The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-12-31
Chattanooga Suffers a Loss
of 100000 from
A Fire in the Heart Of the City-D.
B. LoVeman'S
Imposing Block and Many Others Go
DOWn..-Insnrance $500, 900.

WltuCSb0u bHS HlOSI uallldSluB AlC VllaV
ever ragged within her limits.
The fire was caused by an explosion
of gas in the furnace under D. B. Love
man & Co.'S large wholesale house.
The fireman and many of the en-
ployees were absent at dinner, and the
fire was not discovered until the
flames had leaped up the passenger
elevator shaft and were beyond con-
troll. A number Of lady employees were
on the second and third floors. Some
were able to escape from the second
floor by the stairway, but soon the
flames shut off all by that route. The
freight elevator had brought down one
load of humanity from the third story,
but Immediately thereafter became
impaired and could not be sent back.
There was now no way of escape ex-
cept by ladder from the windows.
Would the women who cried pitilully
for help become impatient and
leap to the stone streets to save them
selves from the flames or would they
wait for ladders2 The awe struck crowd
below cried to them not to jump, and
assured them that the ladders would
soon be there. In short while a lad
der was put to second story window
and the ladies made safe but narrow
escape. But there were two in the up
per story. These were Mrs. Rowena
Hurst and Miss Dollie Johnson. The
ladders were too short to reach their
window. How were they to be saved?
OF their leap the Chattanooga Times
says the following: Suddenly as the
seething flames in impetuous fury
burst through the many windows of
the stately and imposing structure Of
D. B. Loveman, the spectacle of two
ladies screaming frantically from the
third floor was distinguished through
the almost binding smoke, and added
new horror to the weirdly wild and
woeful confagaration.
Walls and groans of the keenest
anguish went up at this presentation,
and many cheeks were blanched with
sympathetic fear.
Determined men at once began the
work of rescue, but when the first lad
der had been thrown it was found to
be too short. At this another burst Of
anguish escaped from the concourse,
and the ladies in their perilous posi-
ton wrung their hands in the consum-
ing agony of despair. Other ladders
were thrown, but like the first, were
found too short, and, at last, as the in
tense heat became more insufferableI
the unfortunate women called down
that they would jump, They were
begged to wait, and at length a ladder
was made to reach them. Before this
was accomplished, however, the
younger of the two ladies, Miss Dollie
Johnson, had crawled out on the sill,
and while waiting for the ladder to be
placed in position, her hold gave way,
precipitating her fall. She struck the
bottom ladder with such terrible force
that three rounds were broken, and on
one OF the projects her clothing caught,
suspending her limp and lifeless in the
air. In her descent she fell against a
pane of heavy glass, smashing it and
cutting deep cash above her right
knee.
A moment after Miss Johnson's ter
rible fall, her companion, Mrs. Rowena
Hurst, leaped wildly from the window.
Falling she clutched the ladder and
carried it sidewise, releasing Miss
johnson, who fell into the arms of
spectators below.
Mrs. Hurst was removed at once in
Sharp's ambulance to her home at 211
Long street, and Miss Johnson was ex-
amined by Drs. Selman and Trippe, af-
ter which she was taken to the home
OF her father, Samuel Johnson, in Hill
City.
One OF the most soul narrowing in
cidents of the memorable occasion was
the mental anguish of Miss Mamie
Hurst, who stood in front of Fishers
store and witnessed her mothers peril
and the terrible leap. No pen is ade-
quate to portray that young lady's
suffering nor the haunted vision Of
maternal woe. 1t was circumstance
never to be forgotten by those who
witnessed it. Only the widest stretch
of the imagination could conjureu up its
equal for the personifcation of misery,
the sublimity of grief, and in the years
to come the incident will be recalled
as one Of the most pathetic in the his
tory of Chattanooga.
Latest information is that both la