The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-11-30
THE FLOORS CAVED IN
A Fire in Chicago Killed Five
People.
AND TWO OTHERS WILL DIE
Panic Among Girls on the Upper Floors
Caused Two Unfortunates TO
Jump to the Street.

Chicago, Nov. 23.-The interior of the
Exchange building, a seven-story struc-
ture at the corner of Van Buren, and
Franklin streets, was destroyed by fire
today, entailing a loss of sS5O.OOO upon
the owners and tenants of the building
and causing the loss of five lives, the
fatal injury Of two others and injury
OF six other people.
The first and second floors were oc-
cupied by Stein & Beirs, clothing; third
and fourth by Henri Newman, cloth
ing; fifth, Amazon Clothing Company;
sixth, Fallows & Co., collars and cuffs;
seventh, Townsend 81 Gale, clothing
and dry goods. and National Thread
Company.
The dead are:
Patrick ]. O'Donner. lieutenant of
engine No. 2.
Martin Sherrick.
John Downs, pipeman.
John Prendergast, pipeman.
All the firemen were crushed by fall
ing debris.
Kittie Landgraff jumped from the
fourth story window and died at the
county hospital
The injured are:
Harry Neil, jumped from the fourth
story, will die.
Nellie Turner, jumped from the third
story, will die.
Aggie McLain.
Olga Kellar.
Hattie Brennan.
Edna Rittert.
Mary Pinky.
The latter two were overcome by
smoke, but will recover.
The fire started on the fourth floor,
it is thought. Thirty girls employed
| there made frantic efforts to escape
The janitor led all who would accom-
pany him to the main stairway and
they reached the street without injury,
! but those who remained behind Jared
| worse.
Olga Kellar, employed by Stein &c
Biers. ran to a fourth story window
sash and climbed on the ledge, clinging
with one hand to narrow strip Of
wood on the outside of the SASH She
saw a few feet below her ladder on
which two firemen stood and prepared
to jump.
WYATT, don't jump" shouted Captain
Hermanson, who had almost reached
the window. Great volumes of smoke
poured out of the window and at times
the girls form was entirely obscured.
To hundreds of people watching, the
seconds seemed like hours. Cheer after
cheer went up for Captain Hermanson
as he climbed. He had almost reached
the window when he heard the girl
scream and saw her reel and release
her hold on the window siding. She
no l,rrf he
fell.
Captain Hermanson braced himself.
and as the unconscious form dropped
he seized it with his right arm. The
effort nearly cost him his own life. for
he narrowly escaped failing. From
hundreds of threats cheers were heard
as the brave captain descended the lad
der with his human burden. The girl
was unconscious, but a physician said
she would recover.
Shortly before o'clock a large safe
on the fifth floor fell to the fourth. car
rying it and the third, second and first
with it. Five men, members of engine
company, No. 2, were working on the
second floor and were buried beneath
the mass of brick. All were killed but
Daniel McNally. After nearly an hours
work the rescuers had opened a pas
| SdSeWdy lLlOuSn the pie OF debris
and succeeded in getting close enough
to where the firemen were buried to as
sure themselves that Lieutenant O'Don-
nell was alive. He was Just able to
talk and it was with great difficulty
that his words could be heard. Men
who knew him well recognized his
voice.
us any one near your" one of the
rescuers shouted.
YES" came back the answer family
from O'Donnell.
How many?" 1.-TWO"
"Alive or dead?" Dead, L think. >,
Gradually the ieutenant's voice be-
came weaker and his reply to the last
question was scarcely audible. The res
cuers called to him and asked him how
seriously he was injured, but he could
not make reply. The fire soon broke
out again and the rescuers were COM
PEELED to abandon their work.
O'Donnells dead body was recovered
at z o'clock tonight.
The loss on the building and to the
tenants is estimated from $3.50, 900 to
100000. The building was valued at
$4,000; insured for 100000. The firm
owning the building is Kuhn, Nathan
& Fischer.