The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-04-09
Many Firemen Meet Death
Fighting Flames in
Milwaukee.
THE ROOF FELL IN.
Precipitating the Men Into the
Fire on the Stage Of the
Davidson Theatre.
Guests in the Hotel Portion of the
Building Escaped, Though
Panic Prevailed.

41lLWAChEh, <1PiA AOS1--~AS s''S-&Sy
minutes past four o'clock this morning
flames were seen breaking out from the rear
of the Davidson Theatresand Hotel, struc-
ture valued at $500, ,0O0 An alarm was
promptly responded to. but not until the
roof was sheet of flames Immediately on
the arrival of the firemen ladders were run
up and the men rushed up on the roof, six
stories from the ground. In doing so Allie
Reese, one of the men, slipped and fell to the
ground being killed by the fall. All the
men from Engine House No. were dire cted
to the rear portion of the roof, right over
the stage, where the fire was the WORST.
These firemen and others took their stations
and began working. Without warming
the roof under them gave way, preclpltatlng
nine of the men so feet below into the fire on
the large stage of the theatre, all OF whom
were either killed by the fall or burned or
suffocated to death. These fremen are
missing, and it is certain they were burned
to death or killed in the fall.
George Jansen. Company No. 2; Assistant
Chief August Jansen, Archie Campbell,
FireboatsC Catarant; Thomas McGrath. No. lO;
Frank McGuick, James Freeman NO 4;
O'Neill, Crowley, No. IA; Captain Linehan,
Company No. A. The following went down
with the roof and were rescued. They were
taken to the Emergency Hospital: Lieuten-
ant Curran of Company No. l, Genial Fire
Station. probably fatally injured; Fred
Marsh, Company No. 5, foot crushed; Fred
Schroeder, John Yeo, pipeman, No. 4, badly
burned and back hurt.
The large building was used for theatre
on the ground floor and the rear, while the
portion above the ground floor to the front
was utilized by the Hotel Davidson with an
annex extending to the north, which was not
damaged by the flames. The hotel portion
was well filed with guests but they were
all warned in time and made their escape
without injury, though panic prevailed,
many of them escaping in hastily made
toilets or scarcely any at all to the Schiitz
Hotel, nearly opposite.
ORIGIN OF THE FIRE.
The fire originated apparently on the stage
under the roof. The stage was very large
one: in height it was about 50 feet from the
floor to the roof, and the fire had made great
progress in the oily scenery, and was per-
feet oven of flames when discovered. The
Liliputians, with an immense amount of
scenery, were filling a two weeks engage
ment in .sA Trip to Mars in the house, and
has for the engagement drawn great houses.
The stationary scenery, which was large,
and that of the Liliputians' gave the flames
advantage, and the thing went like finder.
1t was about five o'clock, when the fremen
were pouring great streams into the flames,
that the roof fell in. The members of the
Insurance Fire Patrol were covering up the
seats of the parquette OF the theatre, when
suddenly light appeared through the roof
above They ran back Just in time to escape
the falling roof, as portions of it dropped
into the parquette. The scene, to those
who beheld it, will not be soon forgot
ten, as they saw the struggling
firemen and debris fall into the raging flames
on the stage, which grew more furious as the
opening in the roof gave more scope to their
fury. At the same time the agonizing cries
of the firemen could be heard for a short
space of time and then died away as their
vitality was overcome. There seemed no
escape for the men who fell on the stage.
They fell into a blazing pit and were IN turn
covered by the debris of the roof. The en-
tire interior of the magnificent theatre soon
became furnace of flames. just how many
fell with the roof is not known, though John
Yeo a pipenan of No. 4, says he thinks
there must have been 20 who went down.
OF the number some were rescued but nine
are already known to be dead. Assistant
Chief Dever says:-"The members of Com
panies 8, 4, 5 and IA were on the roof
when the main portion of the fire was rag
ing Without warning the roof went in.
Third Assistant Chief Jansen went down. |
managed to catch hold of fire escape just
as the roof went from under my feet and
held on Most of the men were fighting the
fire from the roof when it fell.
THE LOSS.
The loss to Rosenfeld Bros, .proprietors of
the Liliputians and of Miners Theatre New
York, will be large. Tie manager
of the company says the scenery and
$4,000, and they are totally destroyed
Then again, the company, for lack Of these
things, will be uuable to fill its dates at
other points until they can be replaced,
which will be several weeks at best.
Treasurer Roderigues of the Davidson,
saws That the loss to the Liliputians Com
pany all told cannot fall below $4,000 The
loss to to the Davidson Theatre Company
will be heavy. Manager Brown, as he stood
watching the elegant playhouse go up in
smoke, said:--"The original cost Of the en-
tire structure and contents to John and
Alex. Davidson was between $3.50, 900 and
100000 The chief loss is, of course, on the
interior, and will probably be half the cost
of the structure, or about S20000O. have
no doubt it will be rebuilt, but it will take
year to do it.
were stockholders in the theatre company.
lived here formerly. but now living in
Chicago, where they have large interests in
the marble and other business.
A PIPEMAN's STORY.
Plpeman Yoe, at the Emergency Hospital
describes his fall as follows -
1--WE were all on the roof the building
No. 4s rnen-when she sank with u.s. There
we're near at the time, Captain Linehan.
Lieutenant Freeman, Pipenan ONeiil and
Pipeman Witte Oh, butit was terrible
thing; Pm afraid some of those poor fellows
are done for. I never saw or heard from
them since. / had wonderful escape.
It seems almost impossible that
should be alive here at this moment but,
thank God, l 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 struck the bottom. was
pinned down by bricks and timbers, and
wriggIed around to get loose. There
were flames all around us and plenty
of smoke. Ny clothing was tangled
up with something. and 50 began to strip
of my clothes, and that is the way l got
loose undressing myself there in the flames
with the ruins piled over me and still falling.
Oh, man, but it was close rub for me, and if
my back is not broke / may be all right.
Anyway, hope / shall be saved Ms head
Is badly burned and cut. How did finally
reach a place of safety 2 Why, the boys got
line to me- made it fast and was yanked
over a wall into the alley or somewhere.
Assistant Chief Jansen, who is among the
missing and dead. was brother of Chief
of Police Jansen, of this city
No other medicine has equalled Hoods