The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-10
Burning of Milwaukee's Finest Theater,
the Davidson, Attended by
Horrible Accident.
SCORE OF FIREMEN BURIED
Caught by a Falling Roof and
Hurled In to the Flames,
From Which Few Escaped Death or In
jury-Effects of the Liliputians De.
strOyed-Panic in a School.

men are DEAD, SIX are seriously anu
Milwaukee's leading theater, the Davidson,
is in ruins, the result of fire which mys-
teriously started in the roof Of the building
at 42O o clock this morning. The loss on
the building, scenery and equipments of the
Liliputian company, which was playing an
engagement at the theater, aggregates $780,.
600, on which there is an insurance of $751;
GOO, of which $4,000 is carried by Rosenfeld
Brothers, owners of the Liliputians. Their
loss will be $4,000
Twenty fremen 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 the roof
seemed to bulge under their feet and in a
moment every man was pitched into the
auditorium of the theater some falling
into the parquette and others upon the bal
comics.
Deeds of heroism were numerous, as
usual, under such circumstances. Michael
Dunn, captain OF one of the fire tugs, slid
down rope made it fast to several of the
men who were not pinioned down by the
debris and then climbed the rope, hand
over hand to the roof of the Davidson
Hotel, which escaped destruction. The fire
took a new start among the debris, and
amid the groans and shouts of the i'm
prisoned firemen, the work of rescue began
and was kept up until 8 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, a brother of Chief
of Police Jansen.
THE DEAD AND INJURED.
Following is a list of the dead:
AUGUST JANSEN, third assistant chief,
No. 265 Eighth street.
FRANK MGURK, lieutenant truck COM
pany No. 4, and acting captain No. Ii, No.
FRED KRoEsCHMER, pipeman chemical
ARCHIE CAMPBELL, captain of the fire
boat Foley, No. II Twenty-seventh street.
ALLIE RIES, company No. 3, killed by
: JAMES c. FREEMAN. lieutenant COM
FRANK WINNIE, chemical company No.
4. found in balcony of theater.
THOMAS MORGAN, engine company
JOHN FARRELL, chemical No. q
The injured firemen are
CHARLES SCHUNK. captain chemical
No. 2 compound fracture of leg and hand
and severely bruised about the head.
badly burned about the head and arm.
FRANK SCHROEDER, company No. 5,
back badly sprained and head cut.
FRED MAUHER, company No. 5, foot
crushed and back sprained.
PATRICK LINEHAN, captain No. 4,
LIEUTENANT CURRAN, Company No.
2, internally injured. probably fatally.
JOHN CROWLEY, company No. IA, bad
ly burned and crushed.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Shortly after o'clock, when the fire was
seemingly under control the theater roof,
on which score or more of firemen stood
as they fought the flames, went down, and
the brave men were carried with it to the
floor of the auditorium below A cry of
horror went up from the firemen who saw
the catastrophe. The members of the in
surance patrol were covering up the seats
in the parquette of the theater, when sud-
denly a light was seen through the roof
above. The men in the theater ran back
just in time. and the next moment the roof
fell. Several of the men in the theater were
caught by the falling timbers.
The scene that followed will never be for
gotten by those who witnessed it. For a
moment all dark, then suddenly a tre-
mendouS sheet of flame shot UP and with
it came the cries of the fremen who had
fallen through the roof to the theater be-
low. One man was heard to cry: "My God
help me; 1 am roasting to DEATH" The men
were buried under the blazing roof, and
there seemed to be little hope that they
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 it's way
through the theater and scenery. The water
was finally turned on, and several of the
fremen who had fallen nearest the front
door of the lobby were dragged from the
burning debris and carried out more or
less injured. The men were removed TO a
saloon across the street and their wounds
flrQmpn y
work, pouring a deluge Of water on the
debris and trying TO rescue others of the
unfortunates. But soon no more cries were
heard. and it was evident that all who had
not been brought out were past hope. The
interior of the auditorium soon became a
Seething mass OF flames, which the nremen
Vainly endeavored to Subdue in order to
save their doomed comrades. When the
men were at work amidst the ruins on the
floor of the parquette the gallery began to
burn, and while directing their attention
to this blaze another portion of the roof
fell, making escape impossible, and adding
more fuel TO the fire.
The first fatality OF the fire happened be-
fore the more terrible tragedy on the roof.
Allie Ries a fireman, lost his life while
trying 10 reach the roof of the theater be-
fore the roof fell. He had put up a ladder
from the northern wing of the hotel build
theater proper. when the ladder swayed
and he fell with it TO the roof of the wing.
He was member of engine company No. 3.
THE RESCUE OF CROWLEY.
The Work OF TtScuinS tNe DOQleS OF tEe
killed and the men who were not killed be
gan Immediately after the roof fell. Will
liam Crowley remained in the ruins alive
for hours and his comrades put forth
tremendous exertions to save him. There
was fire all around him and the spot where
he was pinned down was kept flooded
About 10 o'clock the firemen got near
enough TO speak TO him, and were a good
deal surprised TO find him conscious and
able TO talk. He asked the rescuers TO be
careful and not drown him. He said there
was a dead man near him. After that
Crowley's voice could not be heard for
some time, and ii was feared that he had
died but he was subsequently, able TO make
himself heard again. He said the bo1y
near him was that OF a man who had been
drowned AT noon the awful alternative
was considered of cutting off Crowley 5
legs 10 release him, but at 12:15 he was
released and taken 10 the Emergency Hos
pital he had been imprisoned for seven
hours
Assistant Chief Dever, who was among
those on the roof when the crash came
said: THE members of engine companies
3, 4, and II were on the roof where the
main portion of the fire was raging. Sud
denly, without a moments warning, the
roof gave way and down il went with all
the men"
John Yeoo. pipeman of company No 4.