The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-02-08
A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
SECRETARY TRAOY'S RESIDENCE
DESTROYED BY FIRE.

TRAOY'S RESIDENCE
DESTROYED BY FIRE.
MRS. TRACY, HER DAUGHTER MARY
AND MAID LOSE THEIR LIVES.
The Secretary Rescued with Great Diff
Guilty and in an Unconscious Condition.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Feb. 3.-The aw
full tragedy this morning at Secretary
Tracy's home has thrown a gloom over
the city which has been without q paral-
lei since the assassination of President
Garfield. Citizens had scarcely ceased
reading the reports i'll the morning papers
of Secretary Blaiue's second great be
reavement and expressing their sympathy
for the afflicted family OF the Secretary
of State, when the first rumors of the
horror which has darkened the home OF
abe Secretary of the Navy spread rapidly
from street to office and from office to the
Messengers from the va
rious departments soon verified the news.
Senators and Representatives left their
break fasts and fastened to the scene of
the calamity. President Harrison and
his private secretary hurried from the
White Louise, past the sombre Seward
Mansion, once more decked with Grape,
towards the remains of the home still
more fearfully desolated. They found
surging crowd kept back with difficulty
from the smoking front of what had been
an hour before the beautiful residence of
the Secretary OF the Navy, while in an
adjoining house lay the lifeless forms of
Mrs Tracy, her youngest daughter and
the French maid, and the asphyxiated
form of the Secretary, happily uncon-
scious of the awful bereavement which
he had suffered. With him. living wit
ness of the terrible stroke of affection,
bruised and MANNED from the struggle of
their escape, was his daughter, Mrs. Will
merding and his little grand daughter,
who had jumped from second story
window before the pursuing flames.
DETAILS OF THE CALAMITY.
The house is three story and base
meuf brick, situated on | street, between
Connecticut avenue and Seventeenth St,
and has recently undergone extensive
improvements. Persons passing the house
at O'Clock this morning saw smoke is
suing from the front windows. and at
once raised an alarm of fire. The
Fire and Police Departments responded
promptly, The premises were almost
concealed by dense smoke, which was
thickened by heavy fog, which was just
lifting.
1t was soon discovered that the house
was all aplaze inside and that the main
stairway was burnt, thus cutting off COM
muuication with the sleeping apartments
on the second aud third floors. Several
streams OF water were played on the
flames, and every effort was made to
check the fire aud to rescue the inmates.
A scene of the widest confusion ensued
when it was known that all the members
of the family were in the house. The
fireman behaved like heroes in the emer
gency and went through fire and smoke
in searching for them in the different
apartments. Mrs Wilmerding, the Sec
retary's daughter, and Miss Wilmerfidg
forced their way through the binding
smoke and jumped from the second story
window front. l. ldders were raised for
them, but in their excitement they failed
to see them Mrs. Wilmerdlng broke
her left wrist and was severely bruised.
Her daughter was BADLY injured about
They both suffered severely from the
shock. They were taken at once TO the
residence of DR. Baxter, near by. and re
storatives applied.
While this sad scene was being enacted
in the front of the house tiremen were
engaged in the sad task OF removing
other members Of the family from the
rear.
Mrs. Tracy y Effort to Escape.
Mrs. Tracy endeavored to escape the
raging element by dropping herself from
her bedroom window, and, in her effort
to decrease the distance to the ground.
she grasped the narrow stone windowsill
and lowered herself as far as she was able.
Those who saw her in her perilOus posi-
ton shouted to her to hold on, but either
she did not hear or her strength failed
her, for, after thus hanging a moment
between life and death, she fell 40 feet
into an areaway before anything could
be done towards rescuing her or breaking
her fall.
She was Immediately taken to the resi-
dence of neighbor, DR.. Rheem, aud
placed upon lounge in the sitting room.
Sue was perfectly conscious, and did not
seem to suffer pain. Occasionally she
complained of an oppression in the neigh
borhood of her heart, and found diff
Guilty in breathing. She talked awhile,
coughed slightly, and then became silent.
The physicians looked at each other sig
nificantly. Mrs. Tracy was dead. The
cause of her death was sup
posed to be from injuries to her heart,
sustained in her fall from the window,
which flooded her lungs with blood. L.
is said that had she delayed her move
ments couple of minutes, ladders and
mattresses and other means of safe es-
cape would have been at hand. Her body
was soon removed to the residence of Al.
tOrney General Miller, ON Massachusetts
avenue.
Almost at the same time two bodies
were taken from the burning building
one was the Secretarys daughter, Miss
Mary, young lady, and the other was
the French maid, Josephine. That of
the former was found by Chief Harris
lying on the floor in the second floor hall
way, at the head of the stairs. The body
was not greatly disfigured by fire; she
had evidently died from suffocation. The
Chief lifted the lifeless body in his arms,
and, although the staircase was ablaze,
he brought it safely out in the street. 1t
is said that Miss Tracy could have saved
herself if her strength had held out few
minutes longer. She fell in the hallway
Of the second story, few yards from the
bath room, which, if she had reached aud
closed the door, would have insured her
against the fire and smoke until assist
snce could have reached her, Of the |
French maid little is known, save that |
ler dead body was found in her room on
The top floor of the house, burned beyond !
Both the bodies of Miss |
Tracy and her maid were taken to an I'M
tertaker' s establishment in the vicinity.
The Secretary Rescued.
Secretary Tracy himself had a most
wonderful escape, and is now lying in a |
precarious condition at the |
'esdence of Hon. ]. G. Bancroft Davis,
IN H street, near eighteenth. Like all
others he was overcome in HIS sleep by
he smoke which filled the house, and
endered completely helpless. He was
discovered in this condition, and. with
difficulty, was removed to a
'lace near one of the windows. Cri for
ladder were quickly answered, and
many willing hands were raised to assist
lin to the ground. He was at once re
moved to neigEbor's house, and was
Don surrounded by physicians, inc uding
)rs Wales and Ruth.
He was suffering from asphyxia. The
loctors applied artificial means to induce
aspiration, and succeeded after an hours
work. in restoring him to semi conscious
less. 1t was then thought safe to re
move him to Judge Daviss house. He
slowly from that time on and
Don REGARDED consciousness, recognizing
he friends who called to enquire in re-
ard to his condition. Among the first
{ these were the President. the Vice.
resident and several members of the