Evening journal., 1893-11-24
DETROlT'S FATAL FIRE.
Three Persons Dead, and Five
Are Missing.
THE CLERKS Gagged IN THE STORE.

DETROIT, Nov 2l-One Of the worst fires
that Detroit has experienced in many years
completely destroyed the five story build
ing at the corner Of Jefferson avenue and
Bates street, occupied by Edon, Moore *
Co., Wholesale dry goods merchants, and
damaged several adjacent buildings, caus-
ing total loss of S1uOOOO Three men EN-
ployed by the dry goods firm lost their
lives in the flames, and five others who are
missing are also supposed to have persisted.
Dead and Missing.
The dead are;
James Mckay, clork. aged 3s
bradley A. Dunning, porter. aged A.
d. Heniher. entry clerk, single, aged 2s.
The missing are.
Edward y. voiet, order clerk
Patrick Markcy, aged 81; leaves widow and
three children
Daniel A. Baker, elcrk.
Henry Rider. packer
Charles W. kirshner. clerk.
SO quick was the work of the flames that
In hnli am hour the building was complete
| ly gutted, and practically only the firmly
bolted iron front remained standing. For
an hour the department. fought with a fire
which fairly dehed their efforts The blaze
was first seen on the sixth floor, and it
looked as though the fire would be kept in
subiection, but the flames spread as quick
ly as though the building was great
wooden structure. At the time it was
erected IL was said 20 be fireproof, but the
interior burned like tinder, and the heat
| from the fierce caldron was felt over half
block away
Burned Like finder.
a general alarm was turned in. which
called out the entire fire department of the
city A strong wind blowing from the
northwest sent the sparks and emhers fly
ing everywhere, and il was feared that
other fires would break out Luckily the
hames were confined mainly TO the dry
goods building, which was entirely CON
sumed, and considerable damage was done
10 adjoining structures
The saddest feature was not the destruc-
tion of property, however, but the loss of
life. Long before the many engines re-
spouded to the general alarm two men
could be seen on the window sills of .the
fifth story on the Bates street side of the
building A groan went up from the crowd,
which in moment realized the awful peril
OF the nufOrtunates and SAW but too plain
ly what little chance there was to render
eifectual assistance. Sorapid had the flames
progressed that the men undoubtedly had
not the time to get out of the building
Caught Ike rats I'm n trap, with the flames
roaring above and beneath them and
spreading every moment, with the smoke
hehind them increasing i'm sufiocating vol
umes, ihe unlortunatcs were fairly driven
% the window sills. There they clune.
The crowd shouted: Don't iump Don't
iumpl There's help oomingn But even as
those below called out their words OF use
less encouragement the flames behind them
advanced and burst around them.
a bale of jute was procured 10y the spec
tators and placed below the window in
which Bradley Dunning was perched.
Driven by the flames which roared around
him, he sprang from the window and land-
cd on the bale. He bounded or and fell to
the sidewalk, where he lay limp and APP
parcntly lfeloss. An ambulance carried
him TO the hospital, where he died soon
after.
Back Into the Flames.
BY This time the fremen who had arrived
sprend net to catch Mckay, who fell into
IT, His injuries were such that he died
soon after being taken to a hospital Hard
ly had this double tragedy transpired than
another man was seen near the upper win
dow nearest the corner He was evidently
nearly sufIocated, for although he succeed.
ed I'm reaching the sill his strength appar.
Nulll gave NNNs ana Nllti tNolnef NNOrU ~
raise himsell-one arm having been thrown
over the sili-he slowly sank back aud dis.
! appeared from view, being swallowed up
n the fury behind him. He is thought to
have been Edward Genther.
After the firm established temporary
headquarters and opened register all
employees who reported signed the roll
By comparing notes it became evident that
) Genther, Rider, Volt, Markey, Baker and
. Kirchner were missing.
a Next 20 the dead and missing the chic
q topic of discussion was the remarkable sud
4 denness with which the fire broke out anC
S swept through the building. Men on the
second and third floors had barely time {,
escape and lost their overcoats. The frl
ate down through the floors to the grount
p with inconoeivable rapidity.
!, The elevator boy says that when the fir,
II broke out he held the elevator for severa
y minutes az the top floor and begged thl
r employees there to get in and go down
but they seemed so ratified and excites
that they paid no attention 20 him. III
finally went down alone and left them G
. their fate.
{ 1t is thought that the flames started in
+ lot of cotton bagging on the top floor use'
for packing. How the fire was ignited i
not known.