The Indianapolis journal., 1895-02-02
HEROISM OF A NURSE
PREFERRED DEATH by FIRE TO DE-
sERTING A HELPLESS PATIENT.
Four People Burned or Suffocated in a
Deaconesses' HospitaI-nIfnnie Bau-
mer's SeIf-Sncrifice.

CLEVELAND, O., Feb. IA frail wood
en- dwelling house. occupied as a hospital
caught fire at 80 o'clock this morning,
and almost before the terrible situation
could be realized four lives were destroy ed
by the flames 1t was the Deaconesses'
Hospital, branch OF the Christian Insti-
tute, of Chicago, established last October
in a two-and-one-h -half-story house on Jen-
nings avenue. In it were twelve patients
-four nurses and four laundry girls. The
fire broke out at the heating furnace in the
basement, ana shot up through the parti-
tion spaces to the roof in few minutes,
starting the house into blaze quickly
as though it had been a box of kindling
wood BY desperate efforts the patients on
the first and second floors were saved,
though some of them may die OF the ex-
posure: but every person in the low garrett
reached only by steep, narrow stairway.
met horrible death. These were two male
patients, one being strapped to his bed,
founding babe and a. heroic nurse, who
tried to save them. her charred body being
found with one hand clutching the fasten-
ings which held the man down. The lost
are:
JACOB KRAUsE, carpenter, aged sixty
years old.
SAMUEL ALLMA1 ER, W1doWer, fifty
nine years old.
WALTER CLARK, eight months old,
MINNIE BAUMER. nurse. Twenty-Five
years old.
The flames had gained much headway
before the people located on the top floor
discovered their perilous situation. 1t was
then too late to ascend by the stairs and
those on that floor gave up their lives be-
fore the fire department had arrived. Be-
fore the flames had reached the outside of
the building. Minnie Raumer one of the
nurses, appeared At stlle upstairs window
and implored those below to assist her in
getting out her patient, who was William
Allmayer. one of the men burned All saw
that it would be folly to attempt to enter
fiercely.
Jump to the porch and save yourself, .
they cried to her, as she was but about
fifteen feet above the broad veranda roof.
Il cannot leave my patient was the re-
ply OF the brave woman as she turned to
look back into the room evidently to quiet
the fears of Allmayer, who thought she
was going TO leave him. For a moment the
brave woman stood looking down into the
crowd below her and then duty triumphed
over her desire to be saved. The smoke
was pouring from the windows about her
and her white, startled face appeared as
nan picture h In nn t Or darkest ran na ebony
was seen no more until her blackeneo form
carried tenderly from the building
soon dII0F.
Aroused by the smoke, James Ehret, one
of the patients groped his way to the side
window on the second floor and waved his
hand to those outside. His signal was
seen and two men secured ladders and
placed them to the window. Ehret start
ed to climb down. but lost his hold and
was caught by those below. -Four men
were taken from the burning building. One
was caught in blanket.
The four corpseS were taken from the
building before they had been consumed by
the fire. Jacob Krause was found at the foot
of the stairs leading to the th!rd floor. He
had been suffering from fractured skull
and was suffocated. William Allmayer was
suffering from broken hip and he was
also suffocated. Minnie Banner, the nurse
who had remained to guard him, was found,
terribly burned, at the foot of the bed. In
an adjoining room was founa the body of
Walter Clark, q child eight. weeks old. It
in dead wagon and taken TO the morgue.