The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-11-27

CHICAGO, Nov. 90. "A fire, disastrous
to life and property, swept through the
dry goods and woolen exchange yester-
day. Five firemen, while in the actlVe
discharge of their duties under orders
and totally unconscious of danger,
were carried through floor and buried .
under tons of wreckage from the hive /
foors above. Four Of the men lie dead
and the fifth was not seriously injured
One girl fell from window ana re-
ceiyed injuries from which she died.
A dozen other men, women and girls
were hurt or overcome by smoke, and
MANY were rescued from imminent
death. The property loss to the build
ing at 215-217 Van Buren, street and
276-97S Franklin street, and contents
is estimated at $4O0,00O The dead are;
Patrick ]. O'Donnell, lieutenant Of Engine
Company No. q
Thomas J. Prendergast plpemah
Martin Sherpeck, ppeman
John Downs, pipeman.
Kate Landgraf employed in A. Stein cos
garter factory.
Among the injured were:
Daniel McNally, pipeman, sprained leg and
bruises
Olga Keller. leg and arm injured
Harry ONeill, arm broken and arm injured
Nellie Turner, fell from fourth story WIN
dow; seriously hurt -,,,-
John Gruenheimer, badly injured by lallihS
from fourth story while assisting girls to escape
The others who were injured were
girls and spectators who saved them,
all being overcome by smoke, but they
soon recovered after medical treatment
at hospitals or their homes. All the
dead and injured iremen were mem
bers of Engine Company No. 2. Their
captain, Lewis Fiene, escaped the aw-
full plunge to death only by hanging to
the sill of the window on the second
floor until released by the tiremen.
The flames spread with fearful ra'
piditv and shortly after the alarm was
given the windows of the four upper
stories were belching volumes of smoke
and flames. Smoke and flame also
filed the halls and elevator shaft IN
the lower stories and the only hope OF
the occupants lay in the hre depart
ment. When the fire engine arrived
at least twenty girls, nearly oil EN-
ployes of Stern, Beiers & Co., appeared
Mt a fourth-story window wringinE
their hands and screaming madly To-
some one to rescue them. one man
John Gruenheimer was among then
irving to quiet them and help them tt
safety. Gruenheimer after rcsculni
nearly dozen girls, finally fell fou
stories and was fatally injured. In
fremen quickly threw ladder u
against the building, but it did nc
reach within six feet of the girls,
The prospect of help so near at han
resulted fatally. Kittie Lundgra
was standing on the window sill, an
,as soon as she saw the ladder undt
her she gave terrific scream an
threw herself headlong to the stree
below. Almost at the same instai
Nellie Turner appeared at anoth'
window. Without a word she thre
up her hands and plunged, falling wit
n sickening thud on the sidewal
Meantime Gruenheimer had succeedt
in passing two girls to the arms OF u
fireman on the ladder Olga Koll
was the third. She reached the upp
runp of the ladder in safety, but befo
the fireman could seize her she slipp
between the rungs and started or
fall to death. Quick as flash, no
ever. fireman caught her clothir
For an instant she hung head dow
ward. and then she was safely dra'
back to the ladder and carried to
ground
One by one the girls were lower
into the arms of the firemen until nc
remained in peril but the young m
who had helped them to life. Seel
that there were no more remalni
Gruenheimer started to crawl down
the ladder, when he lost his hold on
ledge and fell four stories to the 81
walk.
The fire was discovered in the r
Of the building on the fourth floor,
the ianitor, who charges u man nan
Buel with setting fire to the buildl
The loss on the building is $780,
amply covered by insurance, The
gregatc loss of the many tenants
placed at $500, 0O).
FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE.