Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-04-10
PLUNGE TO DEATH.
Fr.ghtful Fate Of Some Milwau.
kee Fircmen.
A TREACHER0Us ROOF GIVES WAY,

A-"orss NJ RESCUE Delayed by Lack OF
Water-Incidents of the Horror-Fatal
Panic Of Pupils In a Chicago school.
MILWAUKEE. April 1O-The Davidson
theatre, the finest playhou in Milwau-
kee and one of the handsomest and costli-
est theatres in the country, was DESTROYED
by fire which broke out between and 5
O'Clock in the morning. The valuable
scenery carried by the Lilliputians, whose
ten days engagement at the theatre was
to close on Wednesday, is all gone. Nam
ager Rosenthal of the company says it
was worth $4,000. Shortly after 5 o'clock
when the fire was seemingly under con-
troll, the theatre roof, on which a score
or more of the brave firemen stood as they
fought the flames, went down and the
brave men were carried with it to the
floor or the auditorium below. Some
were extricated from the furnace of
flames, in which the whole interior was
low enveloped by their brave and more
fortunate comrades who risked their lives
to drag out the PROSTATE forms of the
dead and injured men. Six or eight men
were soon brought out but eight more
were in the ruins, where living death
awaited them. For these poor fellows
there was no chance.
4 Scene of Horror.
The burning roof had fallen on them
and they were roasted to death. if they had
, not been killed in that terrible plunge
from the roof. \ try of horror went up
from the firemeu who saw the awful
catastrophe. The members of the insur-
ance patrol were covering up the seats in
the parquette of the theatre when sudden
ly light was seen through the roof
above. The men in the theatre ran back
just in time and the next minute the roof
fell into the parquette of the theatre. Sew
eral of the men in the theatre were caught
by the falling timbers. The scene that
followed is never to be forgotten by those
who witnessed it. For a moment all was
dark, then suddenly tremendous sheet
of flame shot up ant, with it came the cries
of the firemen who had fallen through the
roof to the theatre below. One man was
heard to cry: My God, help me. l am
, roasting to death"
Trouble in Getting Water.
The men We're buried under the blazing
roof and there seemed to be little hope
that any would come out alive, if indeed
they had not been killed by the terrible
! fall. There was trouble in getting water
on the fire, which now rapidly made its
way through the theater and scenery
The water WAS finally turned on and sew
eral OF the firemen, who had fallen nearest
| TO the front door lobby, were dragged
| from the burning debris and carried out
| more or less injured. The men were re-
| moved to saloon across the street and
| their wounds dressed, while the fircmen
bravely kept at work pouring deIuge Of
| water on the debris and trying to rescue
x.v.. 81 h., g..
| more cries We're heard and it was evident
that all who had not been brought out
must now be past hope. The interior of
the auditorium soon became "A seething
mass of flames which the firemen vainly
endeavored to subdue in order to save
their doomed comrades
Added Fuel to the Flames.
While the frantic men were at work
midst the ruins on the floor of the par
quette, the gallery began to burn and
while directing their attention to this
blaze another portion of the roof fell.
making the rescue of the imprisoned men
impossible and adding more fuel to the
fire. The first fatality of the fire hap
pened before the more awful tragedy ON
the roof. Ollie Bots, n fireman, lost his
life while trying to reach the roof of the
theatre before the roof fell. He had nut
up u iduutT from the northern wing of
the hotel building, which is two stories
lower than the the theatre proper, when
the ladder swayed and he fell with it to
the roof of the wing. He was carried
away and died in the arms. of his comrades
He was member of engine company No
3. Assistant Chief Dever, who was among
those on the roof when the crash came
said:
Gave Way Without Warming.
The members of Engine companies g.
4. d ana IA were on the roof, where the
main portion of the fire was raging.
suddenly, without "a moments warning.
the roof gave way and down it went with
all the men. Third Assistant Chief An
gust Jansen was among those who went
down with the crash. He managed to
catch fire escape just as the roof was
swaying and held on. We have tried all
we can to rescue the men but can't reach
them. Assistant Chief Jansen is among
those who are missing. l think ne i
buried in the DEBRIS
John zoe, pipeman of Company No. Z,
was stretched out Oil one of the comfort.
bic cots ut the Emergency at $3.50 o'clock
frightfully injured, but as cain and cool.
apparently, as if he had retired for n
nights rest Ieo said: I'VE We're all ON
the roof of the building. No. as men.
when she sunk with us. There were near
me at the time Captain Linehan, Lieu
tenant Freeman, Pipeman O'Neill and
Pipeman White.
A Wonderful Escape.
81 had wonderful escape. 1t seemed
almost impossible that l should be alive
here at this moment, but thank God, ]
am, owing to the presence of mind had
when down in the ruins and the quick
work of the relief party that came after
me. When l struck the bottom / was
pinned down by bricks and timbers, and
wiggled around to get loose There were
flames all around me and plenty of smoke
My clothing was tangled up with some
thing and so / began to strip off my
clothes, and that is the way got loose
undressing myself there in the flames,
with the ruins piled over me and still fall
ing. Oh, man, it was a close rub for me,
and If my back Is not broken may be all
right. Anyway, / hope l shall be saved
My head is badly burned and cut. How
did finally reach place of safety? Why.
the boys got line to me. / made it fast
and was yanked over wall into the alley,
or somewhere"