The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-22
INDIANAPOLIS MORNING.

second and third foors and this accounts for their
escape. All agree that the spread of the flames
was almost instantaneous. Mr.. Kinsley, who
ran to his upper floors in the rear, where the
flames were in danger of coming through his
windows found the smoke so dense that he had
to crawl on the floor to reach his window and
close it
All this while there was an avenue of escape
which the panic-stricken girls did not think OF.
1t was an opening in the roof which they could
have reached from bench standing beside the
WALL and once on the roof they could have
reached other buildings with perfect ease. The
lack of ready access to this place lost all these
lives.
The fire was almost insignificant. The wood
en- stairway around the elevator shaft is not
burned so as to be useless or even unsafe, yet
the flames seem to have pervaded all the floors
and to have ruined all the paper and other light
combustible material Sullivan estimates his
loss at $4,000 to $4,000, with an ample insur
ance. The loss TO the building is slight
AFTER THE FIRE-THE LIST OF KILLED
The scenes at Habigs undertaking establish
ment, where the dead bodies were taken, and
where friends and relatives came to identify
them, were of the most painful character. In
one case policeman of Covington identified his
sisters, Lizzie and Dolly Handel, who were
twins Mrs. Mer found the body of her
daughter, and had to be led away from the ter
rible sight. Mrs. Leban had the awful expert
ence of finding her three daughters among the
dead. The fatal list as now made up is:
DoLLIE and LIZZIE HANDEL twin sisters, 20
years, II Scott Street, Covington.
FANNIE JONES. % years, Liberty and Freeman.
DELLA, KATIE and MARY SEBAN, sisters, aged
% IA and IT, respectively 206 Sixth street.
KATIE Lowry, 20 years, Newport.
LIZZIE MEIR, 16 years, 345 Broadway.
ANNIE MCINTYRE, 20 years, 80 East Sixth street.
FANNIE NORTON, 81 years.
KATIE and MARY PUTNAM, sisters, % and 19.
respectively.
JOHN SULLIVAN, % years, 3e5 Broadway
LILLE WYNN, 20 years. 88 East Fifth street.
The injured are:
WILL BISHOP. printer, 90 years, 2O3 Fifth street,
Covngton; crushed and burned; will prob
ably die.
JOSIE Brooks, broken leg.
NANNIE SHEPHERD Harrison street; head badly
cut.
Already preparations are in progress for the
relief of the families of the victims, most Of
whom were the support of dependent parents
Mr.. BRAAM's STATEMENT.
G. Braam, who had charge of the paper-cut-
ting machine in the building located on the
second floor, made the following statement II
was working at my machine when the fire started.
1t broke out at the elevator right below the dry
rack, where the freshly printed sheets are hung
to dry, on the second floor. When saw the blaze
ran up the stairs as high as the fourth floor,
when the flames were so hot that they drove me
back, but not before yelled to the girls not to
jump out of the windows. When got down to
the pavement, however. I saw the
flames and smoke rushing out of the
windows, and the girls trying to make
their escape Mrs. Bell, Dollie and Annie Han
del jumped from the window, and I tried to
catch them, injuring myself doing SO. The two
girls were killed outright, and Mrs. Bell was
dreadfully injured. She died at the hospital
Josie Hawks, who was one of the saved, was
badly burned on the face and arms, and, by fall
just before she reached the sidewalk, broke her
leg.
THE first thing found myself surrounded by
smoke The fire seemed to come up the elevator
dropped on my hands and knees, and crawled
to the window. After awhile somebody threw
me rope. I started down. 1 would have fallen,
only somebody caught me. Miss Shepherd
jumped apparently safe to tarpaulin held out
to catch her. but she was afterwards found to be
injured"
Theo. Hardin, another employe, said:
II was on the second floor when saw Tommy
Gleason rush past with his clothes on fire. I
rushed up but could not reach the girl I saw
at once that they would be cut off, Their cries
were terrible;" and the boys feelings overcome
him so that he could not proceed
Mrs. Leban, who lost three daughters, ap-
peared at the morgue to identify them Her
features were strained with grief, but with some
gleam Of hope she passed body after
body until sharp cry and the words
"My God, here is Mary" showed that hope
had fed. In moment her eyes rested on her
other two daughters, and then the poor woman
was wild with grief, and was taken in charge by
a kind spectator.
The Sullivans were quite young printers, be.
ginning short time ago with almost no capital
They had used economy, and being we'll trained
in the art had increased their business until
they occupied nearly the entire building
OTHER FIRES.