Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-02-04
Secretary fracy's Wife and
Daughter Both Dead,
Losing Thar Lives With othsfs h
fheif CVn HoaSa
Which il Destroyed by Fhs-escss-
tary Tracy 10 Alive and WITH ns-
cover.


roof of the building, and sn alarm was .
once given The IRE department Responded
promptly, but the flames had tnined grea
headvay. Several servants esSaped from
the front door. Mrs. Tracy endeavoses
to escape BY dropping herseit from he
bedroom window, and in an EFFORT TO de
crease the distance to the ground sh'
grasped the narrow stone window sill ant
lowered herself - far as able. Thos'
Who saw her in this pefilons position
| shouted to her to hold on. but either Sd,
did not hear or her strength failed. for
after thus hanging q moment she fell forty
feet into the area way before anything
could be done towards reseuing her. Sh'
was Immediately taken to the house Of ,
neighbor. DIR. Rheem, and placed upon ,
lounge in the sitting room.
She was was perfectly conscious and die
not seem to suffer pain. She OCCASIONAL,
| complained of oppression in the neigh
b0rhood Of the heart and found difficulty
in breathing. She talked awhile, cougbst
4 slightly and then became silent. The ply
sici&ns pronounced her dead. The imme
date cause of death is supposed to be from
injuries to the heart sustained in the fall
from the window which flooded the lung
with blood. II is said if she had delayed
her fall couple of minutes ladders, mat
tresses and other means of safe csc ape
would have been at hand.
ladder was raised to the window from
which Mrs. Tracy had fallen and firemen
entered and carried the unconscious form
of Secretary Tracy to the sidewalk. He
was supposed to be dead, but showed signs
of life and was carried into Judge Bancroft
Davis house.
Miss Mary Tracy who occupied the third
story front room was seen at the window in
the binding smoke and flames clad in q
white robe, her hands in the attitude of
prayer with face uplifted. The flames
gradually hemmed her and she disappeared.
A little later her body was found by chief
engineer Paris lying on the fioor in the
second floor hall AT the head Of tbe stairs.
The body was not greatly dishgured by
fire and she evidently died from suffoca-
ton The chief lifted the body in his
arms and although the stair case was ablaze
brought it safely into the street.
The body of the French maid, Jose phine,
vas found burned beyond recognition, IN
her room on the top for of the house.
occupied the second story front room, on
the same floor with Secretary and Mrs.
Tracy. Both she and her daughter jumped
from the window to the grass terrace be-
low. The shock to both was severe, but
neither received any serious injury. Mrs.
Wilmerding had her right arm badly
sprsined.
The first attempt at rescne was made by
Officer Cathell. When he entered the
house the stair case was ab,aze, He ran
through tsr fames and reaosed ehe- setNsna
story. In the first room he entered he saw
man lying on the floor, and a woman evil
dently trying to get him to a window, The
room was full of smoke and the officer was
almost overcome. He dragged the man,
who was Secretary Tracy, into an adjoin-
ing room and to window. The officers
strength was rapidly failing and be cried
for ladder and help. He lost sight of the
woman who was in the room, but it was
evidently Mrs. Tracy. The officer lifted
the secretsrys head to a window sill and at
that moment the chief of the fire depart
ment rushed through the flames and came
to his assistance.
President Harrison and Vice President
A'ioie WI, Vb VI hhS snt hN" o. ~
once re paired to the house to which Secre-
tary Trac, had been taken, followed later
by the members of the cabinet, and many
other callers wished to do everything in
their power for the sufferer Secretary
Tracy regained his con 7ciou.ness after
hours of work by the physicians. The re-
mains of Mrs. Tracy and Miss Tracy lie
to night in the caskets, in the centre east
room of the white house. The bodies were
brought to the white house about o'clock
by order of the President. who has taken
charge of whatever arrangements for the
funeral necessary to make at present.
The caskets were covered with black
velvet, with monntings Of silver. Upon
each casket were long-leaved palms with
sweet peas and lilies. No final arrange.
ments for the funeral have been made as
yet. find none will be made until the arrival
Of Secretary Tracy's son and Gen. Catlin,
his brother-in- law, who are expected on a
late train tonight. The injured are i'm
proving. The President visited Secretary
Tracy again this evening aud found him
regaining strength, though still hardly able
TO realize tine great loss he mas sustained
Tomorrow the President will have the sec
The bedroom occupied by Secretary and
Mrs. Tracy is the rear room on the second
floor, two single brass badsteads stand side
by side, on these Mr.. and Mrs. Tracy slept
last night. The brass was tsrnished, and
everything around was black and soaked
with water. Pictures were chsrred and
smoke stained, mirrors were cracked sill
yer backed hair brushes and hundred
and one little toilet accessories were
ruined completely. A French clock
on the msntel stopped at 500. Dirt and
dirty water ruined every thing not imper-
vious to heat and moisture.
Two front rooms on the second foor
were occupied by Mrs. Wilmerding and
her daughter Alice. These apartments are
wrecks. On the third floor, in central
front, was the room occupied by Miss
Tracy. Ruin is most thoroughly depicted
in every corner here, ceiling gone, doors
burned out. cinders ankle deep cover the
floor, and what the flames spared were
destroyed by water. The servants rooms
in the rear are filed with debris from the
falling roof. Balastrades are gone and the
frame work of the stsirwsys covered with
fragments of burned timber and immense
amount of fallen plaster. The parlors are
completely burned out. the bronzes there
being melted. Not chair or picture left.
Back of these rooms are the large recep
ton rooms, where but comparatively little
damage was done. Still further back i.
the dining room, where the main damage
done vas by water and smoke, The base
ment floor was not damaged in the slight
est manner.
Il is believed the fire started in the par
lor near the open FIRE place. Whether i
originated from the crate or heating pipei
is not known. The iremen generally thini
that the woodwork caught Ere from ths
heated pipes of furnace. The commits
sioners of the District of Columbia held
board session today and directed Inspector
Entwistle 10 make a thorough investigation
into the cause Of the fire and report.
owing to the depiorsole csismisies be
fallen the households Of the Secretary o
State and Secretary of Navy, large mum
Der of invitations for receptions, dinner
and dancing parties to have been givel
during the present week by prominent 30
cieiy people have been recalled.
The funeral of Josephine Morrill, the
French maid takes place tomorrow. Mrs
| Harrison learning the maid had no relative
in this country directed Lieut.. Mason :
make arrangements for her funeral. Th
interment will be in Mount OBvet Gene
terry. II is thought tonight that the n
mains Of Mrs. and Miss Tracy will
placed in a vault here for several davs an