Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-24
AWFUL FATALITIES.
CERTAINLY THREE AND POSSIBLY
MORE MEN LOSE THEIR LIVES.
Imprisoned in the Upper storiesofa n Burn
ing Building They Leap TO
Destruction.
By telegraph to the pispatch.l }

DETROIT. MICH, November 23.--By
the burning OF the fiye-story iron-front
brick building. 1856 to 2O2 Jefferson ave-
nue., occupied by Edison. Moore & CO.,
wholesale dry-goods dealers this after
noon certainly three and probably seven
employees lost their lives. a fireman was
badly Injured. and the monetary loss
Will reach In the nelghborhood Of $4,000
The dead are James Mckay Bradley
a. Dunning, and Ed. Genther, entry
clerk. single and IS years old The miss
ing are Edward H. Vlot order clerk ::
Pat Markey Daniel A. Baker. clerk, and
Henry Rider. packer
The fire started between the fourth and
fifth floors at the rear OF the building
and spread with frlghtful rapidlty. The
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.
A TERRIBLE SIGHT
Those who were first nj the scene saw
terrible sight. The whole Of the two
upper floors was a mass Of flames On
the window-sil OF the fourth window OF
the fifth floor fronting Bates street stood
Bradley Dunning Two windows south
Of him stood James Mckay. Don't
jump wait for the hook and ladder"
shrieked the crowd. but before the lad
ders could be raised the flames rolled to
the window-ledge where Dunning stood.
he bowed his head. grasped the window
ledge with his hands, and then dropped.
The people watching him had just time
10 throw bale of jute beneath him. and
II N rtIapa than nnppfu o.
struck 1t. He bounded up Ike rubber
ball and then fell to the sidewalk limp
and mangled. He was taken TO nearby
drugstore and afterwards TO Harper's
Hospital. where he shortly afterwards
died from his injuries
ANOTHER DEATH.
The falling of James Mckay followed
In few minutes. When he appeared at
the window ne made no sign that he was
staring death in the face For "A few mo-
ments he looked over the people who
appeared at dizzy distance below. as
though wondering what he might do to
save his life. There were shouts from be
low, but he evidently could not hear
what was being said The roar OF the
flames drowned all noise that came in
from the street. After a slight hesitation.
he threw his feet from the window ard
slid down until he was holding on with
only one hand, He hung this way for
several seconds before he released his
hold The blaze was bursting out of the
window when the terrified man finally
gave up all hope Of saving himself and
slipped loose from his hold. He struck
on the easement Of the second window
and partly turned over. This threw him
so FAR out from the window that part Of
his body struck on tile electric wires
below. which partly turned him over
again. He struck on the sidewalk within
few feet Of the building. Policemen
tiremen, and SPECTATORS quickly ran to
him, and he was carried 40 the ambu-
lance. lie was unconscious when picked
up, and il was thought that life was ex-
tinct. He lived however. for a couple Of
hours after being removed 10 the emcr-
gency hospital
THE THIRD HORROR.
The awful spectacle Of McKay's and
Dunning's 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 suffocating i'm the dense
smoke. He reached the sill. laid one arm
on it. and as he endeayored to shield his
face from the fierce heat with his hands
tried 10 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 beholders saw his
head drop, his arm drag slowly back and
his body sink from view in the flames
Wit