The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-05-28
A FIRE HORROR.
Seventeen Persons Perish in he III; es
Most of them Girls.

Seventeen Persons Perish in he L inGes
Most of them Girls.
CINCINNATI. May 2I.-The fire on Sixth
It eet, No. 10 this afternoon. caused the death
o; seventeen pc. sons. 1t was first thought only
five women, who jumped from the fittll story
Suhdued SO that the tiremen could enter the
building, it was found that ten dead hjdies lay
on the fifth foo-, and one on the fourth. There
were six who jumped from the window y.
we're killed, and one man, a ter saving the
lives of two women by letting down a rope
from The roof was himself killct by the burn ng
Of tho same rope before he got to the ground
This WAS MIR. sullivan, brother OF the prODrle-
tor of the printing works.
The lire originated by explosion of a gas
aline stove on the second floor. The flames
entered re elevator, which is next to the s ar
way, and all chance OF escape Was thus cut off,
rhe killed are mostly employs of the dye
works which occupied a portion OF the pace.
The list now Obla- -nable of the victims reads
Mary Lowry, aged II, lives in Covington,
killed.
j I'm Sullivan, one of the firm of Sullivan &
Co , Steam Printing Works, with offices in the
building, kill d.
Emma Pinchback, badly hurt.
JO-ie Hawke S, severely burned.
VIM. Bishop, badly hurt.
Mamie Shepherd, fatally injured.
Liz NJ YerS, HI led.
d, | lie, aged D. jumped from the top Sto y
and was dashed to pieces.
The two Burton sisters of Newport, KY, both
killed.
Mary BcPnU66D. aS6u Is, Ol newport,
in leaplns from the i'th s'Ory. Cyrus Braam
made an effort TO save her, Tut the force was
too eat, and she was dashed on 10 the pave
ment at his feet a ShapeleSS corpse.
Fannie j ne, was XII ed
In addition to the abb We list Of t"ose killed
by leaping from The fifth story, II more corpSes
were found inside the building, and the search
is now being made.
The fifth s1o:y was c. mpletely burn ID out,
but the walls are still standing. The other
floors are moi, much da aged. The building
,.iL6 INV SntIi &r nrintinD
works; Ofth, WeisseIl & Co., dye house; the
Ledger Postal News Company; Parisian Dye
ing Securing Com any, and j. klnslty,
gold, siver and nickle ating works. 1t was
not long until the fire was under control. fhe
mass of telegraphic and telephone wires pre-
vented the tirenlen from putting up ladders
promptly for the relief of the inmates.
Further Particulars.
This city has had its share of shocking dSas-
ters, but never has one happened i'll which
Such pityful loss of life has occurred as that
of to day, with so little Occas lon. In less than
fifteen minutes after the fal al event began 16
or II persO perIShed. Looking over the scene
after the events, it is plain that every life
could haye c been easily saved. ShorE as the
time was there were displays of thoughtul he
roiSm that saved two lives, but one OF the ne
-oes l. st his own life.
At half-past l O'Clock this afternoon, Mr..
j. q. Dean, city editor of the Times, was going
up the stairway to his office. He saw dense
clou IS of smoke issuirg from the rear windows
of the building, Nos. IL and 81 West -lxt e ith
street, and Immediately telcphOned to the fire
department an alarm which brought the en-
gines almost instantly, and as the fremen
could reach the bu lding from both the front
and rear, it was not Is minutes until ihe fire
was SO much under control tbarth chief engi-
| neer was able 10 reach the tif h or top floor.
| but he was uu:ble to reach the girl employ ed,
aud to his hcrro' he fou d ten dead bodies
| lying with their hands to their faces and their
| faces blackcncd d distorted in death. The
| chief Sa- d, i'll speaking of it, the house is II
fhurned out, in fact the fire was chiefly in the
II cNAr In fhn NfIya lNn mt fn6
| ten girls lying upon benches, tables and other
/ thingS, and some on the floor. Their clothing
| was not burned but the skin on the backs OF
1 their ha. .ds was scorched: 1t was terrible
| sight, the worst ever saw in my exper .encr
| The girls lay wher., they had fallen in their
| wild ard pless despair,
AS soon as the fire started, John sullivan, a
young man, cousin OF the proprietor, ran ur
o' give to % the girls Instantly GO1 he
ound he was too late ;d to 81 get them down The
ould only be told by the glimpse that cnulC
be seen of him at the smoking windt W, whence
foW of the girls had already leaped tp theil
gone TO the roof, thei bui ding adjoin
ing thi' on the west, and knowing
tnat, the girls wee snprsoned OF
Jne floor below they procured rope and low
cred it to the window where Sullivan W s
He instantly grasped it and fastening one o
the gir to it, helped her out of the window
and Ktnsley and the, foreman lowered he
safely. The rope was brought up, G.. sullivan
again quickly fastened it to another girl ant
sent her down safely. The rope came a thirt
time and as the other girls by this time wer
all suffocated. or were afraid TO venture
Sullivan fastened the rope t
his own body and was bein
lowered. when, as he was half wav down. t"
flames shot out of window, and he fell hea
| | t remost to the side walk, in the presence o.
Mortified crowd of people, who had WItnesse
his herOiSm.
When the girls were, jumping from the win
, dow large colOred man tried
| catch them, and so break tn
I force of the fall. He nearly lost hi
T own life In the attempt.
There was an avenue of escape VIII Ii til
| panic-Strcken girls did not think Of 1t wa
' au opening in the roof which they could easil
have reached from a bench.