Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-04
AN AWFUL CALAMITY.
DETAILS OF THE FIRE AND ITS TER.
RIBLE RESULTS.

Three Persons Dead and Three Others Badly
Injured The House Completely Gurted
Graphic Story of the Secre.
taryis Butler - Mrs.
Trncy's Sad Fate.
WASHINGTON, February "a terrible
calamity visited the household of Secretary
Tracy this morning. Three persons lost
their lives and three others were badly in
| jured. The house is a three-story and base
ment brick situated on street, between
Connecticut avenue and Seventeenth street,
and has recently undergone extensive i'm
provements. Persons passing the house at
z o'clock this morning saw smoke issuing
| from the front windows, and at once raised
| an alarm.
The fire and police departments responded
promptly. The premises were almost con-
| cealed by dense smoke, which was thickened
| by heavy fog which was just lifting. It
was soon discovered that the house was ablaze
inside and that the main stairway was burnt
thus cutting off communication with the
sleeping apartments on the second and third
floors. Several streams of water were
played on the flames and every effort was
made 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 iremen
behaved like heroes in the emergency, and
went through fire and smoke in searching
for them in the different apartments. Mrs.
Wilmerding, the Secretary's daughter, and
Miss Wilmerding forced their way through
the binding smoke and jumped from the
second story window in the front. Ladders
were raised for them, but in their excitement
they failed to see them. Mrs. Wiimerding
broke herlett wrist and was severely bruised.
Her daughter was badly injured about her
lower limbs, but broke no bones. They
both suffered severely from the shock. Dr..
Baxter, near by, administered restoratives.
While this sad scene was being enacted in
the front Of the house, fremen were engaged
in the task Of removing other members of
the family from the rear.
MRS. TRACY'S AWFUL FATE.
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 window sill, and
lowered herself as far as she was able.
Those who saw her in her perilous position
shouted to her to hold on, but either she did
not hear, or her strength failed her, for,
alter thus hanging moment between life
and death, she fell 40 feet into an areaway
before anything could be done toward res
cuing her or relieving her fall.
She was Immediately taken to the house
of neighbor, DR.. Rheem, and placed upon
a lounge in the sitting room. She was per-
fectly conscious, and did not seem to suffer
pain. Occasionally she complained of an
oppression in the ncighborhood of her heart,
and found difficulty in breathing. She
talked awhile, coughed slightly, and then
became silent. The physicians looked at
each other significantly. Mrs. Tracy was
dead.
MRS. TRACY's DEATH,
The immediate cause OF her death was
supposed to be from injuries to her heart,
sustained in her fall from the window, which
flooded her lungs with blood. 1t is said that
had she delayed her movements a couple of
minutes ladders and mattresses and other
means Of escape would have been at hand. |
Her body was soon removed to the residence
OF Attorney General Miller, on Massachu- |
sets avenue.
Almost at the same time two bodies were |
taken from the burning building. One was |
the Secretary's daughter, Miss Mary, |
young lady, and the other was that of the |
French maid, Josephine Morell. That of |
|
on the floor in the second floor hail. at the |
head of the stairs. The body was not greatly |
disfgured by the 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 into the street.
MIGHT HAVE BEEN SPARED.
It is said that Miss Tracy could have |
oxyod had ofr ha1I
few minutes longer. She fell in the hallway
of the second story, a few yards from the
bath room, where, if she had reached and |
closed the door, it would have insured her
against the fire 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 ofthe house, burned beyond recog-
milton.
Both the bodies of Miss Tracy and her
maid were taken to an undertaker's estab-
lishment in the vicinity.
Secretary Tracy himself had a most won
drous escape, and is now lying in a some
what precarious condition at the residence
of j. G. Bancroft Davis, on II street, near
Eighteenth street. Like all the others he
was overcome in his sleep by the smoke
which filled the house and rendered him
helpless. He was discovered in
this condition, and with considerable diff
Guilty was removed to q place near one of the
windows.
THE SECRETARY ASPHYXIATED.
Cries for ladder were quickly answered,
and many willing hands were raised to as
list him to the ground. He was at once re-
moved to a neighbor's house and was soon
by physicians, including Drs
Wales and Ruth. He was suffering from
asphyxia. The doctors applied artificial
means to induce respiration, and succeeded,
after au hours work, in restoring the Sec
retary to semi-consciousness. It was then
thought safe to remove him to Judge Davis
house. He improved slowly from that time
IN, and soon regained consciousness, recog-
nizing the friends who called to inquire in
regard to his condition.
Among the first of the callers were the
President, the Vice President and several
members Of the Cabinet. The full extent of
he Secretsry's terrible afliction is withheld
rom him for the present. His first inquiry
1pon recovering consciousness was in regard
% the safety of his family. He is gradually
gaining in strength, and his friends are very
ianguine of his complete recovery.
A PICTURE OF DEsoLATIoN.
The house was completely gutted by the
ire. The walls are standing, but the inte-
.ior presents picture of ruin and desola-
ion. The residence of Judge W. s. Cox,
If the District Supreme Court, which ad-
oins it on the left, was also badly damaged
~ water.
James Welch, the Secretary's butler, told
lis story OF the fire. He said:
l sleep in the basement, and this morning I
.ot up about $50 o'clock. There was no smell
# fire and no appearance of ANYTHING wrong. |