Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-09-13
a FATEFuL FIRE.

Disastrous COnhagratiOn in Cincinnati-s
Four Girls Perish in the FIames-ThriII--
ing Episodes Among the Firemen-FataL
Casualties and Miraculous Escapes.
CINCISNATI, O., Sept. 3.
At 2:35 this afternoon fire broke out on
the first floor of the rag department. of
Henry brennan & Co., No. 232 Walnut
street. In an instant the flames were COM
municated to the rest of the building, and
before the fire department. arrived had
communicated itself to the fourth story.
In few minutes the Times Star building
adjoining caught fire, and the flames
spread with great rapidity through the
upper portion, where the printers were
employed. At three p. m. the firemen
were playing two powerful streams on the
front of the big building, Nos. 232 and 234
Walnut. Meanwhile the ladders were at
two windows, wide apart, while four fire
men were on each ladder handling the hose
to put a heavier stream on the upper
stories. Suddenly a low, then louder,
rumbling was heard. 1t increased like
thunder. The firemen commenced moving
from the building. The fremen fell
and jumped from the ladders. The
crash came and the middle part of the
building parted and fell in and down.
The ladder on the north side toppled
with the falling brick and stone, with one
fireman hanging by one arm to a rung.
The crowd held its breath, expecting to see
him fall to his death. But he hung and was
safe. Then a tremendous cheer went up as
he swung his hat to the crowd below Dan
Malone, at the top of the ladder, started to-
slide down, and when half way down
struck John O'Keefe, of Hook and Ladder
Company No. 1, throwing him from the lad
der to the ground, about twenty feet. He
was picked up almost inSenSible, all cover
ed with mud and bleeding. He uttered one
groan, but never spoke. He is severely cut =
about the head and back, and it is feared
internally injured. lie was carried to-
Lewis store opposite, and the first words
the brave fellow uttered were: 'Don't tell
my wife, she will soon be mother" Al
most at the same time the entire front wall
bulged and Jack .Sch.ller, who was on the
other ladder, started to come down, when,,
with awful crash, the wall fell, but =
crumbled at the bottom and did not fall out
very far into the street. The moment the
two firemen fell from the ladder a groan
went up from thousand throats. SCHUYLER
hung with deathlike grip, and by mira
Gle the ladder caught on the extreme end
of joist, and Schiller slid to the ground
amid the cheers of 10000 people.
When the fire started Gus Huber, pack
er, was on the third floor, but the flames
had gained such Roadway that he was almost
the perilous move down the stairway and
succeeded in reaching the ground floor,
where he fell unconscious. He was burned
horribly about the head and body, his face
being charred almost to crisp. He was
taken to Keeshan's and then to the hospital.
He can not recover. O'Neill, a fireman..
was struck with falling brick and knocked
to the ground. Dora Memken and Stella
MeirS, when the blaze started, were in the
second floor of the bremen building, and,-
seeing that they could not get down the
stairway, jumped out of the window. They
claimed that another girl was in the build
yI1Nx 70 Il flpvyNE
crying and praying for her safety. The
most frantic spectators of the scene were
the mothers of Rosa Liddle, Mary Burke
and Annie Lynch. The three girls were
floor of the bremen building. Their mothers
are frantic with grief, and are running ev--
erywhere in quest of their daughters. Mary
Flynn, living at % McMicken avenue,
jumped out of the third floor of Dremen's=
building and broke her right leg, also re-
ceiving internal injuries. She was taken.
home in the patrol wagon.
The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors of
the Itn2eS-StGr building are completely
Quilted. The news and mailing departments
are ruined. The press and machinery in
the basement are but slightly damaged, and
that from the water. Managing Editor
Leonard says the paper will be issued to-
morrow, but he is laboring under great diff
culties to do so.
AT ten O'Clock tonight Rosa Liddle, Mary
Burke and Annie Lynch are still m1SSIng,~
and it is almost certain that they have per-
ished in the ruins. Later on it was report
ed that Nellie Kelly was missing. She was
working with the other girls the third
floor of the rag warehouse, and is no doubt
a victim of the fire. About six o'clock,
q hook and ladder was returning from the
fire, passing rapidly along Sixth street, it
made a sudden veer, caused by striking in
a rut, and caught Henry Harretch between.
the end of ladder and q wall He was
turned completely around and terribly
crushed. As the wagon passed on he
groaned: sob, my God" and fell fainting
to the ground. Officers Perry and Mersch-
ran to his assistance and had him conveyed
to DIR. Davis on Eighth street, where his
wounds, which are thought to be fatal,werea
attended to.
The loss on building and implements isS
$4,000; fully covered by insurance.