The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-24
THREE HORRORS AT A FIRE.
Two Men Drop and a Third Falls
Back Into the Flames.

!
Story and All Chance of Escape Cut
of-The Two Who Dropped From
Windows Horribly Mangled - A
Probability That Four Other Men
Perished in the Burning Structure.
Detroit, Mich, Nov. 23.-By the burn
ing of the five-story iron front brick build
ing, Nos. 200 to 202 Jefferson avenue, occu-
pied by Edison, Moore & Co, wholesale
dry goods dealers, this afternoon, GER
tainly three, and probably seven, EN-
ployes lost their lives, fireman was
badly injured, and the monetary loss will
reach in the neighborhood of SS0O, 900.
The dead are James Mckay, Bradley
A. Duuning and Ed. Genther, 2S years
old.
The missing are Edward N, Volt, order
clerk; Pat Markey, Daniel A. Baker, a
clerk, and Henry Ryder, packer
NINE CAUGHT ON THE UPPER FLOORS.
The fire started between the fourth
| and fifth floors at the rear of the building
and spread with frightful rapidity. A
great majority of the employees were at
lunch when the alarm was given, but
| there were eight or nine of them left on
the upper floors.
Those who were first at the scene saw
a terrible sight The whole upper floors
were mass of flames. On the window
sill of the fourth window Of the fifth floor
fronting on Bates street, stood Bradley
Dunning two windows south of him
stood James Mckay.
FATAL LEAP FOR LIFE.
Don't Jump, wait for the hook and
ladder" shrieked the crowd. But before
tho ladHapg ant111 no fb.. do,
| rolled to the window ledge where Dun
ming stood. He bowed his head, grasped
| the window ledge with his hands and
then dropped. The people watching him
had just time to throw a bale Of iute be-
meath him, and il was no sooner in place
| than Dunning struck it. He bounded up
| like a rubber ball and then fell to the
| sidewalk, limp and mangled. He was
taken to nearby drug store and after
wards to Harper's hospital, where he
| shortly afterwards died from his injuries.
M'KAY STANDS UNDECIDED.
The falling of James Mckay followed
in few minutes. When he appeared at
the window he made no sign that he was
! staring death in the face. For few mo-
ments he looked over the people who APP
peared at dizzy distance below and
| thought wonderingly what he might do to
save his life. There were shouts from
what was being said. The roar of the
flames drowned all the noise that came in
| from the street. After a short hesitation
he threw his feet from the window and
| slid down until he was holding on with
only one of his hands on the sill He
hung this way for several seconds before
he released his hold.
| A TERRIBLE PLUNGE TO DEATH.
The blazing fire was bursting out of the
window when the terrified man finally
gave up all hopes of saving himself and
slipped loose from his hold He struck on
the easement Of the second window and
| apparently turned over.
This threw him so far out from the win
dow that part Of his body struck on the
electric wires below, which partly turned
| him over again. He struck on the side
walk within few feet of the building
| Policemen, firemen and spectators quickly
ran to him and he was carried to the am
| bulance. He was unconscious when
| picked up, and 1t was thought that life
was extinct. He lived, however, for a
| couple OF hours after being removed to
the Emergency hospital.
| ANOTHER FALLS BACK INTO THE FLAMES
| The awful spectacle of McKay's and
| Dunnings descent was hardly over when
| the spectators saw another man creeping
| toward the upper window nearest the
corner He was on his hands and knees,
blinded and sutfocating in the dense
smoke. He reached the sill, laid one arm
upon It, and as he endeayored to shield
| his face from the fierce heat with his
! hands, tried to drag himself to the open
| air Just beyond. He was too far spent A
| sudden burst of flame closed around him,
and the horror-stricken bcholders saw his
head drop, an arm drag slowly back and
his body sink from view in the flames
within.
THE BUILDING TUMBLEs IN.
| The floors Of the Edison Moore building
| began falling in a short time after the fire
started, and at l:20 o'clock half of the
Bates street wall collapsed. A moment
later two loud reports were heard aud the
! entire building apparently collapsed.
| This undoubtedly prevented the spread of
! the flames and at 80 o'clock the fire was
| practically under control.
MORE LIVES MAY BE LOST.
I After the fire had been gotten under
! control, and the excitement had some
! what subsidized, rumors Of still greater
| loss Of life became current. The firm i'm
mcdiately opened a register at an ada
| cent store, and the rumors became GER
! tainties as employees who registered told
stories Of their narrow escape, and
spoke positively Of the men
they knew were on the top
floor when the fire broke out.
| All of those named as missing were in the
upper part OF the building. and none Of
them have been seen since the fire started.
| There were no fire escapes on the front or
side of the building. There were fire es-
capes in the alley, but they were of no
use TO the imprisoned men
THE PROPERTY BURNED.
The fire was confined TO the Edson-
Moore building, which was completely
Quilted. The building was owned by the
| Francis Palm estate, and was valued at
| $4,000.
Edison, Moore g. Co valued their stock
at between 100000 and S50O0O0. Both
| the building and stock are well covered
by insurance.
II is thought that the fire originated
from an explosion.
The stocks of Kuttenauer, Rosenfeld
| & Co, wholesale dealers in gentlemen's
furnishings. at 1870 and 1872 jefferson
avenue, and Friedenburg & Speck, deal
ers in tailors trimmings, are badly
damaged by water
The Bagley Tobacco Company, located
in the rear OF Edison Moore a. Co.,
suffered some loss from water.
A Failure at Atlanta.
Atlanta, Ca, Nov. 23-The dry goods
| house of Grambling & Nesbit, one of the
I IL - gss 80 n 70 40