The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-22
The Destruction of the Building and Killing
of Its Occupants Attended by Terri
bic and Shocking Scenes.
An Explosion Of Natural Gas at Wellsa
burg, w. Va, Kills Six Persons.
A Number of Cincinnati Business Men In.
jured in Railway CollisiOn-SeriOus
Losses by Fire in Many Places.
TERRIBLE SCENES AT A FIRE.
Five Lives Lost by the Burning of a Philadel-
Dwelling House.


Five Lives Lost by the Burning of Philadel..
Dwelling House.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 21-Fire broke out be.
tween and o'clock this morning in the house.
of John A King No 1889 Pine street. and tho
flames made rapid progress Three dwellings,
were destroyed. The occupants of Kings resi-
dence were aroused by the heat and smoke only
to discover the usual means Of egress cut off.
They ran to the windows and most of them
jumped out. Mr.. King appeared at a fourth
story window and was seen to make an effort to
jump but was overcome by heat and fell back
into the flames. His charred body was found
after the fire had been extingushed Three peo
pie who jumped to the ground-two female SER
wants and sister of Mrs. King-also lost their
lives Mrs. King appeared at window
crying for help. A mattress was held by
fremen, and she was told to drop her
baby first and then jump herself
She did so, and received severe but no
dangerous injuries. The baby was kiilsl. The
body of Miss Hamilton sister of Mrs. King,
was recovered. Five people in all were killed.
The Kings were among the most fasli0rable
and popular people of the city.
Mrs. King was to night in a delirious condi.
tion but it is believed she will recover The little
daughter Nora, who was so severely injured wher
thrown from the window to the mattress, iG
still alive tonight but cannot live. Mary
Burns, the servant girl. will also die. The fol
lowing is a corrected list of killed and wounded:
Killed - JOHN A. KING, aged 35;
Miss JENNIE HAMILTON aged 20;
CHARLES KING aged Z
CATHERINE DEERY, aged 10
+ (turv ,o1
1njurea-MRs. JOHN A. KING, aged 33
NORA KING, aged 4;
MARY BURNS, aged l3
TERRIBLE AND SHOCKING SCENES
When the fire was discovered the neisbbors
raised an alarm, but two other fires were ia
progress at the same time, and it was three
quarters of an hour before roengines eames
meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. King and others Of the
family could be seen in the fourth story with
all means of escape cut off. Mrs. King was in
her night clothes, but was remarkably
calm, and bade her children be
brave. She then called to the neghboYs
assembled below to get a mattress, and they
were not long in spreading the pavement with
mattresses and blankets. Then, lifting her five
year rold boy to the window sill, she toG I.m to
be brave and jump. lie seemed plucky little
fellow; he jumped and struck the mattress fairly,
and it seemed that he was safe, but ne was SO
badly shaken that he died in two minutes Then
Mrs. King poised her daughter Lillian, three
years old, on window sill and dropped her fairly !
OF. q mattress. The child WAS hurt but not
killed. Turning for moment, then, to address
a word to her husband, Mrs. King mounted a
window sill, and deliberately jumped off. with as
much calmness as one might jump into bath.
Her flight through the great distance
from the fourth story seemed to end
in safety, but she was found unconscious and
badly hurt. Her husband was about TO follow
her. but seemed to be calling on some one be-
hind him probably Miss Hamiiton}, when the
spectators were Mortified by sudden belching
forth of broad sheet of flame, 10y the light Of
which Mr. King was seen 10 throw up his handA
and fall back out Of sight At the same time an
other crowd at the back of the house were horri-
fed to witness u similar shocking sight Miss
Hamilton had been driven by the flames to a
fourth story back window, and. being unable to
stay in the room and afraid to Jump she hung
by her hands outside the window sill until utter
~ exhausted, when she let 20 and dropped to the
paved area below When picked up one side Of
her body was badly burned, showing that she
had been literally burned off the window sill.