River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-01-28


Twenty of the Helpless Inmates Burned
10 Death-As Many More Injured
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Jan. 23.-ln the
surgical institute which burned Thurs
day night at midnight, a score of help
less, crippled children. inmates of
the institution, lost their lives. and
as many more persons were injured,
some of them badly; most of
them slightly. Two hundred and forty
six patients and thirty nurses, sleeping
in the two four-story buildings at the
corner of Illinois and Georgia streets,
in which the institute is located, were
in imminent danger of their lives.
Their rescue, the fight with the
flames. and the final discovery of the
charred remains of the poor. dead chill
dren wrapped in each others withered
arms, make story rarely paralleled in
the annals of modern cities 1t was al
most on the stroke of - when Janitor
Gill gave the alarm. instantly followed
by the second and third. The tele-
phone had conveyed to the chief the
news that the building of all others
where fire was dreaded was in flames
This meant no ordinary danger. 1t
proved to be holocaust.
Some were killed by jumping, but
the others were suffocated or burned to
death. The list of identified dead is:
Kate Strong. Salem, Ore; Mrs. Lazarus, of
Chicago, jumped from the second story Of the
rear building; William Ramstack. Milwaukee:
Miss Kate Burns, Newport, MINI; Frank
Burns Newport, MINI; Minnie Arnold, Ian
caster, Mo; Irma R.lyne, Dexter, MINI;
Stella Specs. Macomb. o.; Minnie Mcdonald.
Negaunee o.; George Ellis, California, KY
Mrs. Earb and daughter. Shelby, o; Frank
Breeder, Memphis, Tenn; Mortie DecSko, died
al SO North Mississippi street: Frederick
Dockendorf, Saltwater MINI; Hannah Brook,
Taylorsville, III; C. II German, Mcdonald,
Mich; Arthur Bayless.
Injured: Minnie Lazarus, aged z ieg broken:
Mrs. II. II. Edena and son, both severely in
1ured; Mrs. Thomas, 1874 Massachusetts avenue,
burned about the face and body, in terrible ago
ny; Fannie Breeder, Memphis, Tenn, burned
in a dozen places; Mrs. J. r. Guild, Medary-
vile, Ind, internally injured by fan from the
ladder, probably fatal; Mary Stearns, Warren,
Ia, terribly burned about the feet while run
ming into the burning hallway; Clara Morris,
hurt in back; Grant Van Hoesens Athens, y.
y, hand and ear burned; Clarence Mead,
Athens. y. Y, leg slightly hurt; WI
liam H Albacn. UuukiIk, -. y, slightly
burned; Leora Knowles, Independence, Ind,
back hurt by jumping out Of third-story window;
NJ w Wydner, Troy, o., internally injured by
falling out OF a window while trying to escape:
William Mansfield Otsego. n. Y. foot hurt
while jumping: Mrs. John :. Stokes, Danville.
Ill, sprained ankle; Nellie Mason, Of Walworth
county Wis. jumped out Of third-story window
and will die from her injuries; AIRS C. J. Simp-
son and little girl, carried out by fremen, Sc
riously burned; r. Conner. fell from the second
10 the first floor, serious if not fatal
internal injuries w, NJ. Widener, Miami
county, O., terribly crushed and fatally in
jured; Roy Harris, New Orleans, not seriously
hurt
Five bodies were taken out Friday
morning. Kregelo & Whitsett took
four of them to their morgue and one
was taken in charge by Powers 81
Blackwell. They were roasted alive,
the skin having peeled off from the
bodies. In few instances their faces
We're burned off.
The fire started just before midnight
and the first alarm was quickly fol-
lowed by second. third and fourth calls
From all that can be ascertained it is
probable that the fire originated in the
room where the printing matter, cir
culars etc, were kept. This is on the
ground floor in the rear of the main
building.
AS soon as the Railways had been
sufficiently cleared of the smoke to per-
NIT an investigation some of the most
horrible scenes We're developed. In one
room on the third floor four vic
Tins were found dead kneeling in
the attitude of prayer. The windows
in the room were up, but their oe-
cupants had apparently made no
efforts to escape nor appeal for rescue.
The sitting smoke had overtaken
them, and seeing no avenue of escape
had become resigned to their fate, and
as a last hope muttered a prayer
to heaven begging the interference of
Providence in their behalf In a room
on the second floor a man was found
in bed dead. The smoke had found its
way into the room slowly and he was
gradually overcome, expiring without
struggle. Further along the hallway
a young man was found sitting beside
an open window, his dead body leaning
forward There seemed to be no good
reason for this loss of life, as all those
who appeared at the windows were
quickly saved. Although the occupants
were nearly all more or less seriously
crippled many of them became so fran
tic that they lost all self-control and
most invited death by their action.
They would rush to a window, cast
their eyes below. and realizing that a
leap was almost certain death reiterated
at once into the room and faced the re-
suit desperately.
Early Friday morning ghouls be-
gan their work among the ruins and
no small amount of jewelry and val
uables was pilfered by the thieves.
Detectives arrested a man who gave
his name as Russell They found
him rumaging among the debris and
in his pockets were money and other
valuables which it was thought he
had stolen from the effects of the pa
tients-
The citizens are strong in their con-
dennation of the gross negligence of
the management of the institute in the
matter of exit, the building having
only a narrow hall and staircases and
being a death-trap. The owners will
undoubtedly be censured in the in
vestigation.
There was a total insurance of S5l,-
500 on the surgical institute buildings,
furniture and surgical supplies The
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