The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-28
A FATAL FIRE.



CHICAGO. Nov. GA disastrous Are
Of suspicious origin that resulted in
many injuries, some of them fatal,
nearly destroyed the big 7-story struc.
ture facing Franklin and Van Buren,
streets at Q o'clock Friday morning.
The injured are: Kittie Lundgraff.
jumped from the fourth-story window,
fatally injured; John Gruenheimer r,
fell from fourth story, fatally injured:
Nellie Turner, perhaps fatally in
jured, taken home.
Olga Keller, internally injured; fell
part way and was caught by q fire.
man.
Susie Keidel, internally injured; fell
on the ladder and was caught by q
fireman.
Mary Pink, Edna Rippard, Ellen Rip
pard, Rose Grace, Aggie McLain and
Matte Brennan, all overcome by
smoke, rescued by fremen.
Harry Neil, left arm injured, taken
to the county hospital The flames
spread with fearful rapidity, and q
short time after the alarm was given,
the windows of the four upper stories
were belching volumes of smoke and
flame. Smoke and flame also filled the
halls and elevator shaft in
the lower stories, and the only
hope of the occupants lay in the
fire department When the first
engine arrived at least 20 girls, nearly
all employees of Stern, Bears & Co., ap-
peared at fourth-story window,
wringing their hands and screaming
madly for some one to rescue them.
One man, John Gruenheimer, was
among them trying to quiet them and
help them to safety. Gruenheimer,
after rescuing a dozen girls, finally fell
four stories and was fatally injured.
The firemen quickly threw a ladder
up against the building but it did
not reach within six feet of the
imprisoned girls However, the
only one to be had. The prospect of
help resulted fatally. Kittie Land
graft was standing on the window sill,
and as soon as she saw the ladder un.
der her, she gave terrific scream and
threw herself headlong to the street
below. Almost at the same instant
Nellie Turner appeared at another
window. Without word she threw
up her hands and plunged, falling
with sickening thud upon
the walk. Meantime Gruenheimer
had succeeded in passing the
two girls to the arms of the firemen
on the ladder. Olga Keller was the
third. She reached the upper rung of
the ladder in safety, but before the
firemeD could seize her she slipped be-
tween the rungs and started on fall
to death. Quick as fash, however, a
fireman caught her clothing. For
an instant she hung head down
ward and then she was safely
drawn back to the ladder and carried
to the ground. One by one the girls
were lowered into the arms of the fire.
men until none remained in peril but
the young man who had helped them
to life. Seeing that there were no
more remaining Gruenheimer started
to crawl down to the ladder, when he
lost his hold on the ledge and fell four
stories to the sidewalk.
Capt. Feline, of the ill-fated engine
company, had a miraculous escape
from fate which has no doubt over.
taken his comrades. He had just left
the men working on the second floor
with lead of hose and was standing
at the window shouting an order to
Peter Hart, engine driver of
the company, to shut off
steam as the fire was extinguished and
the men were read to descend to the
ground floor. Wni.e in the act of Civ
ing the order his nerves were almost
paralyzed at the sight which crash.
ing noise from behind him impelled
him to witness. Several floors from
above the doomed men were crash
ing down upon their heads,
and almost before he realized the
situation all his brave men had
disappeared in the collapse of the Sec
ond floor. There were five men be-
sides himself on that part of the floor
and all were quickly buried out of
sight in huge pile of twisted. broken
timbers, iron work and merchandise.
Following are the victims:
Buried in the ruins-Lieut. Patrick
]. ODonnell, Peoria and Eighteenth
streets; married; engine company
No. 2.
John Downs, pipeman company No.
2, Wallace and Twenty-ninth streets,
married.
Martin Sherrick, 1888 Lowe avenue,
pipeman engine company No. 2.
John Prendergast, married, Canal and
Thirtieth streets; pipeman engine
company No. 2.
Taken from the ruin: Dan McNally,
Emerald avenue and 31st street.
Kittie Landgraff, who jumped from
the fourth-story of the Van Buren,
street building, died at the hospital
Friday afternoon.
Early Friday evening the fremen
dug from beneath a pile of charred
tim bers the body of Lieut.. O'Donnell,
of Engine Company 2. 1t was horri-
bly, mutilated, with the exception of
the face, which was recognizable.
Bones had been broken by the falling
debris and the fire had completed the
destruction, the flesh being badly
burned.
y