The Forrest City times., 1894-09-21
SIX PERSONS PERISH

Driven to the Roof and Compelled to Jump for Their Lives-A Number of Buildings Crushed by Falling Walls The Search for Bodies.
 WASHINGTON. Sept. 1S.-With the ter riole confiagration which destroyed the large Knox warehouses and stables. and in which three brave firemen lost their lives, fresh in the memory of the residents here, fire alarm at noon yesterday called the fire department to the corner of Massachusetts avenue and K street. where fire had been dis. covered in the mattress factory owned and operated by Stumph & Bros. This was soon followed by general alarm, and Tn short time all of the engines Tn the city were on the scene, but so quickly did the flames spread that the operatives employed on the fourth and fifth floors were obliged to flee to the roof and compelled to jump for their lives before the trucks carrying the long ladders had arrived. Four of these jumped, ope of them, James E.. Vaughn, sustaining fractures of both legs and internal injuries He is not expected to live. The other three who .PS' SSSoPSu "'tl llOTt UT leSS severe injuries, but all will recover. Albert J. Haske had both legs broken and was otherwise severely injured. Arthur E. Rehans was bruised inwardly and had his wrist sprained, and Harry Bacon was badly bruised.
 So rapid and complete was the work of the flames that within less than half an hour from the time of the dis covery of the fire the greater part of the four walls had fallen in. and by 2:30 o'clock the fremen had pulled down the sole remaining piece of brick work, over twenty feet in height, which marked the location of the hand some five-story structure which had stood there two hours before.
 By this time the spread of the flames had been checked, and at 8 o'clock the work of searching the debris for the bodies of those who were known to have been in the building and not ac- counted for was begun. So far as could be learned the missing ones are: Henry Fowler, Phil Alderman, Robert Reitzel, William Tcnnyson, Willie Ashe, little boy, and one other, an H cludes all of the dead.
 It was not long before the searchers found three bodies, close together, about fifteen feet from the K-street en- trance, every particle of clothing burned from them and the bodies charred beyond hope of recognition. One of them, of smaller stature than the others, is supposed to be that of the boy. It was not until 5:30 that the searchers could fairly begin their work.
 The three bodies lie at the morgue, barely distinguishable one from the other, except from the numbers placed on the charred corpses
 Darkness added to the difficulties att tending the search for the other three bodies, but new corps of workmen went to work with the aid of lanterns to continue the search until all are found.
 The fire, besides destroying the Stumph building, consumed the Wood ruff building, factory, where all of the government files are made, and the falling walls of these buildings crushed Hall & Cammack's fur piture house, filled Benner's mar ble yard and injured the homeo- spathie dispensary building on the Massachusetts-avenu side On the K street side o, Fennstein's horseshoers' establishment, an oyster depot and 8 building occupied by Gospel mission and the Horse and Cattle Food Co., suf- fered demolition.
 Ia. ko |. tS..st in the neighborhood of 50,O00; insur- ance $l5,000. The loss entailed by the destruction of the Woodruff building is unknown, and the other structures were mostly of wood and not very val uable The entire loss will probably be about Ss5, 900.
 First Authorized Statement from Col
 Breckinridge.
 LEXINGTON, Ky, Sept. 1s.-Col. Breckinridge last night at 10 o'clock gave out the following statement which he declared is the first author ized utterance from him since the polls closed Saturday:
 "I regret certain incidents of the day of the election, the voting with the consent, if not approval, of the faculty or ueOrpeIOWu Il colltSc OI StuucHIs, WHo had no legal residence in Georgetown, and some of whom are under age. And the Owens political meeting, under the guise of prayer meeting. in which reputable ministers of the gospel, as we'll as mere ecclesiastical tricksters, and mere shriekers par ticipating for the purpose of impressing the people of the district