The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1866-12-28
APPALLING CATASTROPHE.
Burning of a Restaurant-F Fourteen
Lives Lost-Full Account of the Ca
lamity-Names Of the Victims.
From tho MpmpliS Post December 49,

IL
disasters from fire which it has been our
| fortune to witness, occurred last light in the
| burning Of Spechts Restaurant. The
| building occupied for this purpose stands on
the south side of Madison street. Its four
| stories high and nearly two hundred feet
deep The front is of stohe. On the
second story is IA balcony extending nearly
the width uf the building. Above the third
story is a similar balcony which, however,
is but FIVE or six feet long. The first floor
| front was occupied as Il Confectionery store
In the rear OF this was kitchen, baking
and confectionery establishment. The
ovens and machinery We're in the rear Gel
| lar.
The second floor was occupied as res
taurant. 1t was served in magnificent style,
and Was the resort o. the elite of the city
Mr.. Specht slept in the front room on the
third floor, and Mr.. William Jehe, wife and
babe in the room adjoining. Others OF Mr.
Specht's family and employees occupied the
remaining rooms on the third and fourth
floors.
Lat night Mr.. Specht and family did
not retire until about . O'Clock. mrs.
Specht was out Of town. At about $40
this morning he heard cry of fire, but not
at first thinking it serious, did not rise. -
Again he heard the crF, and scented a
strange gas in the room. lie rose, and
looking out Of the window on the alley side
of the house, saw the fame bursting from
the rear and lower window. The smoke
was rolling up In dense anu sutfocatlng
clouds. Fearful screams were heard trom
every window. The fire bells snccessively
wakened the different portions of the sium-
bering city. The engines were in a mo-
ment laundering through the streets, and
such cry cf fire and Of agony Was beard
as will not soon be forgotten.
Mr.. Specht shouted and beat at the door
Of the room occupied by Mr., and Mrs. .Iehle.
He could secure no response. lie tore
down his curtains, tied them together and
to the iron balustrade on the third story,
and climbed down to the balcony on the
second story. The firemen were already
there. The ladders were put up and
manned with speed worthy Of those brave
fellows. MIR. Spechts children-Joseph, a
lad OF thirteen, and Stella, Il miss Of ten
Mrs. \ arbra, his mother in law, and Sarah
Lee, niece, who were in the frort rooms
were rescued. Mr. Swanbury, the book
keeper, and Mr. Korrell clerk, were
brought down from the fourth story.
We believe all who were then alive and
uninjured were saved. Officer Brown
broke into Jehie's room. He was lying in
one corner, aud his wife on the floor near
the bed The only signs of life with the
former was the beating of the heart and
pulse. lie died in lew moments after
reaching the ground. Mrs. Jehle could not
speak, but her mother love was stronger
than death She motioned agonizingly
toward the bed, in which lay her infant but
a month old. She was brought down, but
survived only f.w moments. Her babe
was saved by being coveried with the bed
clothes, and still lives.
In the meantime. several of the inmates
had attemp ed to save themselves from the
| smoke and the devouring element>s, BY
leaping from the fourth story windows -
Mr.. Joseph RarGhol, nephew of Mr.
Specht, jumped from that story into the
alley, and, striking :, mud hole, saved his
life. 1t was a fearful leap, but, though
severely bruised, not bone was broken.
Of all who attempted thus to escape and
reached the ground, he is the only survivor,
Mr.. Walter,-a clerk leaped from the same
story, and was fortunate enough to catch a
blind Oh the third story. to which he clung
until he was rescued by the fremen had
gained access to their rooms They found
the other untortunates who remained In the
rooms, lying on the floor or at the windows,
sufOcated
The survivors and the dead were removed
to the Office CT Doctors Knode & Rivers
in the next building The former received
every attention, and the latter were laid onr
for burial as tenderly as circumstances would
permit. Oficcr Hanan was stationed at
the entrance to keep the crowd ont. He
allowed Us access 1t was horrible spec,
tacle.
Iu the Office lay Wm. Jehie, in real grave
clothes. lie was a young man OF great
promise as merchant His advertise
ments as a wholesale rot;cn dealer have
some time past appeared in tn columns OF
the Post. He was only q years Of age
and formerly from st. Louis. In bee
room near by lay Mrs Jehl. There wa.
peaceful beauty to the face, as il she wa,
dreaming pleasantly. and not dead There
was no trace of distress or agon; In
small room beyond the Office, on the floor
lay seven ladies', a oolored woman ra,nec
Lucinda Rlngwald, with her two little chill
dren beside ber: beyond that of John G.
Hank, member of No. Grove Of Druids
who leapcd out of the window. and who's,
head had been smashed to jelly; that o
Uncle JOHNNY" who wore the white Cal
about the shop, and had served Mr.
| Cpecnt 0ItCon years as BAKER, ana that o
white waiter and colored man, who's
names we could not learn
In the hall beyond lay the body O
Atienne Fred, French cook Further on
in back room was the body of Reu1e
, Huber, p German baker, who leaves a wifi
and child and brother in this city tha, O
a German cook named Philip, and of Doll
: Flint, colored waiter, and another colore
! woman, whose name we could not learn.
, IE- We learn from the Manistee Gass,t
that Mr.. Thomas Tousley, who lives n
: Bear Lake, left Manistee on the Sd, an con-
. pany with his son and young lady, in a
open boat, for his home. Nothing wa
heard from them after leaving Maniste
; until the 5th, when the wreck Of the boa
. was found upon the beach, and shortly al
terwards the corpse Of the lady was foun
at Point Betsy
r ROBBED. Gretto, of Chiffon
n WAS rnhhod in Cbio,uo uh,Ia ar II, ,r.