Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-04
A GREAT LOSS.
Secretary Tracy's Terrible
Bereavement.
HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER DEAD.
Himself and Others of His Household
Seriously Ipjured-His Home
Destroyed.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD

lueHb pilCA, oltoatC0 Ou CCb, D6tWG6n
Connecticut avenue and Seventeenth
street, and has recently undergone ex
tensiye improvements. Persons passing
the house at 7 o'clock this morning saw
smoke issuing from the front windows,
and at once raised the 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 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
placed on the flames, and every effort
was made to check the fire and rescue
the inmates.
AWFUL RESULT OF THE FIRE.
Mrs. Tracy, wife of Secretary Tracy,
Miss Tracy, his youngest daughter, and
josephine, French maid, as the results
is still suffering from the effects Of inhal-
ing smoke. Mrs. Wilmerding, the eld-
est daughter of Secretary Tracy, is in a
sem-conscious condition, suffering from
a sprained wrist and soreness. Mics
Alice Wilmerding, Is years of age, Sec
retary rTracy's granddaughter, is suffer
ing from nervous prostrstion caused by
the shock.
The widest confusion ensued when it
was known that all the members of the
family were in the house. The fremen
behaved like heroes in the emergency,
and went through fire and smoke in
searching for them in different apart
ments.
LEAPING FROM THE WINDOWS.
Mrs. Wilmerding, the Sscretary's
daughter, and Miss Wilmerding, forced
their way through the binding smoke
and jumped from the second-story win
dow at the front. Ladders were raised
for them, but in their excitement they
failed to see them. Mrs. Wilmerding
broke her left wrist and was severely
bruised. Her daughter was badly in.
jured about the lower limbs, but broke
no bones. They both suffered severely
from the shock. They were taken at
once to the residence of DR.. Baxter, near
NY anu ACptOlatlNOC NCIC dPpllOds
While this scene wss being enacted in
front of the house, the firemen were en-
gagged at the back, removing other mem
bers of the family from the rear.
MRS. TRACY's SAD DEATH.
Mrs. Tracy endeavored to escape the
raging element by dropping herself from
the bedroom window, and In her effort
to decrease the distance to the ground,
grasped the narrow stone window sill ana
lowered herself as far as she was able.
Those who saw her in this perilous posi-
tion, 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
forty feet into the area way before any.
thing could be done towards rescuing her
or relieving her fall. She was immedi-
ately taken to the house of neigh Dor.
Or. Rheem, and placed upon lounge
in the sitting-room. She was perfectly
conscious and did not seem to suffer
pain. Occasionally she complained of
oppression in the neighborhood of her
heart and found difficulty in breathing.
She talked a while, coughed slightly,
and then becarae silent. The physicians
looked at each other significantly. Mrs.
Tracy was de&d. The immediate cause
of her death was supposed to be from
injuries to her heart sustained in the fall
from the window, which flooded her
lungs with blood. 1t is said that had she
delayed her movements few minutes
ladders and mattresses and other means
OF sale escape would have been at hand.
Her body was soon removed to the resi-
dence OF Attorney General Miller on
Massachusetts avenue.
MISS TRACY AND THE MAID,
Almost at the same time two bodies
were taken from the burning building.
One was the Secretary's daughter, Miss
Mary, q young lady, and the other was
that OF French maid, Josephine. That
OF the former WAS found by Chief Parish,
lying on the floor in the second floor hall,
at the head of the stairs. She had evi.
IDENTIFY died from suffocation. The chief
lifted the lifeless body in his arms. and
although the staircase was ablaze. be
brought it eafely out into the street. IT
is said Miss Tracy could have saved her.
self If her strength had held out few
minutes longer. 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 the |
maid were taken to the undertaker's es.
in the vicinity.
THE :sEcRETARY's NARROW ESCAPE.
Secretary Tracy himself had a most
vondrous escape. Like all the others
10 was overcome in his sleep by the
Imoks which filed the house, and rem.
Tered him completely helpless. He was
discovered in this condition, and with
considerable difficulty was removed to a
,lace near one of the windows. Cries
or ladder were quickly answered. and
many willing hands were raised to assist
lin to the ground. He was at once re-.
moved to neighbours house, and was
oon surrounded by physicians, includiny
)rs. Wales and Ruth. He was suffering
rom aaphyxia. The doctors applied ar.
fcial means to produce re ,pitation.
nd succeeded after an hours work in
sstoring him to semi mi-consciousness If
yas then thought safe to remove him to t
udge Davis's house. He improved
owly from that time on and soon re-
aimed consciousness, recognizing friends +
no called to inquire in regard to his C
ondition. Among the first of these
ere the President, Vice President and
sveral members of the Cabinet. The
i'll extent of his terrible afflction was a
ithheld from him for the time being Il
lis first inquiry upon recovering con. il
,iousness was in regard to the safety I
his family. He is gradually painino g.