The record-union., 1894-04-10
Special to the REcoRp-UN1oN.
scious Little Ones.


MILWAUKEE (Wis.), April 9.-The
Davidson Theater, the finest in Milwau-
kee and one of the handsomest and cost
liest buildings in the country, was de-
stroyed by a fire which broke out
between and 5 o'clock this morning.
The valuable scenery carried by the
Lilliputians, worth a large sum, is all
gone. The theater roof, on which score
or more of firemen stood, went down and
the men were carried with it. Some
were rescued from the flames by COM
rades, who risked their lives to drag out
the forms of the dead and injured. Seven
or eight men were soon brought out, and
those able to speak said there must be ten
more in the ruins. The burning roof had
fallen on them and they were roasted to
death if not killed in the plunge from the
roof Several men working in the
theater were caught by the falling tim
bers and other portions Of the roof, MAX
ing the rescue of the imprisoned men I'M
possible.
Nine tiremen are dead and six are seri-
ouSly injured as the result of the fire,
which mysteriously started in the roof OF
the budding at 4:20 o'clock this morning.
The loss of the building, scenery and
equipments of the Liliputian Company,
aggregates $500, 1000, on which there is an
insurance OF $50, 600, of which $4,000 is
carried by the owners of the Liliputians.
Their loss will be $4,000.
Twenty tiremen were upon the roof of
the building working under the direction
of the chiefs, and it was thought that the
blaze was under control, when suddenly
the roof seemed to bulge under their feet,
and in moment every man was pitched
into the auditorium of the theater, some
falling into the parquette and others upon
the balconies.
Assistant Chief Devere was on the roof
at the time of the crash, but escaped with
out injury. John Gee went down with
the roof He was pinned down with the
bricks. but slipped out of his clothing
and escaped, though badly bruised and
burned.
Deeds of heroism were numerous.
Michael Dunnvapt OF one of the fire tugs
slid down rope, made it fast to several
men who were Imprisoned by the flames,
and then climbed the rope and to the
roof of the Davidson Hotel, which es-
capped destruction. Later the fire took
new start. and amid the groans and
shouts of the imprisoned men, the work
OF rescue began and was kept up until
S o'clock tonight, when the eighth body
was taken out and the work abandoned
until tomorrow, with only one corpse to
remove. that of Third Assistant Chief
Jansen, brother of Chiefof Police Jansen.
Those rescued and taken TO the Emer-
gency Hospital are as follows: Lienteh
ant Curran, probably fatally hurt; Fred
Marthe, foot crushed: Fred Schroeder
John Gee, badly burned, back hurt; Cap
tain Linehan, probably fatally hurt
The loss to the Liliputian Company is
$50, ,000 to the theater about S400,0
William Crowley was pinned down
close to the fire for several hours, and his
companions worked hard to save him.
At one time they hesitated between let
ting him burn or letting him drown,
when Crowley asked his friends to cut
his legs off if he could not be released.
He was finally rescued.
The following is a list of the dead:
Third Assistant Chief August Jansen,
Frank McGuirk, Lieutenant Truck Com
pany No. 4, and acting Captain OF No. Ia;
Fred Krosschmer, pipeman Company
No. ?; Captain Archie Campbell, of the
fire boat Foley; Allie Riez, Company
No. g. killed by falling of ladder; James
G.. Fireman, Lieutenat of Company No.
4; Frank Whine, Chemical Company No.
4, found i'll baIcOny of the theater;
Thomas Morgan. Engine Company No.
l; John Farrell, Chemical Company
No. l.
The injured were: Captain Charles
Schunk, compound fracture. leg and
hand, badly bruised; John Lee, burned
about head and arms; John Farrell and
Frank Schroeder, back sprained, head
cut; Fred Manther, foot crushed, back
sprained; Captain Patrick Line, collar
bone fractured, internal injuries: Lieu
tenant Curran, internally, probably fat
allv