The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-11-23
BRAVENEN MEETDEATH
Five Lives Lost in a Factory Fire
in Chicago. .-s4s -.
FOUR OF THE DEAD WE'RE r1RBMEN

The Remarkable Act Of Gallant rlre Cap
tain Mermanson While Balancing uim-
esif ON q Ladder he Caught Failing
Girl and Carried nsr to the street.
CHICAGO, Nov. sS--The interior Of tho
Exchange building. seven story struu-
tufc at the corner Of Van Buren and
Franklin streets, was destroyed by fire
yesterday, entalling loss of eS75, 600 upon
the owners and tenants OF the buildlng
and causing the loss OF i've lives, the fatal
injury of two others and the injury OF six
other people, all Of whom arc expected to
recover.
The dead are: Patrick J. o'Donnel, lier-
tenant Of engine company No. .; Martin
Sherrick, pipcman John Downs, pipcman,
John PrendergAst, pipcman, and Kittie
Landgref
Tho firemen were crushed by falling de-
bris. Kittie Laadgraf jumped from the
fourth story window and was injured In
ternally, She died at County hospital,
Garry Neil jumped from the fourth story
window. He was internally injured AMI
had his left arm broken, and will prob
ably die. Nellie Turner jumped from
third story window and received Internal
injuries that win prove fatal.
but will recover; Aggie McClain. Olga
Kellar, Hattie Brennan, Edna Ritter and
Mary Pink. Daniel Mentally, driver OF
No. 8 engine, was buried beneath the
debris, but will recover.
1t was n few minutes before o'clock
when Rose Bruce. employed by Stern d
Beirs, wholesale clothiers, noticed that the
corridors were filing with smoke. She
ran into the workroom, where thirty girls
were working, and alarmed them. In
stuntly there WAS confusion. Although
every effort was made TO control the fright
ened girls, several opened tho windows
and climbed out on the ledgss One of the
first TO do this was Nellie Turner She
screamed for help, and some one on tho
ground shouted for her to jump. She
grasped tho escape and swung herself OF
from the stone lodge on which she had
stood, and hundreds on the street cheercd.
She descended and Officer Flahefty, VINO
was on tho fro escape, started up to assist
her He was too late. She suddenly lost
her balance ana fell. Oficsr Fiahert7
tried to catch her, but failed. She was
picked up unconscious.
The escape Of Olga kellar is regarded ~
marvellous. She was employed by Stein q
Biers, and whom tho room where she WAS
TO one OF tho windows overlooking Van
Buren, street. She threw up the sash and
climbed out on the lodge, clinging with
ono hand to the narrow strip OF wood on
the outside Of the sash. She saw a few feet
below her the ladder on which two hremen
stood, and she prepared to jump.
Wait; don't jump!'' shouted Captain
Hcrmanson, who had almost reached the
window.
Great volumes of smoke poured out Of
the window where the girl stood, aud ut
times her form was entirely obscurcd.
Cheer after cheer went up for Captain
HerInanson as he climbed up, He had al
most reached the girl when he heard her
scream and as ho looked up he saw her
reel and rclonse her hold on the window
siding. She hal been overcome by the
smoke and had fallen Captain Herman
son braced himself, and, rs the uncon-
scious form dropped, he seized it with his
right arm. The effort nearly cost him his
own life, for he narrowly escaped falling.
From hundreds Of threats cheers were
heard as the brave captain descended the
ladder with his burden.
BY noon the firemen thought the worst
of the days battle was past They were
mistaken. shortly before o'clock large
safe on the NTH floor fell to the fourth
carrying 1t and the third, second and frs;
floor with it. Five men, members of On
giuc company No, were working on the
ground floor, aud were buried heueath the
brick, stone and timber. All were killed
but McNalIy.
After nearly an hours work the rescuer,
had opened a passagonay through tn,
debris and succeeded In getting clost
enough To where the frenen were buried
10 assure themselves That Lieutenant
O'Donncl was alive. He was just able tt
talk, and 1t was with great difficulty tha
his words could be heard. Gradually TIL
licutenants voice became weaker, and hi
reply to the last questions were scarcel,
audible. The fire soon broke out agar
and the rescuers were compelled to aban
don their work. ODonnel's dead bod,
was recovered at o'clock last night.
There wore forty.soven tenants in tn
building, but many Of them were agent
OF eastern manufacturers, and their losse
will be small The heaviest losers are
Kuhn, Nathan &; Fisher, owners of til
building slOA,o)D; d. H. Arnold & Co
clothicrs supplies, So.o1J; : Rosenberg
s; Co, talors supplies, s2O,G50; Stern
Bcirs, wholesale clothing, $4,000; Broad
hurst, Leo * Co, cotton and wooden goods
$4,000, S ID. Stryker, dry goods, SO 900.