The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-03-29
FATAL FIRE AT CLEVELAND.
FOUR WOMEN AND A BABY BURNED
TO DEATH
And Others Injured in the Destruction of
the Apartment House Morgan-The Build.
ing So Constructed to Afford Good.FueI
for the Flames.

CLEVELAND. March 23-Shortly before
u o'clock today fire broke out in the Nor
gan, a fashionable apartment house on
Prospect-st. near Granger. The engines
responded quickly, but before they ar
rived the building was enyeloped in
flames and smoke, and q terrible panic
ensued. Four women and baby burned
to death, and several more were more or
less sufTocated in the smoke. The house
was a handsome one of three stories. A
central hall runs through the building
with the rooms on either side. The only
escape was by way Of the front stairs.
Those in the third story had no time to
gather their goods together, and before
they were aware of any fire they were
surrounded with smoke and flames.
The scene was terrible one and the
excitement and CONSERVATION of those in
safety, who were able to aid the suffcating
women. was great. The firemen worked
heroically. A second alarm was given
and every effort made to rescue those still
in the burning building The loss of life
was among the most terrible in the annals
of Cleveland fires. The body of the first
woman found was that of Mrs. Somers.
blind lady, who had CROPPED her way to
the stairs, only to die. Three other women,
with the little child. whose names have
not yet been learned, were all found lying
on the floor of the second story, front hall,
dead, suffocated by the smoke. Their
bodies were huddled together, but it was
evident from their positions that they died
without pain. The fire started, no one
knows how, In the basement, and the
building is a total loss. The names of the
dead are as follows:
Mrs. MARY E. ABBEY, widow of Judge
Abbey, aged seventy-hve.
Mrs. SOMERS, blind woman, aged forty
five.
Mrs. JESSIE HUNT, wife of A. c. Hunt,
aged twsnty-one, who was visiting her mother,
PERCY HUNT, daughter of Mrs. Hunt.
aged one year.
Mrs. P. 6. SOMERS. seventy years, step
mother-in-law OF Mrs. Emma Somers.
The injured are:
Mrs. L. I. CLIFFORD and Mrs. ]. II MILLER,
who were badly bruised by jumping from sec.
ond story windows.
1t seems incon ceivable that fire at
such time and place could have been at
tended by any loss of life. The Morgan
was so constructed that the fire had a
| clean sweep. Each floor had a long hall
extending through from front to rear,
with a single stairway leading from floor
10 floor. The fire started in the basement
and it swept up through the halls cutting
| oil ali means of escape.
The women who persisted ran TO the
windows, but before anything could be
| done TO assist them they were driven
back by the smoke and flames and per-
ished. Those on the lower floors
woman besides Mrs. Miller jumped
from second-stOry window. She was
/ hrs. +. T. Clifford and. she was caught in
a rubber cost held by two of the specta-
tors and escaped without injury. The
| dead bodies were found on the third floor
| The cOrpses were burned to a crisp and
were horribly blackened and disfgured.
| As quickly as possible the bodies were
taken to the morgue and there it was
learned that five instead OF three women
| had lost their lives
| The two upper floors of the building
are Quilted and the contents of the house
are ruined. The Morgan is owned by w.
}. Morgan, the photographer. Ii cost $780,
600 and was insured. The contents were
owned by Mrs. II. NJ. Hanna. leased to
the Misses McFadden. who kept the place
Mrs. Hanna estimates her loss at $4,000
with no insurance