The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-23
LIVES AND PROPERTY LOST IN FLAMES

the foolhardy ones slipped and fell head
long to the pavement.
Captain Hermanson tried to grasp the
dress of Kittie Landgraf as her body flew
past him, but he failed, and SIZE struck the,
sidewalk with sickening sound in sight
of the thousands. A few seconds elapsed
and the same spot where Miss Landgraf's
body had struck was covered with the un-
conscious form of Nellie Turner, who had
taken the terrible plunge in the effort to
save herself. She was saved from death,
however, by being momentarlly held by
three firemen in her descent thus breaking
the force of her fall. The other girls, who
had more presence of mind, succeeded in
reaching the ladder by dropping from the
window.
The flames had now taken possession of
the four upper stories of the building, and
at window stood Olga Keller and Harry
O'Neill, hemmed in by flames and smoke.
The frightened girl stood on the narrow
window ledge holding to the sash. She
was almost suffocated by smoke and had
braced herself as if to make the leap of
forlorn hope.
"Don't jump, climb down to me"
shouted Captain Hermanson from his
perch on the upper part of the ladder, but
the girl, frantic from terror, did not hear
his voice. She was seen to drop and for
tunately her body came within reaching
distance of the captain. He seized one of
her ankles as the body turned in the air,
and the heroic act almost threw him from
the swaying ladder. Before he was forced
to loosen his hold or be carried down him
self two firemen below him seized the girl
and carried her down the ladder amid the
plaudits of thousands, who were watching
every move in the tragic scene.
O'NeilI, who was still at the window and
engaged in the brave task of helping all
the imprisoned girls to escape, was the last
one 10 be rescued. When he tried to crawl
from the window to the ladder he slipped
and fell but his fall was broken by the
graspin. hands of iremen on the ladder
and he fell into a net which had just been
placed in position. A broken arm and leg
constituted his in juries.
The janitor of the building thinks the
fire was incendiary and accused a man
named Duel, while other occupants of the
building say the fire originated in a little
room on the third floor used in the making
of paper-mache forms. No oarrest has been
made in connection with the fire.
Shortly after o'clock came the second
tragedy OF the fire. The flames had been
practically extinguished and the firemen of
Engine were ordered to the fourth
floor in the rear to put out any incipient
blaze that might be found, much of the
contents in that part of the building being
only water-soaked. Not one of the veteran
firemen imagined there was any danger
from falling floors. The men had taken
their hose from the fourth to the second
floor. and fire being found Captain Fiene
went to the window on the north and was
in the act of shouting to Peter Hart, the
driver of the company, to shut off the
water when the fatal crash came.
From the top floor came like an ava
lanche tons of timber, fire-proof thing,
merchandise, safes radiators, fixtures from
the different offices and mass of other
stuff on the heads and on ali sides of the
firemen. An immense hole was made in
the rear end OF the second floor from the
roof down, great masses of debris hanging g
On the edges of the opening. A cry of
horror arose from civilians and fremen
mingled with the artillerylike roar of the
collapse.
Captain Fiene clung for dear life to the
window-sill until rescued, and then
brayely joined the small band of rescuers
whom Chief Swenie sent to the debris.
Only one faint voice was heard, that of
Fireman McNally. All the others had
probably been killed instantly. After half
an hours work the men who were in dan
ger every minute of more flooring falling
upon them extricated McNally, and the
others being given up for dead streams of
water were poured on the ruins from all
parts on account of fire again breaking out
and to save the bodies from being burned.
All the dead fremen we're married and
leave large families. The work OF recov-
cry continues.
Early this evening the firemen dug from
beneath pile of charred timbers the body
of Lieutenant O'Donnell of Engine Com
pany l. 1t was horribly mutilated with
the exception of the face which was recog-
nizable. Bones had been broken by the
falling debris and the fire had completed
the work of destruction, the flesh being
badly burned.
Three bodies remain imbedded in the
ruins and firemen are hard at work trying
to recover them. While the search is some
what impeded by darkness the men will
not stop at their gruesome task until the
remains of their comrades have been re-
covered.
At 10:45 o'clock the body of John Down,
pipeman, was recovered and given to a
son, who was in waiting. The corpse was
in comparatively good condition. 1t had
been in sight of the workmen for over two
hours, but it took long time to get at it.
At IL o'clock another body was sighted.
It lay face down, covered by all immense
beam, and the arms could be seen from
either side. Several hours will be required
to reach it.
SQUANDERED THE BANKS FUNDS.