The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-24
ADETROIT FIRE KILLS SEVEN.
TWO MEN DROPPED FROM THE FIFTH
STORY, FIVE WE'RE BURNED.


.hs Mass OF Pismes-The Four Others
Were Ls.t seeu the Top Floor wuh
Ne Mss.s or Esespe Los. ssoo.ooo.
DETROIT. Nov. 23.-The fve-story iron front
brick building, 1876 to 202 jefferson avenue.
occupied By Edison Moore 4 Co. wholesale dry
goods. was burned this afternoon Three en-
ployees we're killed. and It 10 supposed that
our others lost their lives A fireman was
badly Injured. The loss will amount to about
ssoO.OOo
The fre started between the fourth and fifth
floors, at the rear OF the building. ana spread
with great rapidity. The majority OF the en-
ployecs we're at lunch when the alarm was
given. but there were eight or nine OF them
left on the upper floors. .Those first on the
scene saw the upper floors In flames. On
window sill Of the fifth floor. fronting on Bates
ttreet. stood Bradley DunninR; two windows
south OF him stood James Mckay.
Don't jump; wait for the hook and ladder"
shrieked the crowd.
But before the ladders could be raised the
flames rolled to the window ledge where Dun
ming stood He bowed his head. Crashed 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 was sooner in place than Dunning struck
Il. He bounded up like a rubber ball and then
fell to the sidewalk. He was taken to a near
by drug store and aiterward to Harpers Hos
pital. where he shortly after died from his in
iurieA
The falling OF James Mckay followed in a
few minutes. When he appeared at the win
dow he looked over the people at dizzy dis
lance below. There were shouts from the
crowd. but he evidently could not hear what
WAS said. The roar OF tho flames drowned all
noise for him.
After q moments hesitation he threw his
feet out ofthe 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. The flames were
bursting out OF the window. When he let 20
and fell he struck on the easement OF the sec
ond window and partly turned over. This
threw him so far out from the window that he
struck on the electric wires, which partly
turned him over again. He struck on the
sidewalk within few feet OF the
building. Policemen. firemen. and spec
tators quickly ran to him. and he was
carried to the ambulance. He was un-
conscious when picked up. but lived for .
couple Of hours after being removed to the
Emergency Hospital. linn ediately after Nc
Hays fall the spectators saw another man
creeping toward the upper window nearest
the corner on his hands and knees; He reached
deavored to shield his face from the iierre
heat with mis- hand, tried to drag himself to
4 sudden burst Of, flame closed around him.
his head dropped. and his cody sank from
Meantime a general alarm had been turned
In. and nearly all the companies In the de-
The smoke rolled In huge volum es and at
times. almost completely enyeloped the sur
tension ladder was raised and firem en- dragged
limo OF hose up and tried to play on the roar
them down. own and the truck itself had to be re.
moved a few minutes afterward the flames
tower wa. placed In position, but it seemed an
almost interminable period before the big
The ao GO SOFT Of the Edson Moore building be-
gan falling in ,6 sh S, time e, after the FIRE
wall collapsed. moment later there were
two loud reports. and the entire Interior OF the
sicaiiy under control. Then rumors OF the
loss OF life became current The firm opened
ecysss wso an cS % sS
narrow escapes and spoke positively Of the
men they knew were on the top floor when the
fdHsfd I; Eee5. va. s,a eth e the freight
Ing at the time the alarm was given. When he
saw he bad to run for his lie there we're still
on this floor the following ZEN that he noticed;
EDSaSp \, v,St order clerk. "a C.ie.rine street.
80 YEAR es:t Gs w cn sSa . G.s children
HIsRT RIDER. packer, (so Theodore street.
floor below when the roof fell in. and he 10 Ger:
tam that these men could not have followed
they could have escaped would have been BY
Jumping. They could not have Jumped with
Ebert also says very few moments after he
got down he asa saw Genther at one OF ne WIN,
%s to-
Eddie Leach. the elevator boy. also tells a
eTy psrsbsd When he learned that The ep
FER part Of the building was ;, on IRE he rsp his
tR to tns sop o. inc eom w 10 SEE saR
that he saw the men mentioned by Ebert, He
td them that hsy had 6stsT SSms
means OF getting down. He was very much
excited and cannot remem Der what they said
But they would not come. as they feared that
the elevator would give way. Ebert was In
TINS party and refused to come. The boy went
down. Leaving the men to get down the best
Shortly after he got down he saw Ebert. but
Impossible for them to get down after Ebert
had come down. He could see the stairways
and says that they were impossible.
D., None OF the missing men have registered nor
have they returned to their homer. They have
were no IRE ESCAPES on the front or side Of tho
building. There were fire escapes in the alley
but they were OF NO use to the imprisoned
Eddie Paychek OF 1877 Beech street was one
A few minutes after the fire started a rope was
thrown from the upper story 1t nearly
t tho ledge s Of the Wndow' IL seized the rope
snd came down hand ever hand When about
burned on BY the flames from above and Pay
chek fell. He picked himself up and disap-
pearsd in the crowd. His hair aud Drows
were singsd Dy tho flames.
During the progress of the fire William Dur
gees. pipeman OF Engine Company No. !. was
severely cut by tin IalnG from the burning
building
No attumpt has yet been m ads TO search the
ruins for the bodies Of tn. missing men.
IL 10 not known positively Yet how the IRE
by an, explosion. William Brown, a druggist
and Harry l.. PiersOn heard the explosion and
saw windows fall IRON the NTH story The
losses are:
Bullding occupied ny EdEon Eoors Co. owned by
lhe estate Of Francis Aims $4,000. Insurance,
10000
Esson. Moore 4 e., 100000; insurance between
s2OONhu ant ., o ltUL
Bullding 'Edson. Moore Co, 5000: insured
FiIeirubuTx SpFcG, dealers In tailOrs tTim Inings
osrupying this buding as .OOu: Insurance s2aOuJ
MvichAnis Hotel HlsO ma this bulidlng $4,000. IN
suF-d ,, a.
aud al1 Jefferson avenue; damaged by water
Nos - To "a Bates street. owned by the Bag ss
me us;ToIt LithcgTaph COMPANY occupying this
buiIdiug damage by water s-oOuoi Insurance,
Iohn BAglsy a Co. tobacco manufacturer. also in
A. a near