The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-29
CHICAGO.
The Langham Hotel Fire aud Its In.
cidents.
Somsthiox About the Fire Department of n
Big Cfty-Tne Hand Grenade Fire
Exsfnxaisher Opera Fes-
uvai. Etc

CHfcAeo, March 26 This morning a CT 1ve
Of people lined the side OF Wabash avenue
and Adams street, opposite the great un-
canuy skele on OF the Ian CHAM Hotel,
which was destroyed by ire last Saturday
night, and around which linge- the subtitle,
morbid Influences because OF the sad and
fatal incidents attending the blaze. And a
blaze il was. Even before the Changing and
rattlinx fre araratus aud the brave force OF
the department. arrived the flames spread
hungriiy. IL 3 few minutes, too few to
dare to state. the lower apartments of the
building were 8 rs giDg furnace, huge volumes
Of smeke poured from the upper windows,
and the long. licking flames rolled up the
elevator shaft. there was barely time for
escape Screams were heard, and a. the
fsn es shot out Of windows. girls and wo-
men were seen standing on she easements of
other windows Ladders were pat in posi-
ton; men climbed to where they were, and
with the flames behind to picture the scene,
carried each and every one ever the extern
sion ladders, down four stories of wall, to
terra f;rma.
II vas near the supper hour. The girls OF
the hotel and the ladies in the house were
most of them making their toilet, and none
were but partially dressed, and bad no time
TO save anything
The first intin alton that some OF the guests
eating rush OF the tot air and smoke
through the ball into the rooms through
the transcms over the doors. Tbs gaslights
we're out at the frat rush of air, leaving the
halle dark, save the Etf1l glare through the
fbicS snipg smole. Clad in shawls, wraps
anything hastily donned. the people took
refuge IN the windows on the ire escape,
>~1 f1- 1~anEA tho 1anncr 4f tho me
ing stairways.
One poor m a Mrs. @. V. Belknap,
Was forced to the window of her roo in the
fifth story. and standing on the sill,
screamed and jumped to the roof of the Hill
ger Block. which Adorned the hotel. Bat it
was . fatal leap. Firemen. who were at
work on the roof. heard her call, aud shouted
to her not to JUMP. aud were raising a lad
der for her rescue when she fell at their
feet-dyins and soon dead.
III the power of seIf-possession were exer-
cised before the feeling that one must escape
m impending danger at all hazards becomes
most prominent, psnics might be avoided,
lives COW lost would have been saved; suf-
feriDg, dying. death might not have been Ia
thousands Of cases. A clear head, u quick
mind. . calm possession of self, are worth
more to men and women in an emergency
IN extreme moment OF peril-thsn a ho,t of
Would be yessuers.
How different might have been the fate of
Eu. Murray and her little boy of three
years, whose room was also on the fifth fl Jor,
II she had not coolly and deliberately set her
self TO work to save her baby's life aud her
own. She was making her own and child's
toilet preparatory for supper She saw
smoke coming thro' the transom; she smeiled
In density Running quickly to the hall.
she realized the danger, but saw no way OF
escape. and was forced back by the binding,
sufocating heat and smoke.
She wrapped q garment about the child,
Who Vas undressed in its crib. and doomed q
water proof circular, and taking the boy in
her arms, made her way to e fire csc ape. She
called, brtno answer came. The smoke poured
up0u them. She stepped out upcl the es-
cape platform. closing the window. She al.
juoted the boys clothes, arranged the circu-
lar that il might not impede her descent
dow the wired Tulgs OF the ladder. placed
b boys arms about her neck, telling him
to cling his legs around her waist tight, and
with the boys face close to the mother S neck,
she began her journey down ward. At eacn
landing the boy had to stand upon the plat
form until Mrs. Murray had gotten through
der, then she takes him again as before aud
goes through the almost suffocating smoke
down to the next story, one more nearer the
pavement And go on, and down, until
near the bottom the firemsn saw her and
ready hands were reached up to
save. The little fellow was as
70 know that no must help if rs could Mrs.
NuYray's husband IS an official on the North
western Railroad. and the first wo-ds the
child said after reaching the ground were:
want to 50 to Thains Paul where papa
ish.
A TERRIBLE RESULT
Of the burning was the falling of the wall on
the south side upon the roof of the Hilger
Block, crushing IL completely. At the time
. number Of the Fire Insurance Patrol Corps
and others were at work endeavoring to save
. valuable stock OF wall paper in the rear
Of the store and pianos in Bsyants
music rooms When the wall fell over
1t buried eleven men beneath the ruins.
three OF whom were taken out dead the
fourth surviving but . short time. John
Walsh and Edward Jones were members Of
the fire insurance patrol service, William
Bean Was . piano tuner, and John Hennesy
clerk in the wall paper store.
THIS MORNING
an lev aheen still covered the walls; little
mounds Of CONCEALED water rise up from the
mass OF ruin inside. Icy pendants hang
from cufnice and sill. A crowd are quietly
gazing upon the huge mass Of the glistening,
frosted network of walls. timbers and rods,
over and within which the sunshine poured,
rendering the rains artisticaliy beautiful,
hut in reality white sepulchrs.
a sunbeam r0oO upon q line OF IroSt WOrks
and slowly the melting effects OF q spring
like air are made visible upon the crystalized
debris md the drip. drip-the slow dropping
Of water seems like the falling OF tears for
the brave dead.
Ono of the smartest firemen in our country
Vos directing the work in the Hilger block
when the disaster occurred. although he es-
capped, and that IL Captain Ben b. Baldwin.
kla. chief Of the IRE insurance patrol. In
1871 ho Wa engaged by = commfttes of Chi
cago underwriters to take charge OF tue
patrol, and she wonderful proficiency OF the
department Is said 10 be due to his executive
ability. inventive genius. and control oil
himself and men. The headquarters of Pa
troll Company No. / is 176 Monroe street, in q
building which was erected expressly for thu
puypoeo Here the experiment of establish
ing 3 FIRE insurance patrol such as had beer
~inaugurated in New York was made, and
the mysterious and numbsrless electrica
appliances relative to the perfectness OF tn
object were here put to practical tests. This