Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-01-06
THE CONFEDERATION.

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Nine lives were lost. The victims are
Ellen Sheridan, aged AZ; Katie Sheri
dan,agefl ID Maggie Sheridan, aged s !;
Martin Sheridan, aged 3; John Walsh,
aged 10; Tbos. Cassiday, aged g.;
Charles Cassiday, aged s, and girl
named EgWIl aged 2, and Mrs. Shcri-
dan, age unknown Several persons
were injured, among them JAS. CASH
day, Mary Egan and Charles Walsh.
The sceneOf the, dreadful holocaust,
the like Of which has not occurred in
this city since the tenement house fire
in Canon street thorc than u year ago,
and the dreadful Turner Hall calamity
about the same time, is approached
through q narrow alley hardly wide
enough to allow the passage of u portly
man, between ithcFtwo tall tenements,
Nos 33 and 35 Madison street.
In front of No. 81 is James Doyic's
liquor store its back dooropens directly
upon the narrow hallway in the rear
tenement where the start was given to
this mornings fire. Plumbers were busy
ut the foot of the stairs thawing out the
frozen water-pipes, and for this purpose
used u gasoline apparatus. by some
ns,itwas upset and the inhammable
matsriafran out. There was binding
flash, as'ofan explosion, that blew in
the door of the saloon, and in an instant
black smoke sweicd up the long stair
way, impelled by, tho draft setting to-
wards the open windows in the top
story. ............. .
The fire finding vent through the
open doors and windows of tho unten-
nantablc ground floor of the house, had
seized upon thesllutters, window frames
and wooden floors of the balcony out
side, licking them up like so much It's
sue paper, and reaching upward toward
the floors where the frightened men and
women were huddicd together, afraid
to venture out upon the iire-escape that
seemed to lead into the very Jaws of
death.
Eight families occupied the house
two on each floor. On the second floor
Egan's and Muldron's had, at the first
alarm, escaped through the windows.
Mrs. Mary A4Egan, % widow and her
four grown children, reached the ground
in safety by qtick jump. Mrs. Null
doom, who is over eighty years old, was
less fortunate; selling her two grand
children, aged seven and ten, she
sprang from the fire escape, but in the
fall sprained or broke her leg, and crawl
cd away with difficulty. On the floor
above, Mr.. Regain, who lived alone, cs-
capped with his neighbors. The McKen-
ma family likewise escaped by jumping;
James, aged nine, Hugh, aged four, and
tho baby were thrown through a win
dow by Charles, their eldest brother, %
boy of fifteen. Tho mother was sweeping
in the yard when the fire broke out she
rushed to the stairway, but was met by
solid sheet of flame. ... ...., .u
Realizing the danger Of her children,
slio reused them by shouting, before
they knew Of the approach of the dead
ly visitor. Jump, Charles; throw them
down." The agonizcd mother cried and
stretched out her arms to receive them
as the three little heads looked over.
the window sill beside their brother.
The lad measured the distance with his
eyes, ltlwas more than twenty feet,
aI1lhe slirank from the, venture with
the dread of instant death, but the
smoke was already filing the room aud
pouring through the windows. The
children now cried and stretched their
heads toward their mother. The baby's
call, tMamuia, mamma," was heard
above the roar of the fire and the clamor
in the street. ........
The mother cried: "Charie, for Gods
sake Jump, and tho boy was flung into
her arms. The other children followed,
himself leaving last All reached the
ground in safety.
On the fourth foorlived the Cassiday
family and the Egans--anothcr family
bntj9f the same name az those on the
firstfloorra IN the fifth. and top,nost.
story Mrs. Ellen Sheridan was ut break
fast with her four children.
Another victim of the fire was found
this afternoon in the person Of babe of
Mrs. Gassiday. The little ono was
clasped 10 its mothers breast wrapped
in blanket. The ten bodies were
placed in collins and removed from the
station-hOuse to the morguc.
Timothy Harrington, one of the