Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-03-16

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CHIcAGo LII, March ia few min
Gtcs after o'clock. this morning, fire
started III Stephen Charter picture frame
Factory, ut Nos III and l2i May street.
Tho Building WAS 4 brick structure, l5oxl25
feet, and five stories in height 1t was well
stocked with picture fraules aud materials
short time after the lire started, the
top OF the south wall fell on the roof of
Stephen Charters residence, at No. 10
Nav street, adjoining the factory. The
building collapsed hurying seven people,
live OF whom We're i'll the house.
The dead are supposed to be: ;. ]. Char
tier, uncle OF stephen Charter; Lille Char
tier, y years old.
The injured arc Mrs. Eunice Charter,
wife Of y, j. Charter: Rose thartier, 10
wears old; stephen Charter, rescued from
his residence, left leg broken and inter-
nully injured; j. Il, Cook, driver Of engine
No 3, crushed by falling walls and badly
bruised. but nut fatally; Patricbs O'Conner,
piueman with Engine Company No. I,
crushed Under falling wall and bruised
about head and loWrr lilmbs.
The floors and inside walls were weak
ened By the burning away Of the frame
supports. a part of the root fell, but no
iiremen were at work ON the fifth floor
| having previously been ordered down.
| Crashing down, it carried with it great
sections Of flooring, thus weakening the
| iosts that supported the south wall, This
| began To totter and soon the top fell. The
I mass Of bricks fell almost entirely upon
4 the roof OF Mr.. Charters dwelling, which
I Was frame structure. This was COM
I tletely and Instantly demolished, and i'll
| The ruins we're tive people Who had been
sleeping there.
In4 ire mad been burning but short
time and Mr.. CHARTER had returned to the
| home to awaken those who were there
/ oil mn NJ
of the Charter residence Il part of the
| front wall fell into the street.
The iiremen and police at once began to
direct thcir attention to rescue those
known to have been buried under the
| Charter residence. An opening through
the ruins was soon made, leading into the
basement. Tie cries of a man We're heard
and III another moment Mr.. Charter was
lifted out. lie was in a sami-COnscience
condition and probably fatally injured.
Two iiremen were injured by the failing
walls j. L. Cook, driver, was WORKING
near the frunt OF the building when the
wall fell. lie was crushed beneath the
brick and when taken out it was found
that he had received q number Of cuts and
bruises about the head and shoulders. lie
was taken to his home aud il is thought he
will recover.
In the alley'near the Charter residence.
Patrick UConnor was ut work and he, like
Cook, was buried. His head was cut and
his lower limbs were bruised, but no bones
were broken lie will probably recover
The flames destroyed the entire interior
of the building, entailing loss OF 1000
fully insured.
A short time after the firemen recon-
menced the work Of rescue Mrs. Charter
was recovered. She was still alive. II was
found that her face and head were badly
cut and bruised. Her left arm was LAGER
ated. She will recover.
Shortly af,erward the iiremen took he
mother ont. The latter was almost com
pletely buried, but her life had been niirac
ulously saved by heavy door tina
covered her This was supported al on
end ON piece Of timber, allowing enough
room for her body to remain uninjured
She was able to talk to the tiremen as the,
cleared the bricks away, and direCtCt
them as to the hest way to aid her in get
ting out. She WAS bruised and cut abou
the face, but will recover Mrs. Charlie
was not able to tell whether or not he
husband and daughter Lille had beer
killnd