The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-29
DETRoITs BIG FIRE.
Record of Three Lives Lost, Five Per-
sons Missing.

sons Missing.
DETROIT. Nov 2S.-One of the worst
fires that Detroit has experienced in
many years today completely destroyed
the five-story building at the corner Of
Jefferson-ave. and Bates-st. occupied
by Edison. Moore & Co.. wholesale dry
goods. and damaged several adjacent
buildings, causing a loss Of 100000.
Three men employed by the dry goods
firm lost their lives in the flames and
five others who are missing, are also
supposed to have persisted. The dead:
JAMES MCKAY, clerk. age thirty
eight.
forty-four.
ED GENTHER, entry clerk, single,
age twenty-eight.
Missing:
Edward n. Volt order clerk.
Patrick Marley. aged thirty-two.
leaves widow and three children.
Dan a. Baker, clerk.
Henry Rider, packer.
Charles w. Kirschner. clerk.
Gutted i'm an Hour.
The fire started at 1890 and so quick
was the work Of the flames that in half
an hour the building was completely
=
standing. For an hour the department.
fought with a fire which fairly defied
their efforts. The blaze was first seen
on the fourth floor and in the beginning
il looked as though the fire would be
kept in subsection, but the flames spread
as quickly as though the building was
n great wooden structure At the time
IL was erected il was said TO be fire
proof but the interior burned like tin
der and the heat from the fierce cauldron
was felt over half block away. A gen.
eral alarm was turned in, which called
out the entire fire department Of the
city. strong wind blowing from the
northwest sent the sparks and embers
flying everywhere and il was feared that
other fires would break out. Luckily
the flames were confined mainly TO the
dry goods building, which was entirely
consumed, and considerable damage was
done to the adjoining structures.
Driven TO the window siIIs.
The saddest feature was not the de
structicn Of property, but the loss Of
life Long before the many engines re-
sponded to the general alarm two men
could be seen on the window sills Of
the hfth story on the Bates-st. side Of
the building. \ groan went up from the
crowd. which I'm a moment realized the
awful peril Of the unfOrtunates and saw
was 20 render effectual assistance. So
-apidIy had the flames progressed that
the men undoubtedly had not time to
get out of the building. Caught like
rats in trap, with the flames roaring
above and beneath them and spread
ing every moment. with the smoke
behind them increasing I'm suffocat-
ing volumes. the unfortunates We're
fairly driven TO the window sills
There they chung. The crowd shouted,
Don't jump. don't jump; there's help
coming" But even as those below
called out these words of useless encour-
agement the flames behind them adj
vanced and burst out around them. A
bale Of jute was procured by the specta-
tors and placed below the window on
which Bradley Dunning was perched.
Driven by the flames which reared
around him, he sprang from the window
and landed on the bale. He bounded off
and fell 10 the sidewalk, where he lay
limp and apparently lifeless. An am
bulance carried him to the hospital,
where he died soon after. By this time
the firemen who had arrived spread a
net TO catch Mckay, who fell into 1t.
His injuries were such that he. too, died
soon after being taken to a hospital.
Hardly had this double tragedy trans
pired than another man was seen near
the upper window nearest the corner
He was evidently nearly suffocated, for.
although he succeeded in reaching the
sill. his strength apparently gave out,
and after an effort to raise himself, one
arm having been thrown over the SILL
he slowly sank back and disappeared
from view, being swallowed up in the
furnace behind him. He is thought to
have been Edward Genther.
DETROIT, Nov. 24.-All night long
and this morning the firemen poured
water on the smouldering ruins of Edison
Moore & Co.'S dry goods building. which
was burned yesterday with such fatal
results. As soon as the debris was cool
q. search for the dead was commenced.
About noon a charred mass Of flesh was
unearthed. 1t was the body of a large
man, but the features were so badly
burned that 1t was impossible to identity
the remains. Search for the other un-
fortunates was continued, but with little
hope Of success, as it is thought they
were consumed entirely. The Palms
estate, which owned the building, is be-
ing sentured on all sides for not provid-
ing better means of escape for those
employed there. Three sides Of the inn
mense five-stOry structure are exposed,
but one side only was there a fire
escape.