~o small windows From sh
narrow epace between these ttatte rough boaf
Partition about ecvcn feet in height, rua-
n1ne from touth to north, and dtsldns
H. ,t Ioem in1o Two; ore h9s,d, aoo1! loot IN
end to allow passage trom the eastern to the
Western compartment 1n each Of .hese sub-divis-
ions was placed two double beds, filling up the en-
tire epace. excerpt }ust enough for small pas.age
way Ia which 10 walk and disIobc- No place for a
wa>1.ssard. table, Or even chaif tie clothing was
thrown down on the door hung to the walls OF laid
on the beds. In the natTon ledge Of the window
lu the ~e1te1n apartment Etood the only fnrnitun.
Of the room o&be. than The bedeteade-two mineral
"alct bottles which were evidently brought them
10 serve In lieu Of cand1eeticks, a. shown by the
uuconsumrd end Of a candle et1ll stuck III one ana
the liberal bcsmeasmcnt Of taGon on the other. In
thls "retched place thote men passed one-ihird Of
their hves, and there the. met their nutfHely
deaths-lnde1 the best Of circumstances little else
than living tomb.
The Grst lied reached on entesinr the room. con.
tained n corpss4-tboee Of Adolph Hlach.ie. aged
:a.and bis brother, Charles John. They are Saedes,
had t'oasded there since the Y,h o May las. they
worked tn the catr1are chop oi Gusl.se fetterlnnd
No. 1i3 West Lake street. Cha-es John had
worked there about four months. lhe elder two
monthe. Their father resides m Aurora, wleuoe
they esne 10 hie city IN May last They were t'so
seu'hlsncc. The eidef, lay veTy high in the bed
when first found. hit head hanging orer the head
rail q the ledstead. With !nss exception ther
the body straight the arms placed By heir aides,
the bcdcio:te+ not tnnbled. but drawn up from the
ee,, a. u ia their nnconrcious battle with death
they had inttincstvey eeEl. cd 10 corer the mouth
ard bo-t TO Keep cut the peeliient dsanEht On1v
uaelr -iebl, HID features, and frotu al The mouth
and nnst-1old Of their deash. anu At the distance
Of lew lcci. but for the !ast, the observer Misht
have supposed them to be toundly sleeping. In tue
Northwestern corner lar Lewis Lout and Cha1les
Mhi;e-Lon' nearest the VA ], and quite dead
done vorEt. his constitution being stronger than
TINT Of hiF companions. lie Il. An American
sbou. nineteen yearx Of age; He eomHeneea
When oar reporter first saw him he was lrinC or
aed in one Of the o!heE roomt tpsss
sps1ofy mu-elcs hayiu: but fcehly uncovered thell
coEt1aciive pone1. 4 fEicnd %ns wip1ne away tht
irs,h as ia,er.nl. which w. bcn: expelled from
ward ihc s,tlc for relief Of the doteal mrsce and
tlrIe wrr. Indications Of tesete sp.smodtc con
u,ctonR OF the moec:cs Of the Anlbs: Drs. Otto
anl Haucb. who asd been summoned directly after
tie discovery, had gone Enhs attrr administering
the s.s,c.nt!srf indicated IN such cafc<.
ot oa he
he wns covered With IN old U. s. t.::nket. very
little no,h protrtded f:om the uIoa,h, and the po
'9n s ns I II nf os nou M
spS ssty eisI @ fe.sSs,a IL ss@s 'asrs e so.5d :!
,hs ssh 81 md worked ss Gnns
afld Lake Streets.
In ile bed Fon.h Of these !sy the bodies q Joh'
ennss y Ys old ana JAMES =, m MeIsa .,oa 81
II death had not interrupted their slu1nbets, hu
drawn them away peacefully and Ewcctly 10 thct
1 sat actins a. uarco,ic snd talin. away iii 1oWc
1f Fettstalce. Johnfon was ratn!er h. trade, hn
hGd bccn Tor some time past working IN planin,
.nce @ II neccmlser 1sth, and noth1nc Il Enown Of hs
friende. raye ,hat rom casual remark t3rrf7ped
him The other cstutng II II understood ttat be has
hf0fber residing euuteVhert in llc city, Nc{,aull
lad boa:dsa sherc tince ,he s'h 0! this month;
3tai worked for Phf}ir Hicks ear1tate md wurQ
maker. No l:a Wet Lake street. for about one yea
past.
The bed In tho snutheast cosncr Of the room Wa
u1,occlpirf. 1t Wns cla,med by an Aish1nan VII
Hc.e a. to>slcT In a stable adjoining, hut va. 10
mich intoxicated IN Saturday night to 20 10 be
a,d thus 8avcd hs life by drinking awar biz brain
The epn ol tie proprietor. TOO, intended to hav
r}erM in that bed hrt On loosin. in late at night
thought he >aw rome oac IN it. and sought a rce
ip!. placc elte xie7c.
IN loul..n" sntuurh fho.c crowded rooms til
wnrfct vn- not that 70 mapy should die on an oc
%s4k.n
,ha, 80 mary t,:ould Ire, eyra IN the absence Q
any tEec,aI fScsti, s,,nulus. The is6d1nr occurj;
uca,1t y,cry inch or avni,ae s,,asc In al o: tho.
roon,. tbai in ni,ich the SCARCELY Irving 5lfnfcr-
Win,t.-ls,. cou,aincc xn.t beds. md ;1cv tit,rt
IN The wfuls - csssR 1 ~na!, space OF aboa
dnsmit.s - II =. Two huainircd cnhic lee
OF a;r :u hUuel 10 9 cnn;c .paee al les
i]]at Tx ID s7EIKEf Gatr,y enough to surply th
hrrat]up. NE{ls!k.NF Tor a ou:.strr OF IN hon1
In room! 70 tightly closed ID this on
ip Which these denl.- occurred, each eleepe
~oul&i tits in an ordsun.s nights s,eep. OF eeve
hour, breathe The tarn- air twcnty y-eight time
yer. little change bc1ng allowed fron without.
difficult TO understand hon peapic can colscnt
suffer l.,ir" scatn In ruch rlarc%, when they ha'
Ea ere hut tl,rr,sesc- 10 >uppor. uud have plenty
war Thai l..e ;ar-e fa,n,iy supported on tte eat
re-. Of ONT n,2t OF living prrc ariu1sly, p'cStng
j li.fr. Us lest they ulay, shonId be coInreHed
ilic.c ts.s ot high rrats and dear fuel 10 hc1u II
gcthrr III .ueb 4 den+e manner /. not 70 y: "ol