Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-10-27
PREY FOR THE FLAMES.

Terrible Coeaagratica at EucIewood, the
PRETTY Csiicags, Suburb, Entailing r Loss
of Iu0, e0G-Two II uman Lives Lost and
Many Families. Shorn of All They Pos
sessed. Homeless.
CHICAGO, Oct. 1e.-Fire that broke
out at a. m in Englewood. suburb
of this city. did damage 10 the extent
of 100000. One woman was killed by
jumping from a tIlird-story window in
hotel Bodies of some of the guests
are supposed to be still under the de-
bris. Those who escaped did SO in their
night-robes and had a close call at that
Strong winds carried the flames to a
house block away. which so
alarmed the people living between
the two fires that about twenty
families moved out into the street a
dozen more are homeless and the chart
ty of the people has an opportunity of
displaying itself. Firenen Battled
manfully for hours to confne the flames
within block. but could not prevent
damage to adjacent buildings from the
intense heat
The half of the block south of Sixty
third street, between Wright and
Honore. was made up for the most part
lures only were in the row. The
corner at Sixty-third and Honore was
occupied by a frame structure. The
next four were the brick ones and the
rest of the block had frame buildings.
1t now has nothing but ruins. four brick
walls being the only things left stand
ings. The first of the brick buildings
was occupied by a paint store. and it
was in this that the fire originated. 1t
is supposed to have been started by
spontaneous combustion OF the oil. At
any rate the oils furnished abundant
fuel and added ferceness to the fire.
Above the paint store and the next
building, occupying the second and
third stories. was the Hotel Kent. It
had about thirty rooms, and no less
than twenty-five guests were there.
There was an unusually strong wind
blowing. and the fire was famed so
fierccly that the first warning the peo-
pie in the house had were the swapping
of the glass in their windows. There
was no time to save anything. Men
dashed for the doors and women
shrieiled.
Miss Ada Butler. aged about 90 years
daughter Of the proprietor of the hotel,
occupied a room on the third floor.
She was awakened by the dense smoke.
She found the halls filed. and turned
toward the window. In her night robe
she leaned out and appealed for aid.
In the gray dawn she was u most pitia-
ble-looking sight. Firemen and police
men below shouted to her not to jump,
but she either did not hear or She mis-
understood them. She threw herself
headlong and fell on the pavement.
Her head struck first, and she was
picked up corpse.
The other people in the hotel went
down the stairways. but it is feared all
did not get out. All but two or three
had time TO dress Nearly all were
more or less affected by the heat, one
mans full beard being burned to his
face.
From the hotel the flames communi-
Gated rapidly to each successive build
ing along tie street. They spread SO
quickly that almost no furniture was
saved. Flames were reaching nearly
across the street and the firemen
turned their attention to the opposite
buildings. in which the heat had al
ready broken all the glass. 1t looked
like the whole town was going, and
about this time the sparks had lodged
in the roof of building on Sixtv-sec-
ond street. That spread the alarm,
and about twenty families living be-
tween the two fires moved into the
street
Several engines and three trucks are
still on the grounds Trains We're de-
layed until the fire was sufficiently rn-
der control to allow the fireInen time to
get the hose under the tracks.
The insurance Will not come any
where near covering the damage. The
brick buildings were insured. bat many
OF the fra me ones had no in s1rance.
When the fire was under control the
body of John Howard. a baker, wa
found in the ruins of Bloom and Jae-
gers bakery. Sc far as known there
were only two fatalities and no one was
injured.