Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-09-04
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Persisted in the Flames
THE MOST DISASTROUS FIRES In
BALTIMoRE's HISTORY.
FATE OF THE FIREMEN.
seven OF Them cnt or by falling Walls
and Literally Roasted Alive-The
Loss TO Property Exceeds a
Million Dollars.

BALTIMORE, Sept. 3.-One Of the most
disastrous fires, both to life and property,
that has occurred In this city for
many years, broke out at 4:80 Sunday
morning, at No. 100 South Sharp street,
and spreading with great rapidtty on
either side destroyed seven fine four.
story iron and brick front buildings OIL
Sharp street, and the back buildings OF
nearly the whole row of houses Cd Pratt
street, between Sharp and Hanover.
The north wall of building No. 100 Sharp
street collapsed about H:3n a. m. and
buried nine of the iiremen. Two of
them-Alex and John Kelly-were
taken aut alive, but they were
badly injured. Seven were killed.
Their m are George Bowers,
Thomas Wagner, Perry Ryan and John
A. Comb, of No. 2 truck company, and
Harry Walker, James McFee and Geo.
Kerins, of No. 2 engine company. The
losses will aggregate about 81, $50, 900,
upon which there is estimated insurance
of $500, 00c. The. heaviest losses fall
upon John King, president of the Erie
Railroad company; Edward A. Prior a.
Co., J. II. Winkleman & Co., M. S.
Levy 81 Son, Dobbs Manufacturing COM
pany, Tabb Bros. s. Dimmock, Henry S.
King s. Sons.
The fire continued until about IL
O'Clock, when it was gotten under con-
troll. The engines are still throwing
streams on the %smoldering heaps of ru-
ms however. The buildings on Sharp
street, from No. 105 to III, We're swept
clean, nothing being left standing except
the front. The rear building of the Ma.
terle, on Lombard street, was torn down
ii, ,nrax,apf +1.n a ~ II, - a.. f-Ai.-.
The inmates of the institution
ware all removed quietly. rho firms
of Tahb Bros, e. Dimmock and Prior
q Co, had large supplies OF gun and re-
yolyer cartridges in stock. About $50
a. m. they began to explode, and for a
quarter of an hour kept up a fusilade,
the bullets going through the windows
on all sides, bu fortunately nobody was
siset, with the exception OF one man, who
was slightly wounded near chs left eye.
Shortly before g O'Clock the members
of No. z engine company and No. Q
truck, entered Tabb Bros. building, In
tending to cut holes through to 100.
Those In the street. saw that the north
wall OF JOB WAS beginning to sway, and
called TO them to come out. All of them
We're Fastening out when the treacher-
GUS wall fell over, and crushing through
the floors OF No. 107, buried the unfor-
tunate iiremen under Its great weight.
Then all efforts Wera concentrated lpon
the pile of ruins under which nine
human beings were writhing In torture.
The groans of the men could be heard
from within this living volcanic tomb,
for it had now taken fire and was belch-
ing forth jets of fame. Half a dozen
strong streams were turned On the pile
and the flames within were, in q short
time, subdued. In a few minutes John
Kelly was secured. His left eye was
burned out of its socket and his head
badly mashed, but the surgeons say
he will recover. Then A. Il. Ecx
was dragged from under the ruins.
His right arm was broken and
HIS side badly injured. The others.
however, were beyond hope, and their
dead bodies were taken out one by one.
all mangied, torn and burned, the last
q being recovered late at night. All
of the seven dead fremen whose names
are given above, leave families to 0
their nntimely end, except Harry Walker.
wh was q single man. IL is impossible
to get anything Ike a correct list of the
losses and insurance.