Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-09
Firemen Entombed in a Blazing
Building.
AN AWFUL DISASTER At MILWAUKEE,
Burning Of the Davidson Theater
This Morning.
H E ATTENDING A seen ES

tneaterS IN the country, was destroyed by
fire which broke out between and
O'Clock. The valuable scenery carried by
the Lilliputians. whose ten days engage
ment at the theater was to close on We'd
nesday night is all gone. Manager Rosen-
thai of the company says it was worth
$25, 900.
Shortly after o'clock when the fire
was seemingly under control, the theater
roof, on which a score or more of the brave
fremen stood they fought the flames.
went down and the brave men were carried
with 1t to the floor of the auditorium be-
low. Some were extricated from the fur
mace of flames in which the whole interior
was now envelopad by their brave and
more fortunate comrades, who risked their
lives to drag out the PROSTATE forms of the
dead and injured men. Six or eight men
were soon brought out and those who We're
able tc speak said there must be ten more
in the ruins, where living death awaited
them. For these poor fellows there
no chance. The burning roof had fallen
in on them and they were roasted to death
IL they were not killed by the terrible
plunge from the roof.
A cry of horror went up from the iremen
who saw the awful catastrophe. The men,
bers of the insurance patrol were covering
tile SedlS III pdTQutl VI lNe lIedlcE
when suddenly light was seen through
the roof above. The men in the theater
ran back just in time and the next mo-
theater.
Several of the men in the theater were
caught by the falling tinbers. The scene
that followed is never to be forgotten by
those who witnessed it. For a moment
all was dark, then suddenly tremendous
sheet of flame shot up and with it came
the cries of the firemen who had fallen
| through the roof to the theater below.
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
any would come out alive. There was
trouble il getting water on the fire, which
now rapidly made its way through the
theater and the scenery. The water was
finally turned on and several of the fire
men who had fallen nearest the front door
of the lobby were dragged from the burning
debris more or less injured.
The men were removed to the saloon
across the street and their wounds dressed,
while the fremen bravely kept at work
pouring a deuge Of water on the blazing
wreck and trying to rescue others of the
|
heard and it was evident that all who had
not been brought out must now be past
hope. The interior of the auditorium soon
became mass of seething flames, which
the firemen vainly endeavored to subdue in
order to save their doomed comrades.
Rescue Made Impossible.
While the frantic men were at work
amidst the ruins the floor of the parquet
| the gallery began to burn, and while direct
ing their attention to this blaze another
portion of the roof fell, making the rescue
of the imprisoned men impossible and add
ing more fuel to the fire.
The first fatality happened before the
more awful tragedy on the roof Ollie Reis
a fireman, lost his life while trying to reach
the roof Of the theater before it fell He
had put up a ladder from the northern
wing of the hotel building which is two
stories lower than the theater proper when
the ladder swayed and he fell with 1t to the
| roof of the wing. He was carried away
and died In the arms Of his comrades He
was member of engine company No. g.
Assistant Chief Dever who was among
those on the roof when the crash came
said:
The members of engine companies g. 4
and IA were on the roof where the main
N.
without a moments warning, the roof gave
way and down il went with all the mon
Ihlrd Assistant Chief August Jansen was
among those who went down with the
crash. He managed to catch a fire escape
Just as the roof was swaying and held ON.
we tried all we could to rescue the men
put could not reach them. Assistant Chief
Jansen is among those who are missing.
thlnk he is buried in the debris"
Pipcman Yeo's story.
John Yeo pipeman of companv No 4
was stretched out one of the comfort
able cots at the Emergency HospitaI at
$50 O'Clock, frightfully injured, but as calm
ana cool, apparently, if he had retired
for a nights rest. Yeo said:
we were all on the roof of the building
NO. s men, when she sunk with U.S. There
were near me at the time Capt. Linehan,
Lieut.. Freeman, Pipeman ONeil and Pine
man Witte. Oh. but it was awful / had a.
wonderful escape. 1t seems almost impos-
sible that 1 should be alive here at this
| moment, but, thank God, / am, owing to
| the presence of mind l had when down in
the RUNS and the quick work of the re-
| lief party that came after me- When l
struck the bottom l was pinned down by
| bricks and timbers and l wiggled around to
| SSe iOOSc. mere were names all around me
and plenty of smoke. My clothing was
| tangled up with something and so L began
to strip of my clothes, and that's the way
L got loosened. undressing myself there in
the flames with the ruins piled over me and
still falling. oh, man, but it was a close
rub for me- and if my back is not broken l
may be all right. Anyway l hope l shall be
saved. My head is badly burned ard cut
! How did l finally reach place of safety ?
! Why, the boys got line to me, l made it
/ fast and was yanked over a wall into the
alley or somewhere"
List of the Victims.
! Following is a partial list of the men who
We're buried under the smoldering ruins:
| George Jansen, company No. .
Capt. Linehan, company No. 4.
Assistant Chief August Jansen.
Archie Campbell, fire boat Cataract
! Thomas Morgan, company No. l.
Frank McGuirk.
- O'Neill.
- Crowley, company No. IA.
! The following were rescued and taken to
| the Emergency Hospital:
Lieut.. Curran of No. central fire sta
tior.; probably fatally injured.
Fred Marsh Of No. 5; foot crushed