The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-01-30
THE INDIANAPOLIS HORROR,
Terrible Work Of Thursdays Fire in
the National Surgical In
stitute.
Twenty Charred and I%ncinerated Rod.
les Recovered from the
Ruins.
Many More viii Die from Their In
.%iuries- Firemen's Heroic
Deeds.
4 Terrible holocaust.

helpless human beings were burned to
death in the National Surgical institute.
That is the record of Thursday night in
Indianapolis. About go crippled peo-
pie were in the institute at the time.
The building was almost totally cnyel
| opcd in fire and when Chief Webster AT
rived his first order was: LET the build
ing burn, but run up the ladders and
save people" This was obeyed and tho
work Of rescuing the imprisoned patients
commenced. The fire when first discov.
cred was located in the Georgia street
building at the office in the advertising
room. Where it started cannot be ascer.
tanned. AZ the kitchen and dining room
of the institution were farther back.
An alley separates the Georgia street
building from the one facing on Illinois.
A covered bridge connects them. The
fire leaped up through the floors of the
the stairway about two feet wide, thus
securing a draught and sped through
the second floor from room to room and
hallway to hallway. There the third and
fourth floors were quickly reached and
across the alleys the fire tongues dash
ed, firing the adjoining building. On
the third and fourth floors horrible
work was done. The buildings were a
network Of narrow halls. entrances and
staIrways. The fire could not have
chosen a better place for its destructive
ness.
In the small rooms throughout the
building were from one to four beds, all
occupied by patients, many of whom
we're perfectly helpless. When they be-
came aware of the peril their fright was
was awful. They became frantic in their
efforts to reach places OF safety. Every
effort was made by the police and ambu-
lance forces to rescue the Gagged unfortu-
mates and acts Of herolsm and daring
were performed by men that should per
petuate their memories. When the fire
was discovered every means of escape
was cut off and many persisted there.
The flames ate up the entire interior of
the building. When the floors gave way
and fell 10 the bottom there was
no telling how many people
were killed. The first floor
+ suffered little from the fire, the principal
, damage having resulted from water. The
second floor was thoroughly soaked, and
; the ceilings in many rooms had holes
burned through. The rooms on the third
and fourth floors Of the main building
and nearest the alley were the scenes oi
the greatest fatalities. The entire real
! half of the inside of the Georgia street
g building fell in. The debris filled com
, plctcly the first story. and when the lire
men began to search for dead bodies they
= we're obliged TO work on d
Q level with the second floor. 1t will bc
several days before they can hope tt
, reach the bottom.
|, The names of the killed are: Kate l.
p Strong. died at 1Si Massachusetts ave
nue.: home, Salem, Ore. Mrs. Lazarus
! of Chicago jumped from the sec
ond story Of the rear build
+, ing. William Ransick. Milwaukee
Miss Kate Burns. Newport, Mimi; Frank
= Burns. Newport, MINI; Maggie Arnold
Lancaster. Mo-; Anna Payne. Dexter
, Mimi; Stella Specs, Macomb, Ohio
Minnie Mcdonald, Negaunee, Ohio
. George Ellis, Kentucky; Mrs. Earb anc
, daughter, Shelby, Ohio; Fannie Breeder
! Memphis, Tenn, died Of her injuries II
II o'clock today. Mortie Deckko, die
: at 3O5 Mississippi street. Fred Docken
, dortf, Saltwater, MINI. G.. b. German
Mcdonald. Mich; Arthur Bayless.
: The injured are. Fannie Storm. De-
. Moincs. Iowa, sole of feet badly burnc,
in running on the iloor ofthc third story
r. Clara Morris, home not known, bacI
hurt: Gus Thomas. l84 Madison avenue
: horribly burned about face and body
, Mrs. }. X. Gid. Medarlville, Ind. hur
, internally by falling from a ladder, recnv
cry doubtful; her son was ais
4 hurt burt by a fall; Grant Va
- Hocsen. New York, hand and ga
4 burned; Clarence Mead, Athens. y. !
hurt slightly, NJ. ID. Wagner. Tory, Ohlc
head and shoulder hurt ana Internal;
5 injured by rallin from window; Wm' II
Albach, Dunkirk, n. Y, slightly burned
!, Will Mansfield, Oswego, N. T., foot bur
s by jumping from roo to ground; Mrs
, John Stoces, DanviIle, ILL.,, spraine'
!, ankle: Nellie Mason, Wisconsin
, jumped from third story window ant
; viii die. Mrs. q. j. Simpson and littl,
= laughter, home not given, badly burned
" Row Harris. New Orleans. slightly hur,
: Minnie Wargarus. Chicago, leg broken
= Mrs. II. fl. Idcna Essen. home no
I" known, severely injured.
The injured were taken to st. Vim
:. cents hospital hospital where. with tn
y exceptions of those who were fatally IN
J" iured. all are resting fairly well. The,
are not allowed to talk. The newspaper
and particulars of the tire were KEEP
from them. ,.
Five bodies were taken out this morn
inc, They were roasted alive, the ski
having peeled oil from the bones. In
1t few instances their faces were burned OF
Of -Four bodies were taken out of the builc
ID ing in their night clothes an
there was absolutely nothing by whic
ID lhey could be identified. One was
ID woman with black hair and dark con
nj ~plexion. She can easily be identified b
ID friends. She was sulrocated and ne
10 burned. Another woman, whose Boo
d was burned beyond recognition was ait
ii At the morgue. Her feet were detorme
ID and are shriveled up from fire. \ ma
r, with a deformed limb is also there; ca
ut be identified.