Connecticut western news., 1893-12-21
4 FATAL FIRE.

John c. ROraback Perishes in the
 Flames; and His Daughter Badly
 Burned.
 The farm house of John 0. Roraback. situated on Silver Street about mid way between Ashley Falls and Sheffield. Mass was totally destroyed by fire about 2 o'clock last Saturday morning. Mir Roraback persisted in the flames, and his daughter Ida was terribly, and per haps fatally. burned while making be- roic and self sacrificing efforts to rescue her father. Mrs Roraback,. although she had not recovered from recent ill- ness, succeeded in escaping safely from the burning structure and made her way to the house of 8 neighbor, MT George Peck, about quarter mile dis tant. The only other inmate of the house at the time of the fire was the hired woman who was cooking break fast in the kitchen. She was the first to discover the flames. She gave the alarm and then safely escaped from the house.
 It appears that about 6.30 g. m. MT Roraback went into closet in the front hall to get some clothing for his wife. He carried a lighted candle in his hand, and it is supposed that he accidentally and unconsciously set fire to the gar ments in the closet At all events, a few minutes later it was discovered that the closet and stairway were mass of flames. Mir Rorabsck imm ediately ran up stairs to get rag carpet with which to smother the flames but he was over come by the intense smoke and heat and fell helpless upon the floor of an upper room. His daughter Ida was in bed on the lower floor of the house when the alarm of fire was given. She rushed from her room, and on discover ing that her father had gone up stairs and was probably being suffocated she decided to risk her own life in an at temp to rescue him. Although she was clad only in her night clothes she hero ically dashed through the flames and up the burning stairway. Her clothing took fire and she was terribly burned on her face, arms, breast, back and lower limbs; nevertheless she reached her father who was lying unconscious upon the floor and three times she succeeded in raising him to his feet but she was unable to bring him down the stairs as she was fast becoming exhausted and overcome by the smoke and heat. Then she dragged him to second story win dow although she fell down exhausted several times on the way. By this time she was too weak to thrust him through the window and she again fell exhausted upon the floor. Sine soon rallied, how ever, and succeeded in crawlir through the window and upon the piazza roof from which she jumped to the ground. She is confident that her father was dead before she left him and made her own escape. MT Peck soon arrived and raised ladder to the piazza roof but the flames were bursting from the win dow and he was unable to enter the room and secure the body of Mir Rora- back. Then Miss Roraback with burn ed and bleeding feet made her way barefoot to MT Peck's house, where she has since lain in critical condition, lowering between life and death, with either Dr Lane, of Ct. Burlington, or Dr Church, of Canaan, constantly st her bedside and doing their utmost for her relief.
 The charred and unacceptable re- mains of MT Roraback were found among the embers in the cellar as soon as the ruins of the house had been sufficiently cooled by water to allow search.
 Mr Roraback was an industrious and respected farmer, kind husband and father, and good neighbor and friend, always ready and willing to lend help ing hand or do a person favor. He was 73 years of age. He leaves several brothers; wife; five. children, Ex Judge Roraback and Attorney J. Henry Rora- back, of Canaan; Mrs John 0. Richmond and Miss Sarah J. Roraback, of Canaan; Miss Ida Roraback, who for a number of years has been teacher at the Ct. Harrington high school and who came home the evening before the fire. Un- limited sympathy is expressed for the bereaved family and near relatives in this terrible ordeal.
 Only few articles were saved from the burning dwelling. The loss of property has been variously estimated, one estimate placing the loss on house at $2500; contents $500 believed to be we'll insured.
 At this writing "Wednesday noon) the physicians have some hopes of Miss Roraback's recovery although she had several sinking spells yesterday and at one time last night it was thought she WAS dying, but she soon rallied.
 THE FUNERAL
 of MT Roraback was attended at the Pill grim church in Canaan on Tuesday at 3 pm. The relatives and intimate friends were seated in the lecture room, and nearly every seat in the auditory was occupied by neighbors and acquaint- ances of the bereaved family. On the casket in front of the desk rested beau tiful floral offerings. Mir W. H. Camp presided at the organ and played ap- propriate selections as the procession