The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-01-12
Fire in Tenement House-Ten Persons
Burned to Death.

found q vent also through the two lower stories,
and thus barred egress By the fire eSCaDe.
The tenants. pa ic stricken. made a rush
for tlie ROOF, but the scuttie firmly hooked
and would not yield The ascending flames
drove me people back within their rooms. and
the widest confusion followed. Men and women
threw their children from the windows and
jumped after them through the flames that swept
across the yard and set their clothing ablaZc.
When the liremen obtained the mastery, the
DEAD BODIES
Of nine persons who had been burned were taken
out from the building. Several were injured in
their efforts 10 escape, aud were sent To the hos
piial.
The following = the list Of the dead: Ellen
Sheridan. aged forty-three years: Kate Sheridan
fourteen; Maggie Sheridan five; Martin 'Sher-
dan. three: John Walsh thirteen Thomas CASH
lis. six: Charles cassidy. eight: a .sirI named
ryan, aged TWO. and Mr.. sheridan, age unknown
Several persons were injured. among them James
Cassidy, Mary Esan and Charles Walsh.
The scene OF the calamity. the ike of which
has not occurred in this city since the tenement
house ire in Cannon street a year ago. and the
Turner Hall disaster. about the same time Is ap-
p-UHrhed through narrow Slley hardly wide
enough 10 allow the passage OF pOrtly mani be-
tween tall tenements. Nos - and 80 Madison
liquor store. Its back door opens directly upon a
narrow hallway in the rear tenement, where the
ire obtained its start Plumbers were at work at
the foot OF the stairs thawius out frozen water
pipes, and for this pJrposc used gasoline vessel
walch was by some means upset, and becoming
igniied, there was an explosion, which blew in
TIE BLACK SMOKE ROLLED
up lie long stairway drawn onward by the
draUght caused by an open window in the top
story. There mOmentary hush the
frightened plumbers hurried into the yard. 4
man sitting by the bar-rOOm stove slammed the
hall door on the advancing fire. and Immediately
There Was "A wild rush overhead ana the sound Of
breaking glass. and the air was filed with the
walls Of the imprisoned men and women, shouts
Oi frightened children and the cries for help OF
The isirkeePer and plumbers. who ran through
the street 10 nearby Police Station. Very soon
the cang OF the fire bells titled the streets and the
narrow alley became filed with fremen and
police struggling to bring help TO the Imprisoned
and burning tenants. They came
TOO LATE,
the frc finding vent through the open doors aud
windows OF the Uutenanted grOund-fiOOr OF the
house. and through the door, had seized upon the
shutters. window frames and wooden floors OF the
balconies outside licking them ND like SO much
tissue paper, and reaching upward toward the
floor, where the frightened men and women hud-
died together afraid 70 venture out IN the fire
escape that itself lame. while the flames
within the house were plainly visible through
The ill-httiug doors then being fast consumed.
Eight families occupied the hOusc-tlyO on each
fiOOr. ON the second floor the Eagans and Null
dOOns had, at the first alarm. escaped through
window. Mr.. Mary EagIa widow aud her four
grown children. Margaret Thomas. Joseph and
John. reached the ground in safety by quick
jump. Mrs. MuldOOn, who is over eighty years
old. vas less fortunate; Selling her two grand
childrcn-Annie. age ten. and Kate. age seven
she sprang from the fire escape. but in the fall
spralned Or broke her leg, and crawled away with
difficulty. On the third floor Mr.. Regan. who
lived alone, escaped with his neighbOrS. The
McEeuna family likewise BY jumping James
age nine; Hugh age four, and baby, were
TIROwN THROUGH \ WINDOW
By Charles McKenna their eldest brother, a lad
of fifteen. The mother. who was sweeping in the
yard when the fire broke out. rushed to the stair
way but was met by a solid sheet OF flame, and
realizing the danger pf her children, rescued
them by shouting before they knew Of their dan
ger. Jump. Charles. throw them down." the
'tguifized mother cried. Gad stretched out her
arms to rescue them. rs three little heads looked
over The WindOw-sill beside their brother the
mother appealed 10 him TO throw the children To
frightened by the cries Of the Others, who were
alarmed al the smoke which was fast filling the
room e'atinnahy cried, with its little arms out
STc ci m na,.,l tbe dista1c ne boy
the ground from his third story
perch. and taking the baby up hrst,
TOSSED 1T OFT \
and i. fell into the arms OF It's mother who
caught the other children they sent 90
Hsr one by 2ne. and finally ma broke he fall Of
the fourth floor lived Cassidy and another family
of the Eagans On the fifth and tOpmOst story
four children the men Of these families. of all
Others IN the house, had gone To work Mrs. |
Shefiden at the first alarm gathered together the
children aud sought to escape by the stairs but
succoT CON street and she sought the scuttle
IN the roof. but it was immovable She shrank
back from the leap 20 the yard five stories below
and closing the door of her apartment. to keep
out the rapidly advancing flame, herself and
children
WE'RE sCFFOCATED BY THE SMOKE
rapidly filling the room. The Cassidy family. I
unable 10 escape 20 the roof flung themselves
from The windows. Two of the children Charles
and Thomas aged six and eight remained in the
room and were burned to death. The Eagan
= - r.I a.1.aHI
aged two years that was suifUcated. Mary Eagan
Ia the fall badly injured. Officer Thomas
Barrett took two children from the second story
by means OF the IRE escape, put the flames soon
sent him to the ground with burned hands, q de-
moii>hed beard and scOrched face.
THE CALAMITY
was completed within halfhOur. IN
short time the nine bodies of the dead were
removed. 10 the Police station and the saloons.
now with pipes entirely thawed, resumed bust
neSs. The bodies presented
noRRID SPECTACLE,
the flames evidently, in some cases. having antici
pated The smoke in the work OF death. Young
Mckenns wrapped his little brothers and sisters
IN sheets and blankets before dropping them to
MS mother and the iircmen in the yard. He saved
himself by Selling a clOthesline stretched be
tween the two houses, and going hard over hand
beyond The line Of the flames. he dropped into
the arms Of those waiting TO receive him.
On each side OF the hallway. on every door OF
the b;iildiug, were small living room and two
bedrooms. each barely six feet 50 uare. The liv-
sng rooms all had two windows fIOnting a
court. and one OF each set of bedrooms also
frOnted upon IL. while the remaining bedroom in
each suite Of rooms was dark. a fire escape led
from the roof OF the first floor with balconies
connected With suites Of rooms upon each floor.
4 corridor on each floor led from the narrow
cramped entry OF each il0Or To this balcony. The
stairs by WHICH the families reached their rooms
7yas not wide enough to allow two persons
10 Comfortably pass each other, and
these were also full OF turns 10 ecOnOmize space.
A scuttle led TO the roof aud this made the draft
which drew the laEles UP the narrow stairway,
cutting OF the retreat Of the imprisoned inmates.
Curious crows blocked the approach 70 the Station
dozen policemen were scarcely able to clear the
way Tor the dead wagons which arrived. The
collins. hastily nailed together OF rough pine
boards, were carried into the Lookup, where. on
the floor In front OF the untcnanted tier OF cells,
lay the bodies Of the dead.
4 youth named DOnegan went through an
adjoining house. reached the roof of the building.
and with an ak demolished the scuttle. Mary
70 escape but her clothing was ablnze. AS the
girl nearly reached the top she extended her
arm TO DOnegan who grasped IL. but
THE FLESH PEELED FROM THE BONE,
and the girl and child fell back into the flames.
pieces Of charred flesh remaining in the hands of
DOnegan. Three children of the Eagan family
may recover. John ID. Reagan was saved by
leaping from the window OF his room to the
window OF a house opposite. Mary MuldO0n
saved her three grandchildren by wrapping them
in bed clothing and dropping them into the arms
of the people in the yard she herself then leaped
and nad her ankle sprained.
ANOTHER VICTIM
nj the fire vas found this evening. making total
dcnf q tea. This addition ~ the number Is the 1
. be Of Mrs Cassidy. which was discovered