Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-06-01
A CHICAGO HOLOCAUST.
Five Children Rescued From a Burn.
ing Livery Barn on Monroe
Street.
SiXty-seyen Horses Imprisoned in the
Basement Perish in Awful
Agony

The big brick barn located near the
corner of jefferson aud Monroe streets.
and occupied by A. NJ. Forbes as a LIVERY
and boarding stable, partially burned
Monday morning at 2:30 o'clock. Sixty
seven horses perished in the flames. and
u dozen people-families living over the
stables-were rescued and escaped with
difficulty, and one little child was almost
asphyxiated, while a half dozen people
were suffering from inhaling smoke.
The flames had good headway when dis
covered, the hay in the basement stables
causing a rapid and fierce fire. Among
the people living upstairs were the fam
lilies of S. Stafford and j ohm Fearon. com
prising a number of little children. The
women, who were first awakened by the
smoke, cries, and fierce heat, ran scream
ing into the street, attired only in their
night dresses. Their anguish for the
safety of the little ones was intense, and
their piteous appeals for help to save
them would have moved heart of stone
Mr.. Stafford rescued his own little daugh-
ter at the imminent risk of his life throw
ing a blanket around her head and rush.
ing, half blinded, down the stairs and into
the street. He inhaled smoke himself
until he fell down from exhaustion.
Another man, named Mitchell, in attempt
ing to save some of the little ones. inha!-
ed some smoke. He is very Ill to-day.
The fire department came promptly
and all the attention of the men was di-
rected toward Tescuing the little children
yet in the burning building. Fire
Marshal Murphy, Lieut.. Cook and Capt.
Pun phrey went into the building when
the smoke was binding and the flames
leaped through the crevices in the boards.
Murphy first returned to the outside with
two of the children, and Cook and Pun
phrey brought out Others Immediately
afterward. One little one, boy, the last
one saved, could not be found at first, aud
1t was only after some search through the
binding smoke that he was discovered
nearly dead with fright and half suffo
Gated, with his head under a big ice-bOx
trying to get a breath of air. He ls one
of the Fearon children, and is quite badly
off yet from the effects of his asphyxia
The little sufferer is now at tho home of
an aunt, where he was taken after the fire.
There were seventy horses in the
stables underneath the barn at the time
of the fire. Only three were saved, and
two OF them are so badly injured by
burning and suffOcation that they will
be worthless if they do not die. The ro-
naming sixty-seven, all fine animals,
were imprisoned so they could not escape,
and perished miserably by burning or
suffocation, They were being taken out
and large force of men with horses and
tackle were engaged in the disagreeable
task. The stencil was something terrible,
but Notwithstanding it, crowd of men,
women, and children stood around all
morning gazing upon the horrible sights
as the work of the laborers progressed.
The bodies of the burned horses, swollen
to twice their natural size, with legs curl
ed up and burned to a crisp, eyes pro-
trudiug, roasted, and cracked open, blood
exuding from their mouths, and the
bodies totally destitute of hair, were sick
ening to look upon. Body after body
was taken from the ruins, charred and
blackened, and at noon the half had not
been done. the live horses, burned,
SCARED and swollen, their eyes watering
and noses running, stood shivering from
fright and nervousness on the carriage
floor, which was yet intact. The loss on
the horses amounts to 400 at least,
and the damage to the buildings, harness,
etc, will make the total loss very close to
$4,000. Only about One-third O. the loss
is covered by insurance. The peoplo
arOuEd the barn ascribe the fire to in
cendiary causes and claim that it is the
only possible manner of ITS origin.