The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-01-12

Guests awakened from their sleep by the
terrible heat or the bursting OF the flames
into their rooms were forced to the WIN
dows. where their fearful cries rang In the
ears OF the vast concourse OF people gather
ed in the street powcrless TO render aid.
Exit by way Of the roof was cut off by the
fire, and the two stand pipes, with the fire.
ladders, were not available for the same
reason. Men who in the daily walks OF
life have been accounted heartleSs and I'M
feeling wrung their hands in despair, run
ming about utterly bewidered, cXclaiming
My God ! MY God This is borrible!"
From o'clock the interior Of the build
ing was one mass OF fumes; the upper
floors soon giving way, and carrying the
lower floors with them, 4 laundering crash
was heard for blocks, and then the fire
shot up fully fifty feet, sending n shower
of sparks and cnders over the whole
northern portion OF the city, carried ahead
by brisk southwesterly wind.
Lcaping and Falling TO Their Death.
All the time the widest excitement pre-
vailed. For them in the burning building
it was death above and death below. One
poor fellow stood on cornice of the fifth
story corner window for twenty minutes,
not daring to take the leap. Finally he
became bcwidered, to Judge by his ac-
tons, or unconscious from the smoke, and
slid off his perch to the canvas below. The
few who held it could not give the neceS-
sary resistance. The body fell. unhindered
by the canvas, with a crush which sent
shudder through every witness. The body
was carried INTO the American Express
Office. Hundreds OF people had been look
ing on, nobody responding to the demands
OF the officers for aid. In the siXth-story
window, right over this man, sat the
figure OF man crouched upon the
window-sill, gazing Ike one absent-minded
into the fiery abyss below, motiOnless, but
from time TO time sending up heart-rend-
ing shrek. Steadily the flames encroached
upon him; he did not seem to mind il.
Then the flames singed his hair and licked
his night-clothes. One despairing look he
gave to the crowd below, and then fell
back into the sea of fire. A man and wo-
man appeared at a window Of the third
story. They were recognized as Allen
johnson and wife. A canvas was stretched
below the windows OF their apartments,
and thousand voices called TO them to
jump. Mr.. johnson
KISSED HIS WIFE AND THEN LEAPED
into the air and shot downward into the
canvas, but his weight was such that the
canvas was pulled out OF the hands OF the
few who held il, and he alighted on the
ground with deathly force. His wife fol-
lowed. Her body struck the veranda and
fell to the ground liielesS. Mr.. johnson
died soon afterward in the express office,
and his body was laid beside that OF his
wife until they were borne away.
About dozen persons jumped from the
Michigan-street front. Each lean meant
death or shattered limbs, and not less than
four uniortunates at one time lay upon the
icy sidewalk in front OF the Chamber Of
Commerce clad only in nlght-clOtheS, blood
and brains oozing from wounds through
which bones pr0truded. Some were car
ried to the express Office and others to the
ground floor of the Mitchell building,
where cots had been hastily arranged, and
from there they were carried of TO tie pri-
vate houses OF kind-hoarted people. The
scene in' the alley west OF the burning
building was sickenng. As early as 6
O'Clock the bodies OF seven unfortunate
waiter-girlS Were stretched upon the snow
and ice
until death ended their suilcrngs. The
maze OF telegraph-wires encircling the
building on the south and east sides played
sad havoc with the people who made the
frightful leap for life. Several of the bodies
were cut deep into by the wires. and then
the torn and bleeding forms would drop TO
the ground. Others would strike the wires
croSswise, rebound. and bc hurled to the
ground with dreadful crash.
One of the first persons to arrive upon
the scene was James Wright, a proof
reader on the Sentinel. He says that the
first person who struck on the wires was
an unknown man, who jumped from the
fifth-stoTy window on the Michigan-street
side. A little girl jumped first, hut she
did not strike the wires, although she was
killed by striking on the pavement. A
canvas was held underneath the window
from which the man jumped, but he struck
the wires and was thrown back against the
building and then fell to the ground. He
was killed by the wires before he
struck the pavement, and his face
was badly torn and cut. A number
Of men attempted to catch the little girl
in a canvas, but in falling she struck on
the wires, and her body was terribly cut,
and she was. thrown against the building
and from thence 10 the cur5stone. Van
IIaag, the fireman who was killed, also lost
his life owing TO the multitude OF wires
which were strung about the building.
When the wall fell near the Broadway
corner 1t carried down the wires, and Van
4iaag became entangled in them, and was
struck by a telegraph pole while struggling
TO free himself from them. The wall fell,
and he was buried beneath the ruins. He
was rescued, but died about one hour after.
Numerous other witnesses testified 10 the
fact that the
WIRES WERE A GREAT HINDRANCE,
and were responsible for number Of
deaths. besides keeping the firemen from
throwing up ladders against the building,
So strongly were businessmen and other
eye-witnesses impressed with the belief
that the wires were great source OF trou-
BILE that petition was prepared and circu-
lated among the businessmen and on
Change asking that the wires hereafter be
placed under ground.
One man, by letting himself down at
arms length from tiith-story window,
put his feet through the window below and
rescbed the fourth floor in safety. The
operation was repeated until the third floor
was reached, each point gained in his peril
Gus descent being greeted with encour-
aging cheers from the bystanders. As he
was putting his feet through the top of the
second-story window his hands slipped
from the sill above, and, with wild shrek
OF despair, he fell backward, turning over
several times, and, striking the pavement
on his bead, was mangled beyond recogni-
ton. AT one time there were six persons
hanging from one wlndow-sill In the fifth I
story, crying In agonizing tones for help;
but one after another they loosed their hold