The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-03-17


toys and small wares This was his
wholesale department and the floors
Were packed 10 the roof with toys Of
all kinds. In one room was u big lot
OF fireworks and they went of with a
rush.
The cry Of fire aroused all the en-
| ployes. but before even those on the
floors could reach the stairs the flames
had preceded them The horror Of the
situation cannot adequately be told.
In two minutes the firemen had spread
their fire nets and rescued a score Of
people. In five minutes the flames
were pouring from every window Of
the great six-story building. and the
riremen were forced back. knowing that
there We're people within whom it was
impossible to reach.
From the third floor. where the fire
started. the flames had worked up
ward and downward SO rapidly that
escape was cut off To all above the
| fourth floor.
| IL is impossible TO tell how many and
who were there. The hospitals are
filled with the manned victims who
|
and there are anxious inquiries for
many Others who have not been ac-
counted for.
| The fircmen say there must be many
who met death in the Partridge build
ing.
The captain of engine 20 says he saw
four girls fall back into the flames and
other firemen tell of two Others who
met similar fate on the opposite side
Of the building. The excitement at the
scene was intense.
The firemen spread their fire nets
and caught many. but the human bodies
dropped SO fast that it was impossible
to catch all Those who landed in the
nets escaped with sprained limbs and a
general shaking up. The poor fellows
VINO struck the pavement were either
dead, dying or crippled for life.
While this exciting work was going
on. an incident even more thrilling
was being enacted on Kingston street.
District Chief John Egan. of East Bos-
| ton. climbed To the roof of the Brown
Burrcli building 10 see if it afforded u
good position from which To fight the
| fire. He had barely reach the edge Of
the roof when mighty volume of
flame scared across the little alley that
separated the building from the Par
| fridge building and rested like
| q cloud upon the Brown Burrcll
block. Egan was fairly surrounded by
flames His position was one of great
peril Stretched across the street from
| the roof of the Amcs building 70 the
roof Of building opposite was ca
bic of telegraph wires Chief
Egan hesitated but moment. when
he bold, seized the cable and proceeded
to cross to the opposite building hand
over hand. lie had proceeded but a
few feet when 1T became apparent he
could not last long, and greatly To the
crowds relief he threw both legs over
the cable. which sagged dangerously
beneath his weight. and slowly but te-
diousiy made his way toward the OPP
posite side. Ills strength finally gave
ont. and the wire on the safe side was
cut. letting him down near the ground.
when he dropped into a net uHhurt
so much attention had been conferred
on Chief Egan that no one had noticed
tin at he had been followed BY ,wo men
on the roof. One belonged to his own
company. His name was Rest srick. He
and man unknown 10 him followed
Chief Egan to the roof and got caught
in he same whirlwind cf flame.
Resrsriclx reached the stairs. but his
HANDS and face were terribly burned:
but che unknown stranger did not
come down. The flames settled on the
roof and il blazcd up from > hundred
places.
William :. r. Rumyelle, of New
chase Il Co, said: II first s;syy q man
with his hair literally singed off his
head Running up the street u the fire.
alarm box. ] sprang to the door and
saw a spectacle that appalled, me. A
torrent Of flame was literally pouring
out oi the windows IN the center front
of the Amcs building The people on
the inside were throwing boxes and
books ont OF the windows and boys
were picking them up Very soon upon
the parapet way above the st.cct saw
three men and one woman cling
ing on to the stone work.
There was no such shing as
getting ladder 10 them. owing to the
network Of wires That is the worst
corner for wires in the city If Boston.
and the whole street is in peril from
them. We watched the qrnrtcttc as
they ching for "A few minutes only.
while The crowd in the street stood in
breathless silence. Then the four. one
after another. let go; down they came
q height of fully six stories and struck
solidly on the frozen ground. Every
one Of the four were unconscious when
reached. and all must he terribly i'm
jureG There could hardly be whole
bone in their bodies. | saw two of
them rushed by on a shutter
M0MrCNAOl VAsCtsC