The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-30
A BRAVE MANS FATE.
He Loses His Own Life in His Solici-
tllde for Others.
James Carr Terrible Fail at Chit
cage Eire-FIaTncs in Box Fac
torG--Narrow Escape or
Operatives.

CHICAGO. Oct. ga most disastrous fire,
accompanied 10y the loss of life and slight
injuries to several persons occurred on the
north side Wednesday. At Has in the
morning Mike Brady, elevator man in the
large four story brick building on the south
west corner If laSalle and Michigan
streets, ran into the onginc-room i'll the
basement AMI yelled to the engineer,
Peter Donahoc: "Firo!' The latter, first fix
ing his engine rushed 10 the elevator, anA,
looking up, discovered the first floor in
flames. Immediately after there was a tar
rife explosion on the first floor, supposed to
have been of barrels filled with paint, and The
mon ran foy Their lives Brady having his
hair burned oN The flames rushed like
whiriwind up the elevator The top story was
occupied by " L. Fisher lbs a cigar-bCx
factory, In 1t were tweuty-one girls ana
eighteen men The first they knew Of the
fire was the bursting of heavy volumes Of
SMOKE into the room. The foreman, James
Carr hurIiediy called all OF them about him,
and, leading them t. a fire proof staircase, sput
in year ago ni;nsEaled them down it. To
make sure that none were left, he returned,
bat 50 quickly did the flames perneate the
binding that he found his means Of escape
cut off. He ran 10 the roof ANA appealed
10 the fireman, row on the spot below, to
save him. Some of them ran to the top If
the next huiilmg in the rear and threw him
rope, while others on the ground held "a
tarpauiin to catch hIm should he fall. He
grasped the rope and swung Off, but, unfor
tunately for SO brave a man, lost his hold
and, to the horror Of the spectators, he came
whirhnG through the air He fell on the tar
paulii with such terrific force that it wa
torn, and striking tie stones below he was
picked up dead.
The third story was occupied by Danhei2er
Eros, chewmg-gum manufacturers They
employed twelve girls These got out by
means Of the flre-cscape, but whom twenty
feet from the ground eight of them jumped
and were slightly injured As far as known
these were the only casualties.
The building was guttel and the contents
are a total loss, bat the entire value of them
is not vet known.
The scenes around the burning building
were of the most exciting character Hap.
pening just at the noon hour, the FIRE at
tracted thousands from each division Of the
city, whose attention was drawn bv the rush
of the engnot through the streets and the
dense volumes of smoke that arose to Il great
height over the burning building These
crowds mtcriered greatly with the work Of
the department, in spite of the rorton OF po-
lice who We're stationed on the streets in the
vicinity. The telegraph. lines, as usual were
another obstacle, lut this was quickly re-
moved by the frcmen by cutting them
In ten minutes after the first stroke of the
alarm the structure was a seething mass of
fames--a veritahle fiery furnace The build,
ing, a mere shell, built Immediately after
the fire, was an easy prey TO the flames
The roof fell in twenty minutes after,
carrying each successive floor and its con
tents with it. When the mass struck the
ground the building rocked and swayed rs
if an earthquake bad shaken the ground
There was a rush of the thousands on-loolcrs
10 places of safety, many hoing thrown f.
the ground and tranrled.
The building was five stories high. and ha
long been known as a fire-trap 1t is author
itatively said that some of the girls il
Fishers factory have for years had long
ropes coilcl undor their work-henches to aid
them in escape should fire occur Il was
only year ago that the fireproof staircase
was placed in it, and had it not been for thi.
the loss Of life would have been frightful
The total loss will probably reach $l95, 900
of which $4,000 was the value Of the build
ing, insured for $50, 900