Rock Island Argus., 1895-11-23
THRILLING SCENES
Of Danger and Daring at a Cost
Iy Chicago Fire.
HEAVIEST LOSSES ARE IN LIFE,

Five Arc Dead and Two Others WIN Die.
While Six Moro Arc Seriously Hurt
Three Fearful Falls from Window and
Fire EscsPe-Collapse Of Floors Catches
Firemen-Marvelous Escape the Result
Fireman's Chivalrous Bravery.
CHICAGO, Nov. 23.-The interior of the
Woolen Goods Exchange building, a sew
en-story structure at the corner Of Van
Buren and franklin Streets burned yes
terday, cntailing q loss Of $372 900 upon
the owners and tenants of the building,
and causing loss Of five lives, fatal in.
jury to two others, and the injury Of six
other people, all Of whom are expected to
recover. The dead are: Patrick j. O'Don-
nell, lieutenant engine company No. 2:
Martin Sherrick, pipeman; John Downs,
pipeman; John Prendergast, pipeman.
All these firemen were crushed by falling
debris. kittie Landgraf, jumped from
the fourth story window, injured inter
nally, died at the county hospital.
Fatally injursd-Harry Neil, jumped
from tho fourth story window, internally
injured and left arm broken; Nellie
Turner, fell from the fire escape which
she was descending.
Seriously injured: Aggie McI4ain, Olga
kellar. Hattie Brennan, Edna Rittert and
Mary Pink, overcome by smoke; Daniel
McNally, driver of an engine company,
buried beneath the debris-all will 10.
t>over.
Panic Among the Girl Employees.
1t was shortly after . in the morning
when Rose Brace, an employe of Stern s.
Biers, noticed the odor of smoke. Stepping
into the hallway she discovered the cor.
ridors filled with smoke. She ran back
into the wOrkroOm crying fire" Thirty
girls were there. Instantly there was
confusion. Following the example Of the
girl who had given the alarm a score or
more employees ran here and there, not
knowing what to do or where to go. Al
though every effort was made to control
the frightened girls several opened win.
dows and climbed up on the lodges.
Falls from the Fire Escape.
One Of the first to do this was Nellie
Turner. She screamed for help, and soms
one on the ground shouted to her to iump,
She, however, went to another window
near the fire escape and climbed out.
Those on the street watched her move.
ments with great anxiety When she
grasped the escape and swung herself off
from the stone ledge on which she had
stood hundreds cheercd. She commenced
to descend. Officer Flaherty was also on
the fire escape, between the first and Sec
ond story, and when he saw the girl above
he started up to aid her. He was too late.
She suddenly lost her balance and fell
Iah fas.r 30 Il
could not reach her. She was picked up
almost unconscious.
Caught the Girl "on the Fly
In the frenzy of fright Kittie Land
graf and Harry Neil jumped, as stated
above, from fourth story windows to the
pavement below. By this time the fire.
men arrived and those who had not cs.
capped by the stairways were taken down
ladders. The escape Of Olga Kellar was
marvellous. She appeared at fourth
story window, climbed out on the ledge,
clinging with one hand to q narrow strip
of wood on the outside of the sash. The
frcmen put up a ladder and were comina
up to rescue her when she was overcome
by the smoke and dropped. Captain Her.
manson, the first man up the ladder
braced himself, and as the unconscious
form dropped he seized it with his right
hand The effort nearly cost him his life
for he narrowly escaped falling
Five Firemen Caught by a Collapse.
AS he came down the ladder with his
human burden he was cheered by crowds
on the street. BY noon the firemen
thought the worst of the days battle was
past, but they were mistaken. Shortly
before l O'Clock the large safe on the fifth
floor fell to the fourth. carrying it and tho
first, second and third with it. Five men.
members of engine company No. 2, wero
working on the second floor, and all were
buried beneath the mass of brick, stone
and timber All were killed except Daniel
McNally.
There were forty-seven tenants in the
building, but many of them were agents
of eastern manufacturers and their loss
will be small.
Names of the Heaviest Losers.
The heaviest losers are: Kuh, Nathan A
Fisher, owners of the building, 500.
Stern & Biers wholesale clothing CSC. 900:
Broadhurst, Lee & Co., cloth and wooden
goods. $4,000 The balance of the loss in
divided up among the many small estab-
lishments IN the building, the losses run.
ming all the way from few hundreds tS
Rxa0s