The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-02-08

daughter Mary, and servant
losing their lives, while the Secretary
narrowly escaped death from suIiocatlon,
and Mrs. Wilmerdlng, his widowed
daughter and her young daughter re-
ceived painful injuries in Jumping nom
the second-story windows OF the burn
ing building, in which a fire fsd been
burning for several hours, and had near
ly sutfocated ell the sleeping inmates
before it was discovered by passers by
on the street.
The home of the Tracys WAS hand
some three-story and base ment brick
building on | Street, between Connectl-
cut Avenue and Seventeenth street,
formerly occupied by Pos mas.er-Gen-
ersl Dickinson. 1t had recently been
extensively improved for the occupation
of Mr.. Tracy's family Between ana
Il o'clock this mornlng pedestrians
passing the house noticed smoke
| issuing from the front windows, and an
alarm of fire was at once raised. lhe
department responded promptly, but
the interior of the house by TINS time
seemed full of fire and smoke, the
main stairway being mass OF flames,
cutting off communication from
| the sleeping rooms above. The
crowd that had gathered were
soon horrified TO learn that
the members of the household We're
still in their beds, and that none had
escaped. The tiIemen nerVod them
selves for the dangerous task OF enter
ing the burning building. At tits Iulc-
ture Mrs. Wilmerding and ter you:
daughter appeared n the second story
windows, having forced thelr Wat
through the binding smoke. Lad
ders were raised for them, but IN
4. a
and, with Il shrek, jumped 10 the
ground. Many willing hands pressed
| forward to raise the forms OF the la
dies, and they We're carried 10 the resi-
dence Of DR.. Baxter, near iV. MfS.
Wlimerding had suffered Il fracture o.
| the lett wrist, and other severe lniu-
ries. Her daughter was a!so badly
burned.
While this sad scene was taking place
at the front of the house another one,
still more horritying, was being wit
messed at the rear By the crowd power
less to aid. Mrs. Tracy ende&vofed TO
escape the raging element by dropping
herself from her bed room window, and
lu her effort 10 decrease the distance to
| the ground she grasped the narrow
stone window sill and lowered her
self as far as she was able.
| Those who saw her in her perlous
position shouted to her to ho.d on, but
| either she did not hear or her strength
| failed her, for after thus hanging mo-
ment she fell forty feet into an aTea-way
| before anything could be done towards
| rascuing her or relieving her fail. She
| was Immediately taken 20 the house OF
4 neighbor. DIR. Reehn, and placed
upon lounge in the slttlnZ-room.
| She was perfectly consclou', ana
| did not seem to suffer pam.
Occasionally she complained OF an op-
preston in the neIghhorhood OF her
heart, and found difficulty III breath
ing. She talked awhile. coughed slight
| ly. and then became silent. The ply
| sicians looked at each other s!gnlti-
| cantlv. Mrs. Tracy was dead. The
| Immediate cause of her death
wss supposed TO be from IN
| iuries 10 her heart, sustained
| her fall from the window. which foodet
| her lungs with blood. 1t is said tina
| had she DELAYED her movements d
| couple of minutes ladders ana mat.
tresses and other means OF es anr would
| have been at hand. Her body Was
| 500 removed TO the residence o ATTY
| Gen. Miller. on Mas acbusetts Avenue.
| Almost at the same time two bottles
| were taken from the burning building.
| One was the secretarv's daughter, Miss
| Mary, young lady, and the otner was
| that of the French maid, Josephine.
| That of the former was found by thiei
| Parish lvlng on the floor IN the second
/ floor hall at the head o
| the stairs. TIE body was not
/ greatly disfigured by the ire,
and she had evidently died from sutto-
| cation. The chlet lifted the h!e,ess
| body in his arms, and although the
| staircase was ab.aze. he brought It safe
| " out INTO the stree. Ii Is said that
| Miss iracy could have saved nerSeli ii
| her strength had held out a few min
| utes longer. She fell N the hallway OF
| the second story. a few yards from the
| hath-room. which, if she had reached
| and closed the door, woGld have IN
| sured her against the nre and smoke
| until assistance could have reached
| her. Of the French maid little Is
known, save that her dead body was
| found in her room on the top floor OF
! the house, burned beyond recognition.
| Both the bodies Of MISS Tracy and her
| maid were taken to an undertaker 5
| establishment III the city.
| Secretary Tracy himself had most
wonderful escape, and was taken IN q
| somewhat precarlous condition 10 the
| residence OF j. c. Bancroft Davis, on Il
Street, near Eighteenth Street. Like
all the others. he was overcome
| IN his sleep by the smoke
| which filed the house and ren
dered him completely hetniess. It
| was discovered in this condition IN III
room on the second floor, from the win
dow OF which lis wife tel, and with
considerable difficulty was removed by
| the tiremen to place near one OF the
windows. Cries for ladder were
opirklv answered, snd many wiling
hsnds were raised 10 assist him 10 the
| ground. He was once removed
| to a neishbors housa and VAS soon
| surrounded by physicians including
Drs Ws,es and Ruth. He was suffer
mo rom asphvxia. The doctors ap-
nlied artificial means 10 induce resplra-
lion. and succeeded after an hour :
work in restoring him to seml-con'
sc;ou.ness. 1t was then thought 81
to remove him To Judge Da VlS
house. He improved slowly from
that time on. and soon regalned
consciousness. recognizing the iT!enus
Who called TO inquire IN regard 10 his
cordition. Among the first OF these
ware the President. the ce-Presiueni
snd several members o. toe capinet
TIC full extent of his terrible a!tl!Cl
ras temporarily withheld from him
MS frat inquiry upon recovering con
ariousuess was in regard TO the safety
Of his family. lie gradually gained II
strength. and the loss Of his VIE ans
tsnohter was tinslly communllstea
him. as il was thought best 10 teIi M L.
g. facts the STRAIN OF his tefr+o!
anxiety being thought daneefoAs
W.sfEIscToS. y. c.. Feb. 4.-eectetsr,
rrs.s has disnlsysf wonderful recuper
..i-.. mowers since lis terrible nis.or
t3pe. surprising his physicians oy get
-.rroutet ned TINS nlorniHs and dres $
81, hin,sel, Tie Pres. leCt aL'
r.,el.rt \. be called upon LII Z
/ -axninc thu lAtfAY raRAiot1