Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-29
SAVED BY THE NET
Many Jumped to Escape From a
Burning House.
EARLY MORNING FIRE At BULUTB
Three Members of a Farmers
Family Asphyxiated.
DISASTER AT FALL RIVER
;ARLY MORNING FIRE At BULUYH
DISASTER AT FALL RIVER

DULUTH, Minn., February 29.-Fire broke
out at o'clock this morning in the
O'Brien- block on Michigan street.
The building. which was four stories high,
was owned by wholesale produce concerns.
The upper stories were occupied by fam
ilies and large number Of people lived
there. Within a few moments after the
fire was discovered the building was en-
veloped in flames. The occupants, scantily
attired, escaped as best they could, saving
Eothing.
The large net with which the fire de-
partmcnt is provided saved many lives, a
dozen to fifteen jumping from the second
and third-story windows and being caught
safely in it. Paul ]. Baldwin, carpet
layer was badly burned, and was taken
down ladder in pitiable condition. His
wife endeavo-cd to escape by the stairway,
but she perished in the flames.
Three other women and one child are
missing, but it is not certain that they
are dead. The work of searching the
ruins was begun at once, and is still going
on. The loss is about $50, 600 fully COW
cred by insurance.
Overcome by Coal Gas.
CHICAGO, February 29.-Three of a
family of eight dead and the others dying
is the terrible result of the escape of coal
gas In the residence of Fred. Stuenckel. u
farmer living few miles southwest of
Chicago Heights. Will county. Fred.
Stuenckel, aged forty-five, the father, and
Rosamond, aged thirteen. and Della, aged
four, his daughters. are dead; Kate
and Hulda. Arthur, Rereta ard William,
aged ten. eight, one and nineteen, respect
lively. children, are dying.
The Stuenckei family has been proni-
1nf in Nvaf< Fnr, r.lx, i
the news of their misfortune caused great
excitement among the farmers in this vi
ciEity.
About 3 o'clock this morning Mrs
Stuenckel was awakened by one of the
children down stairs crying. The father,
with Della and Arthur, slept in large
bed room down stairs. On the floor above
the other members of the family slept.
In the lower room was a large coal stove
which had been filed for the night. Mrs
Stuenckel, as she went down stairs, called
to Rosa ana said she feared the child was
ILL., She found her husband lying upon the
bed. writhing in agony ard moaning.
Arthur was on the floor behind the stove
uncons nscious. Della was on the bed with
her father. crying.
No one seemed to think of the coal gas,
and the door was kept shut for fear of
cooling off the room The daughter called
to the other children to come down stairs
The baby, Reneta, had been crying and was
brought ciong. few minutes after the
family had gathered in the fathers room
each member began acting in peculiar
manner.
The baby vert to sleep. William fell to
the floor and crawied outside into the
kitchen. The mother became so dizzy she
lad to leave the room. Rosamond remain
ed with her father. and in a short time the
gas fumes cvercame ner and she fell to the
floor. The girl was found there dead sew
eral hours later.
Not one member of the family seemed to
notice the hot stove and the gas. The chill
dren ran about half daZed, always closing
the door behind them. The mother and old
est son fell PROSTATE upon the kitchen floor
William recovered sufficiently to crawl out
into the yard. There he was seen by his
Uncle Henry from adjoining house. Ply
sic!ans were Immediately sent for and
everything possible was done for the sur
Viving members of the family
Disaster During a Polo Game.
FALL RIVER, Mass, February 29-An
accident which came very near catas-
trophe occurred at the Casino last night
during the polo game between the Fall
Rivers and New Bedfords. The attendance
was very large, the galleries being crowded
to the utmost. AS the game was nearing its
close two players quarreled and they began
to fight. The crowd in the gallery pressed
forward, when the railing. gave way, and
fully eighty spectators were precipitated
upon the floor beneath. Fully forty were
injured, but only one, James Linelly, a
spinner, was fatally injured.
The most seriously wounded are: James
l.. Linelly, fatally: James Lynes, fractured
skull; Nelson Maynard, right leg fractured
and spine hurt: Mark Hogarth. right side
hurt, internally injured: William Fleet,
nose fractured, other wounds: Thomas
Welch scalp wounds: John May, right
thigh broken; Alfred Martin. scalp wounds
Alfred Lynes, broken arm; Cornelius SulIi-
van, both arms broken; Joseph Lewis, ribs
broken; John Cody. right arm broken