The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1894-04-14
FATAL MILWAUKEE FIRE.
A Number of Mon Killed at the
Burning of the Dayidso
ThTatCr

MILWAUKEE,, Wis, April 9.-The Da-
wilson Theater burned at 4:3O this
morning, and at least eight lives and
perhaps ten were lost.
The fire started in the kitchen of the
hotel, about 0 clock. The kitchen was
located on the south side of the top
floor and the flames, az they shot out of
the south window. were first discovered
by a policeman on Third Street,
near the st. Paul depot. The alarm
was sent in from box 525, located at
the depot. 1t reached fire head
quarters at 4:I5 A. NJ Engine
companies |, ., and 10; trucks aud >,
chemical engines | and >, the water
tower and the fireboat James Foley re-
spOnded. The house of engine compa-
ny No 4 is located on Second Street,
two blocks from the theater. The same
house is Assistant Chief Janssen's head
quarters, and he came out at the same
time as the engine company did.
BY the time Assistant Chief Jansen
and his man got to the top of the floor
the flames had spread from the kitchen
to some of the rear rooms which are To-
Gated between the ceiling of the theater
and the roof of the building. 1t was Il
fierce fight, for the flames had gained
great headway. Several lines of hose
We're pulled up through the outside
windows and had just been placed
SO as TO play on the flames,
when, without moments warming,
the ceiling of the theater gave way and
the men were preCipitated to the pit of
the theater The falling of the ceiling
and the rooms which it supported also
carried down large section of the roof.
There were some men at work on the
root and they, too, were preCl pItated to
the bottom. Those who were at work
IN the passage-way met their death al
most like rats in a trap. They
were penned i'll the narrow passage
way which is shown in an accompanying
diagram. The floor on which they
stood was supported by the ceiling of
the auditorium, and above them was the
heavy roof The fire had been burning
such short time that they did not sup
pose the supports of the ceiling had
been damaged sufficiently to make their
position dangerous. There were fire
men and insurance patrolmen at work
IN the auditorium of the theater and
they were warned by the cracking Of
the ceiling supports. They had barely
time to flee for their lives, however,
and some Of them were injured by fall
ing pieces OF wood. There was no such
warning for the men who were with
Jansen. Those who escaped say that
the first intimation they had was the
sinking of the floor.
When the broken ceiling and roof
landed in the parquette the place be
came Il vertable furnace, and ii was
into this the men were precipitated.
Some were pinned under a mass of
debris that weighed scvcra! tons.
There were at least fifteen men in the
passage way when it went down. They
belonged to engine companies ;, /, ) and
II. As usual, Assistant Chief Janssen
was in the thiCkest of the fight, working
hand in hand with the men.
The most thrilling incident in connec-
ton with the Davidson Theater fire was
the rescue of John Crowley, who for
seven hours remained under the debris
of the fallen roof and ceiling and was
finally taken out alive. He suffered
more than the agonies of death during
those seven hours.
From 9:3O until l2:l4 o'clock his COM
radcs. worked like heroes to rescue him.
and when he was carried out on the
shoulders of SIN tiremcn a shout Of JOy
went up from the crowd.