St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-09-18
FIVE CHARRED BODIES
The Result OF a Fire in a
Washington Mattress
Factory.
MORE DEAD IN THE RUINS.
A Score Of Workmen Have
Thrilling Escapes From
.SuffoeatiOn.
TORNADO IN OKLAHOMA.
Village Of Mining Nearly
Swept. Away--Three Peo-
pie Killed.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1.-THE most
fatal fire of recent years in Washington
was the burning of the mattress factory
of Stumph Il Bros. today. Four bodies
are at the mOrgue, cbarred and crushed
beyond recognition, one is dead at the
hospital. three injured men are at the
hospital. and there may be others buried
under the ruins, as several of the work
men are unaccounted for.
Two Of the dead at the morgue are
now known to be William H. Tennyson,
an old man employed in the factory,
and Willie Ashe, boy of thirteen
years. and James F. Vaughn, clerk
died at the hospital. Four others who
are missing, are Henry Fowler, Phillip
Ackerman. Robert Reitzel and an old
man who had been employed in the
factory, but few days and whose
name Is not remembered by his EN-.
pl0yer.
Those at the hospital are:
A. j. Harske. both legs broken; may
die. Arthur c. Bevins, internal injuries
and fractured wrist. Harry Bacon, in
ternal injuries.
The factory. which Is owned by G.
Claude and Edward Stumph. stood at
the intersection of Seventh and K streets
and Massachusetts avenue, a fiye-story
structure with thin brick " walls, windows
only at the back and front, and no fire
escape. 1t was stored with feathers,
shavingS and other inhammabIe ma
terials. and twenty-five persons were at
work in ii. six of whom were young
women.
Fifteen minutes before noon fire was
discovered in the picking room at
the front of the second floor. Almost
before the alarm could be given to the
workmen, it had spread through the
the second story and burnt up the eIe.
vator shaft.
The escape of those on the upper
floors was c6t off. They stood in the
windows shouting for help. while hum
dredS on the streets. unable to give
them assistance, yelled to them to wait
for the hook and ladder. Three
men were seen on the roof, two of
them gesticulating trantically, while
the other leaned calmly against
chimney waiting. Policeman Phil
Brown found ladder, and with the
help of two staiwart men dragged a
mattress to the roof of blacksmith
shop beneath the caves of the factory.
While these preparations were under
way HaSke jumped from the roof,
Whirling Over and Over
In the air and striking on his side.
Bevins Jumped to the roof and was
caught OH the mattress held by Police
man Brown and others. Vaughn leaped
headlong so that in the force of his fall
he tore through the m attreSs as though
il hnnn q In nod
from tnird-story window and landed
on his stomach across barrel twenty
five feet below. Other men clung to
narrow projections outside the windows
until pile of mattresses had been
heaped Oh the sidewalk, and jumped
without sustaining severe injuries.
Twenty minutes after the fire had
been discovered the east wall fell,
crushing the blacksmith shop. Palmer's
oyster house and the Horse and Cattle
Feed company's building. A cloud of
burning feathers rose a hundred feet
over the building and drifted down, set
enth street stores, making lively
work for volunteer firemen with pals.
Shortly afterward the other walls tot
tered and came down, crushing the two
story brick building of the Woodruff
Fileholder company, William j. Ben
netts marble shop and Hall & Cam.
mack's furniture store, a frame building.
One fireman and several spectators
were hurt by falling brick.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
The factory building was valued at
$4,000, and its contents at $4,000.
Fifteen thousand insurance was car.
ried in several local companies.
The adjoining buildings which were
crushed were of small value, so that
$4,000 will probably cover ths damage
to them.