Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-14
FAMILY CREMATED.
Five Persons Burned in a Tene-
ment Blaze.
THEPARENTs AND THREE CHILDREN

Roasted While Asleep, When They Might
Have Been Rescued If Proper Effort
Had Been Made-The Scene of the Hoi-
ocaust ,nly Ten Feet from the Ground
Peculiar Apparent Negligence-The
Deadly Dynamite Begins to "Thau
Out" and Record Its Victims.
COLUMBUS, o, Nov. 14-One of the
most disastrous fires in years, from the
fact that an entire family were consumed,
occurred here early yesterday morning
in a row of tenement houses on North
High street. The exact origin of the fire
remains a mystery, but on the first alarm
flames were seen shooting from the roof,
licking up everything within grasp. The
firemen enGesvored to enter the rooms,
but the dense smoke made this useless.
One OF the captains did get partially in
side the buiIdiug but was pulled out
again nearly suffocated. Two hours were
consumed in gaining control of the flames
and long before that every person was
supposed TO have escaped Such, how
ever, was not the case.
Five Bodies Burned to a Crisp.
1t was nearly 4 in the afternoon when a
little girl living in the neighborhood with
childish curiosity rummaged through the
ruins and found naked arm, which led
to a search and the ultimate discovery of
five blackened bodies, burned to crisp
and beyond recognition. The entire fam
lily of Charles Bethers was destroyed
while sleeping in a little eight by twelve
room in the second story. They were
Charles Bether-, aged 80 years; Elizabeth,
his wife, aged 2S; Carrie, aged 9; Myrtle,
aged 6, and James, aged 3. The clock on
the rnsntel had stopped at 1886 a. m +. in
dicating the hour of the fire. In fighting
the flames two of the pipemen stood in a
window, sending a stream into this room.
without discovering the dying occupants,
who were unconscious and unable to ut
ter a cry.
The Horrifying Discovery.
The search among the ruins following
the victory over the fire was not as rigid
as it should have been, and, nothing being
found, the entire force was ordered back
TO quarters. Toward the middle of the
afternoon Mrs Garrison, friend OF the
family, walked from the other end of the
city to inquire after their safety No one
was abet give her the desired informa.
ton. Meeting little Jimmy Kirwan, who
was playing among the ruins, she learned
that a body was in the ashes. The fire.
men were summoned and took up the
second search. What they discovered was
horrifying
How the Victims Were Found
In that cigarbox room were three beds
cradle, stove and bureau. Near the door
lay the father with the infant clasped in
his arms. 1t was evident that he ha6
awakened to the realization Of the danger
and had started out with the child wher
overcome By the heat. The mother, kneel-
ing near the head of the bed, was hal
buried beneath the falling roof. The two
girls slept, as they had retired, in theil
little cot. All of the bodies, with the
flesh dropping from their bones, were re-
moved to the coroner's
Might Easily Have Been Saved.
The fire is supposed to be of incendiarI
origin. as two suspicious characters wer,
seen leaving the scene as the flames were
started. A full investigation will follow,
and not little criticism is passed upoI
the action of the fire department in no
making a thorough examination befor
leaving The room was only ten feet from
the ground, and the entire family nigh
have been rescued.