The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-08
EIGHT LIVES LOST BY FIRE.
Horrible Result of an Incendiary Fire
in q Chicago Tenement-HOuse.
Eight Sleeping Inmates Burned to Death In
the Blazing misunderstanding Scenes
Revealed by Search of the Ruins.

CHICAGO, June IA fire occurred in a frame
building at No. 731 South Canal street, at
o'clock this morning, which is thought to have
been Of incendiary origin. Eight of the sleeping
| inmates had no warning, and were burned in
| their beds. They were:
| Michael Murphy, wife and two daughters,
| aged nine and eleven years; Mrs. Mary Durkin
| and infant child Patsy LAWN four years, and
William Hand, sixty eight years.
| The fire broke out in the cellar of 1888 Canal
street The flames shot upward and quickly
| burned through the first floor, which is on a
level with the ground. Shooting upward, the
next floor was soon ablaze. The fire spread
| through the wooden walls of the basement, and
No. 73l was soon wrapped in flames, which en-
veloped the adjoining number Both houses
were filled with smoke before any of the occu-
pants were aroused. Many Of the sleepers were,
| doubtless, smothered in their beds. 1t will
probably never be known who awoke and tried
| in vain to escape from the sitting smoke and
| scorchng flames The flames following rapidly
| after the smoke, burned the insensate bodies
| until they were unacceptable masses of black
and charred bones and flesh.
The lower floor of No. 1888 was occupied by
John Raleigh. jr. His wife was awakened by a
sense of suffocation. She aroused her husband,
who hastily donned few articles of clothing,
and threw up window The flames scorched
his face, singeing his hair and mustache. Not
hesitating moment, he caught his wife in his
arms and with terrible effort threw her bodily
through the flames out Of the window. Her
night dress caught on fire. With great pres
ence of mind she extingushed the flames with
her hands and lent assistance to her husband in
saving the lives of their two small children.
The fire had gained additional Roadway, and he
was unable to put the children out of the same
window He then kicked on the wall to arouse
the people on the second floor Catching the
babies in his arms, he ran upstairs and jumped
with them from second story window
The scond floor of No. 1888 was occupied by the
Durkin and Murphy families. No member of
either of these families escaped. The fremen,
in searching the ruins of the houses. came upon
the most narrowing scenes Some were lying in
the half burned beds. Others who wore awak-
ened before death came upon them: were clutch
ing each other in groups on the floor. They were
all evidently overcome by the smoke before any
effort could be made to escape. The upper floor
was occupied by William Hand, jr. His father
lived with him. They were aroused by the smell
of the smoke. The young man caught up the
children and jumped from a second-story win
dow with them. After assisting his wife to the
street. he wanted to help his father down, but
the old man insisted his jumping with the
children. The aged and decrepit form of the old
gentleman was seen at the window moment.
and then disappeared just as he was about to
leap. The raging fire prevented the making of
an effort for his rescue
The lower floor of No. 731 was occupied by a
man named Mcclure, who kept grocery store.
All his family We're saved. 1t is believed that
the fire was the work of an incendiary. 1t was
first seen by a Waterman in a brewery near by,
and he started over to alarm the occupants
When in the rear of the burned houses he met
a man, who said: There's fire. You'd better
turn in an alarm" The man disappeared up the
alley. The Waterman could not identify him if
he should see him again.
John WEIGH, teamster, said that he was at
the scene of the fire five minutes after it started
He rendered what assistance he could, and
helped in caring for the suffocated victims He
said great delay was made in sending in the
alarm. This delay was caused by the man who
pulled the box not understanding its workings
and the delay had much to do with the fatal re-
suit. The origin of the fire was at first mys,
terry until tub containing clothes saturated
with coal oil discovered in the basement
The articles in the tub burned from the top, and
a strong smell of oil could be detected on raising
tho contents The scene of the fire Ia in the
midst of that quarter occupied by the poorer
men, women and children stood around the place
discussing the tragedy. But few persons we're
allowed to enter the house unless they were
friends of the former occupants
Little Johnnie Dunkin, aged six weeks, lay in
Ward q at the County Hospital. The physician
refused to say whether the child would recover
or not. but he thought that if it had not inhaled
too much heat the chances were in its favor.
John Raleigh told his story as follows when
I heard the shouting [ jumped out of bed and
dressed myself. When l went out found three
or four persons trying to get ladder up to one
Of the windows of Murphys room. The heat
was too intense-nobody could stand it. I then
grabbed the ladder and made round to the back
window placed it to the sill and climbed up,
but met at the window by sheet of flame
that nearly knocked me down to the yard.
shouted, but got no response. l did not hear
even cry or moan In few moments the
engines came. and I told the men there were
two families inside They said they could not
do anything until they had subdued the fre
The only member of the two families they found
alive was little Johnnie Durkin. child of abont
six weeks In my opinion, the fire was the work
of incendinries, though what their object could
have been / cannot imagine"
The houses have been fred twice before with
in a year, but the fire each time was discovered
before it had made any Roadway.