The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-24
Sad Calamity from a Fire That Dfd
Not Break Out Until q O'Clock
Yesterday Morning.
HEROIC FIREMAN's WORK
ONLY A PORTION OF THE INMATES
RESCUED FROM THE FLAMES.
Unfortunates Found Sunocated and
Wrapped I'm Each Others Arms
on the Upper Floors.

rep. Zo-ctNt0 peOplt N+It
asphyxiated. one fatally hurt by jumping
from window and five others more or less
injured by fire in the residence of James
r. Armiger. a prominent jeweler, at No.
1906 Charles street. this morning. The dead
are:
JAMES r. ARMIGER, aged ffty-five.
WILLIAM B. RILEY. his son-in-law.
aged thirtyssix-
RICHARD RILEY, son of w. b. Riley,
MARIAN RILEY. daughter of w. b. Ri-
ley, aged two and one-half
MRS. MARIAN CHAMPLIN, daughter or
James r. Armiger aged thirty.
JAMES CHAMPLIN, her son. aged three.
HORACE b. MANUEL, aged ffty-six.
New York city, guest
Fatally injured:
ALICE WILLIAMS. colored servant. skull
fractured and other injuries.
Those seriously hurt were:
MRS. WILLIAM B. RILEY. burned about
face and arms. and suffering from inhala-
ton of smoke; will recover.
MRS. JAMES r. ARMIGER, aged fifty:
slightly burned and suffering from saock
MISS ELEANOR ARMIGER. aged four
teen, slightly burned.
ty-five; ankle slightly sprained in jumping.
IDA WHITING, colored servant; slightly
burned and suffering from inhalation or
The house in which the fire occurred is
one of the row OF granite-front residences
belonging to the A. 5. Abel estate. on
| Charles street, just north OF Lafayette ave-
nue.. 1t is four stories. and at the time
of the fire was filed with costly furniture
and much rare bric-a-brac, plate and unique
| jewery, of which Mr.. Armiger was an en-
| thusiastic collector. In the house were just
| thirteen persons. OF these ten were men,
bers OF the Armiger househould. two were
| servants, and the other, Mr.. Manuel, was
| guest, who has been visiting the Armiger
| family for the past two or three days. It
| was his purpose to have returned TO his
| home in New York last night, but Mr.. Ar
| niger prevailed on him to remain until
Monday.
All were in their bedrooms on the upper
| floors, some OF them being partially dressed,
| when, at fifteen minutes after 8 O'Clock this
| morning, fire was discovered issuing from
| a partition in the cellar. 1t had ignitcd
from an overheatcd furnace fiue. and was
| first seen by Louis Whiting. the colored
| man-of- ali-work, who at the time
cleaning the front steps. Whiting ran %
the adjacent corner and gave the alarm to
| a policeman and hurried back 10 the house,
entered the front door. closed 1t behind him
| and ascended TO the second floor, where
Mr.. and Mrs. Armiger had their beroom.
ESCAPE CUT OFF.
The house was by this time filled with
smoke, and when the negro anc Mrs Arr
| niger attempted TO descend they found il
! impossible. Whiting aided Mrs. Armigcr
| to the front window and helped her to reach
| small balcony IN 'front.' upon which ne
placed her and returned to the aid of Mr.
| Armiger. He found the latter had gone,
and came back to Mrs. Armiger. VINO, clad
i'm nothing but her night clothes. was shiv-
ering on the narrow balcony and calling
for help.
Half dozen men who were passing has
tened to the power house Of the Charles
street cable car line, a block below, and
| procured a short ladder. When they re-
turned they found Deputy Fire Chief Me-
Afee, a noted life-saver. who quickly
mounted the ladder 1t was not long
enough, but by standing on the uppermoet
round, he could reach the frightened
woman. AS he attempted TO lift her from
| the balcony her scanty clothing caught On
| an obstruction, and she fell forward with
her whole weight on the outstretched arm
of the fireman. Just then the ladder
slipped. and every one below expected 10
see both the rescuer and the woman he
was trying TO save dashed to death on the
pavement below. BY Il tremendous effort.
| however McAfee steadied himself, ard.
/ holding Mrs. Armiger with one hard,
grasped the balcony with the other. Hang
|
with his feet and brought the now fat
ing woman down in safety. In the mean
time, the other inmates OF the rect roo,as s.a.s
piteous appeals for help. The people below
] shouted to them not TO jump, but Alice
1 Williams disregarded their warnings. and
spraag from the fourth-story Wind ".
struck the stone steps full on her forehe1ds
fracturing her skull. and sustaining other
injuries, from which she VIII die.
An attempt was made TO succor the other
unfortunates by means of the doorway In
| Charles street, but when the POLICEMEN
| burst IL in they were driven back by
| volume of smoke and flame In the rear
rooms Of the second floor were Eleanor and
Virginia, the unmarried daughters OF Mr.
| Armiger They were partially dressed. but
/ so rapid was the spread OF the names that
they had no time 10 escape by the STAR
| way In their extremity they leaned far
| out of the rear window and cried for help.
| A neighbor came TO their aid, ana under
his directions Miss Virginia Armiger low
cred her younger sister with sheet, and.
throwing mattress out OF the WINDOW,
| leaped 10 the yard below. She alighted in
sninry 'o in her ankle. escaped unhurt. BY
| this time the firemen had reached the scene
and set up long ladders TO the Windows.
both front and rear. Up these they
| climbed, and in a few minutes the remain
ing inmates OF the doomed house were be-
ing carried out.
/ to the third floor was found the body or
\ Nr Arrniger with that OF his little grand
son. Richard k.ley' era clasPeu pa @ usnuy IN is h,s
I "
/ an attempt to rescue the boy at the cost
1 OF his own life.
| In the front room on the third floor was
| found the corpse OF Mr.. Manuel. lie. too.
| had the body OF a child In his arms. tell
! ins another story OF unreqaiied neroism.
4 In the rear room, on the third floor. lying
/ on the bed the firemen found the dead body
/ OF Mr. Riley. BY his side lay his wife.
breathing family. She was hurried into
| the open air in time 10 save her life. and
/ though she Is badly burned about the face
| and arms and half crazed by her terrible
/ loss, she will recover.
MOTHER AND SON PERISHED.
In another room were the bodies OF Mrs
! ChamDlin and her three-year-old son. while
on the upper floor the nrcmen found Ida
Whiting. the coiored servant. unconscious
from smoke but not seriously hurt.
The injured were taken TO the homes OF
neigh5oring friends, with the exception or
the servants. who were conveyed to the
city hospital. The dead were carried across
| the street TO the residence OF Dr. X. II.
Bachelor. where every effort was made 10
resuscitate them without avail. When it
was found that nothing further could be
| done for them. they were covered with
| sheets and laid out the floor OF the
4 physicians parior 10 await the coming OF
/ the undertakers-
| The fire was confined TO the Armiger
residence. which was completely gutted. Ne