The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-02-04
District Supreme court, which adjoins
1t on tho left, was also badly damaged by
THE FIRE CHIEFS STORY.

THE FIRE cllEF'ssroRY.
Chief Parish, OF tho fire department,
told his story as follows: ~ paid no ut.
teniion to the fire when heard there
were people In the house. | felt my
Y way through tho smoke 10 the second
iioor and found man In n room.
tried to pick him up, but he was almost
/. too heavy. managed TO drag him into
back room where there WAS more mir,
and then I broke tho window out aud
called TO Lowe, who was In the alley 10
run up ladder. Then they took the
man out and 1t proved to be the Secro.
tary. ! couldn't move him any further
for was exhausted and full up to tho
neck with smoke. Then l went back
into the smoke and fire again and found
Young lady, Aliss Mary Tracy, they
tell me 1t was, and rs | caught hold OF
her wrists to lit her up the flesh caruc
oil her burned hands. She had been
burned. got her out, but she was
dead. as...
DR.. Ruth at the solicitation of friends
visited the undertaker's establishment
aud identified Miss Tracy. He made
hurried examination and found she had
died from sutiocation. Mrs. Tracy was
found TO have died from rupture of
blood vessels. A gentleman WHO saw
the fire said never in his life did he see
or hear Of such sight.
TERRIBLE SCENE. r.s
at seemed" he said, ''as though hell
had broken loose and sent its fiery
tongue to earth, Tho whole building
seemed one seething mass OF flames
bursting from every point. Scream fol.
lowed scream, each one more horrible
and blood curdling than tho other, from
the interior OF the building. Only n
few people were passing ut the time and
they seemed bewildered. The engines
soon arrived. You know the -est."
Il. U. Turner is footman ut the Tracy
residence. He was au eye witness OF
part OF the fire. He was up and dressed
before 7o'clOck, and was prepared to 70
up stairs to clean the silver. He slept
in the basement. "Just as was start.
ing up stairs" said he, "a colored man
rang the bell and told the butler, who
answered 1t, that the house was on fire.
The butler ran up stairs and Immediate
iy rushed back shouting "My God, the
house is on fire." The first floor was in
flames. We ran out the front door. Mrs.
Wilmerding and her daughter were at
the front second story windows CRYING
for help. Both the ladies shortly Jumped,
Neither struck on their feet, but fell on
their Sides"
The house Of Mr.. L. S. Rhecm, No. 92l
Seventeenth street, almost itself cap.
tured by the fire, was thrown open for
the dead and dying.
Mrs. Tracy, still alive, was brought in
bya couple OF liremen and placed on a
sofa. 1t was a little after o'clock when
she spat up little blood, hardly
enough to be termed hemorrhage,
closed her eyes and without Il moan
ceased to breathe. Her body was rc-
moved to the residence OF Attorney
General Miller.
The cook, scorched and blackened up-
til she had an Ethiopian appearance, but
not seriously injured, was the next
brought In. She was provided with an
upstairs room. Secretary Tracy was the
third sufferer to be sheltered under Mr..
Rheem's roof.
A FiREMAN's ACCOUNT.
Charles Ross, who is the fireman OF
No. l engine, which was the first to reach
the scene OF the fire, said to a reporter:
II was awakened by yell OF fire. l
looked tiny watch it was four minutes
to seven. l jumped out OF bed and
turned the engine out. When We reach.
cd the house 4 mass Of flames was pour.
ing out OF the first parlor floor. l turned
in the alarm and Immediately afterwards
4 general alarm. Two women, who | af.
terwards found were Mrs. Wilmerding
and her daughter, were at tho second
story window front, and were screaming
Tor help. | yelled to them not to jump,
butalmost instantly one Of them jumped,
falling on the parking. We ran up a
ladder which was short, and were prepar-
ing to put up the other extension when
the other woman jumped. She struck
on the ladder and bounced of, also fall.
ing on the parking. Wefought our way
in the front door and up the stairs,
which were one sheet OF flames. We
found Secretary Tracy and his younger
daughter IN an unconscious condition.
We brought the young lady out the
front way. She was still breathing
slightly, although she was very fur gone.
Other men took the Secretary out the
back way. No flames were coming from
the basement floor, and as far us | can
judge ut present the fire originated on |
the first floor.
Policeman Cattelly was the first per-
son to reach the ,Secreary's room. lie
turned in the seven o'clock call at |
Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventeenth |
street, and then walked up Seventeenth
street in the direction OF the Secretary's |
house. Just after crossing II street he |
heard considerable noise aud heard some
one call Fire" Running TO the corner
be aaw the flames pouring from the win
dows. He went to the front door, but
it being locked he turned and went to
the basement door. Finding the door
unlocked he entered the house and made |
his way TO the stairway and after some |
difficulty managed TO press through the
smoke and flames 10 the upper floors, |
In the smoke-iiled rooms the officer felt |
about 10 see ii he could find any one, and
finally he entered the second.story back |
rooms.
On the floor was something that i'm.
peded his passage, stopping 10 sec what
it was he discovered it was the body of |
person that afterward proved 10 be Sec.
retary Tracy. The officer tried in vain
to haul the Secretary over to the win.
dow, and was still endeavoring 10 do so
when Chief Paris arrived.
TWO YOUNG VICTIMS.
In the rear room OF Undertaken
Gawlcr's establishment two bodies lie
on boards and trestles. They are all
that remain OF Miss Mary Tracy and OF
Josephine, the French maid. Miss
Tracy evidently died from sulocation,
although she was burned slightly in
several places. The head that but few
hours ago was such crown OF glory was
singed and blackened and bloody. The
hands and wrists were almost destitute
OF skin, and on the contracted and red.
dened fingers Of the left hand glistened
four rings. One was diamond ring,