The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-11-30
FLAME AND DEATH
Work Havoc at Another Great
Fire in Chicago.
-Four Firemen and One Girl Kuled-A
Dozen Other Men, Women, and Chit
dren Hurt Forty-Seven Firms
Burned Out-Loss, 100000.

this morning. Five firemen, while in
the active discharge of their duty I'M
der orders and totally unconscious of
danger, we're carried through "a ioor
and buried under tons of wreckage
from the five floors above. Four of
the men lie dead, but the fifth was not
seriously injured. One girl fell from
a window, and received injuries from
which she died. A dozen other men,
women and girls were hurt or over
come by smoke, and many we're res
cued from imminent death.
The dead are:
Patrick j. O'Donnell, lieutenant Of
engine company No. ., 2S4c Wallace.
Thomas j.. P~rerdergast, pipeman,
302S Butler street.
Martin Sherlock. 2S3S Lowe avenue,
pipeman.
John Downs, pipcman. 2s5S Wallace
street.
Kate Landgraf, sO2 North Halstead
street, employed in a. Stein Il Co.'S
garter factory.
All the dead and injured freinen
were members of Engine company No.
,. Their captain. Lewis Ficne, es-
capped the awful plunge to death only
by hanging to the wall of the window
on the second floor until released from
his p~eri}ous position by firemen on u
ladder.
The owners of the burned building
are Kuh, Nathan & Fischer, the cloth
ing firm, whose factory and warehouse
is at Van Buren, and Franklin streets,
opposite the scene of death and de-
structiOn.
Forty-seven firms were burned out
in the L-shaped building, which was
one of the most f~ireproof and orna-
mental in the wholesale business dis
trict.
The loss on the building is 500. 900,
amply covered by insurance. The ag-
gregate loss of the many tenants is
placed at $500, 600, the heaviest indi-
vidual losers being Stein and Biers.
So, 900.
This fire started at 9:15 o'clock on the
fourth floor of the seven-stOrv build
ing, in the garter factory of Stein &
Co., where many girls were at work.
They ran screaming and half fainting
from fright to the windows on the
Van Buren-street side of the building.
The frantic girls were determined
in the half-crazed mental condition to
hurl themselves to the stone tagging,
but were partly restrained by the
shouts of the citizens on the street
and the quick work of the firemen.
One extension ladder was run up and
a fireman mounted it, but when his
feet touched the rungs Of the second
section, either his weight or some de-
feet in the ladder caused it to slip back
to its original position, bringing its
top four or five feet below the sill of
the fourth-story window, where n large
lumber of girls had gathered. Either
crowded from behind or frenzied by
fear, Nellie Turner, KittIe Landgraf
and Harry O'Neill made Il wild at
tempt to lower themselves SO that
they could touch the top rung of the
ladder. In doing this the foolhardy
ones slipped and fell headlong 20 the
pavement.
Capt. Hermanson tried to grasp the
dress of Kittie Landgraf as her body |
few past him, but he failed, ana she
struck the sidewalk.
A few seconds elapsed, and the same
spot where Miss Landgraf's body had
struck was covered with the uncon-
sciouS form of Nellie Turner, who mad
taken the terrible plunge in an effort
to ave herself. She was saved from
death. however, by being momentarily
held by three firemen in her descent, |
thus breaking the force of her fall.
Three other girls, who had more
presence of mind succeeded in reach
ing the ladder by dropping from the
window sill.
Shortly after 1 o'clock came the
econd tragedy of the fire. The flames
had been practically extinguished and
the tiremen of Engine company No, .
were ordered to the fourth floor in the
rear to Eut out any incipent blaze hat
might be found, much of the contents
in that part of the building
only being water soaked. No one
of the veteran firemen. from Chief
Swenie down, imagined there was any
danger from falling floors. The un-
fortunate men had taken their hose
from the fourth TO the second floor,
and no fire being found Capt. 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 an avalanche
of tons of timber, fire-proof thing.
merchandise, safes, radiators, fixtures
from the different offices and a mass
of other stuff on the heads and on all
sides of the iremen. who PM duty be-
fore fear for safety.
Capt. Fiene chung to the window sill
until rescued. and then braveiy joined
the small band of rescuers whom Chief
Swen.e sen to the debris. Only n
faint voice was heard, that Of Nc
Nally. All the others had probably
been killed instantly.