Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1890-02-06
TEN PERSONS oREMArED.
Fatal Flames In noston Tenement House
A Burning stairway Cuts ON All Escape
Of the yictims.


A Burning stairway Cuts ON All Escape
Of the Victims.
BosroN, Feb. s.--By the fire in she
dwelling house ESQ and 26i North street
occupied mostly by Italians, yesterday
morning, IL is now known that ten per-
sons were burned to death, three others
fatally injured and six more seriously II
not mortally hurt
| There Is a diversity OF accounts as TO
the circumstances Of the origin Of the
| fire, the alarm and the rescue II Is
believed that the fire started In the
clothing store OF Maurice Rnhey
on the first floor and some minutes
before IL was discovered IL had
eaten through the partition wall OF the
hallway, which contained the stairs
leading TO the tenements above. Tho
wooden stairway was like tallow candle
and the flames swept mp It like flash.
In doing so it lighted up the hallway
and shot little flashes out through the
cracks Of the doors and soon attracted
attention, but in a moment II had taken
hold Of the stairway ascending from the
same hallway and thus cut off all possi-
BILE passage to the street for the occu-
pants.
The scenes which occurred among the
inmates when they were awakened
were of the most exciting description.
There was no way for them TO get down,
and as they ascended to the attic the
flames followed swiftly upon them.
Shrieks of terror, groans Of agony and
cries for help filled the air. Men, wom-
-
and earnestly pleaded for help. Some
Of the more venturesome even hung from
the windows by only a slight hold on
the sills. Ladders we're hurriedly
hoisted, lines Of hose quickly run of
and ''pipe" from the chemical engine
was rushed into the flaming mass.
In ten minutes the fear of personal
safety had .subsided, those whom it was
possible having been taken from their
positions of peril and the wounded TO
places where their injuries could be
cared for
1t was not until the fire had been
practically extinguished that the inte-
rior of what was then but a shell could
be examined. Chief Webber fol-
lowed by several iiremen, went
into the building at a little after
one o'clock and with difficulty
aseended to the upper floor. The stair
ways from the street to the second
floors were completely burned away.
When the chief and his companions
reached the upper floor, under one OF the
windows was found a human form,
burned 10 crisp almost, the two palms
clasped together and the body kneeling
as though at prayer
Further search showed in other parts
OF the top floor seven other human
forms, covered with cinders and ashes,
naked, and disclosing limbs that had
been torn asunder by falling parts
of the building. Seeing their escape
from the flames below TO the
street impossible, because the stairs
were raging masses of fire, the terrified
victims had evidently rushed TO the up
per floor in their attempts 10 escape and
had there been roasted as though held
in furnace. Later two bodies OF in
mates we're found in other parts Of the
building and the completed list of ten
human lives was made up. The injured
were removed to hospitals and the dead
bodies were taken TO the morgue for
BosToN's SECOND BLAZE
BosroN, Feb. 3.-Following close upon
the holocaust in North street yesterday
came a fire in the forenoon
which in an hours time almost totally
destroyed the Sears building, a five
story marble structure, corner 9f Court
and Washington streets, owned by j.
Sears, and which at the
lime of its erection was the finest busi
ness building in Boston.
The walls of the building are about
III that is left OF any value. The build
ng was valued at upwards Of 100000 it
being assessed together with the engines
md boilers for Sl97, 400. There is an in
urance Of s175,OO0, which VIII undoubt-
IDLY cover the loss.