The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-02-24
BALTIMORE CONFEDERATION.
Terrible Loss of Life in Sunday Morn
Ing Blaze.
SEVEN DEAD, ANOTHER WILL DIE.
Of the Thirteen Persons in the House Not
One Escaped without 1njury-Heroic
Rescue of the Lady of the House
by Fireman.

RsphyXiated, one fatally hurt by jumping
from window, and five others more or
less injured by fire in the residence of
James X. Armiger, prominent jeweler,
at 1905 Charles street, yesterday morning.
The dead are; James r. Armiger aged
b5; William b. Riley, his sonin-law, aged
B6i Richard Riley. son of w. b. Riley,
aged 4; Marian Riley, daughter Of w. B.
Riley, aged 211; Mrs. Marian Champlin,
daughter of James II, Armiger, aged 30;
James Champlin, her son, aged 3; Horace
b. Manuel, aged 56 of New York city, "a
guest Fatally injured: Alice Williams,
colored servant, skull fractured and other
serious injuries
Mrs. William b. Riley who was burned
about face and arms and suffering from
inhalation of smoke, will recover; Mrs.
James r. Armiger, aged so, slight burns
and suffering from shock and exposure;
Miss Eleanor Armiger, aged IA, slightly
burned; Miss Virginia Armiger, aged %,
ankle slightly sprained in jumping; Ida
Whiting, colored servant slightly burned
and suffering from inhalation of smoke,
will recover.
The house in which the holocaust oc
Cured is one of row of granite front res
licences belonging to the A. S. Abel es-
tate, on Charles street, just north of Lafay
ette avenue. 1t is four stories high, and
at the time of the fire was filled with costly
furniture and much rare bric-a- brac plate
and unique jewelry, of which Mr.. Armiger
was an enthusiastic collector In the
house were just thirteen persons. OF these
ten were members of the Armiger house
hold, two were servants, and the other,
Mr.. Manuel, was a guest who has been
visiting the Armiger family for the past
two or three days. 1t was his purpose to
have returned to his home in New York
Saturday night, but Mr.. Armiger pre-
vailed upon him to remain until Monday.
All of these people were in their bed
rooms ON the upper floors, some of them
being partially dressed, when fire was dis
covered issuing from a partition in the
cellar 1t had ignited from an overheated
furnace fiue, and was first seen by Louis
| Whiting, the colored man of all work who
was at the time cleaning the front steps.
Whiting ran TO the adjacent corner and
gave the alarm to policeman, and hur-
ried back to the house, entered the front
door, closed it behind him and assembled
to the second floor, where Mr.. and Mrs.
Armiger had their bedroom.
! The house was by this time filled with a
Dense sitting smoke, and when the negro
and Mrs. Armiger attempted to descend
they found it impossible. Whiting aided
Mrs. Armiger to the front window and
helped her to reach small balcony in
front, upon which he placed her and re-
turned to the aid of Mr.. Armiger. He
found the latter had gone, and came back
to Mrs. Armiger, who, clad in nothing but
| her night clothes was shivering ON the
narrow balcony and shrieking in agonized
tones for help.
! Half dozen men who were passing has
| tened to the power house of the Charles
street cable car line, block below, and
procured short ladder. When they re-
turned they found Deputy Fire Chief Nc
| Afee, a noted life saver, who quickly
mounted the ladder. 1t was not long
enough, but by standing on the upper
most round he could reach the frightened
woman. AS he attempted TO lift her from
the balcony her soanty clothing caught on
an obstruction and she fell forward with
her whole weight upon the outstretched
arm of the fireman just then the ladder
slipped, and everyone below expected to
see both the rescuer and the woman he
was trying to save dashed to death on the
pavement below. Bya tremendous effort
however, McAfee steadied himself, and,
holding Mrs. Armiger with one hand,
grasped the balcony with the other Hang
ing thus, he slowly replaced the ladder
with his feet and brought the now faint
| ing woman down in safety.
In the meantime the other inmates OF
| the front rooms were providing to the win
dows making the most piteous appeals for
| help. The people below shouted TO them
! not to lump, but Alice Williams disre-
| garded their warnings, and with an APP
| paIling shrek sprang from the fourth
story window and struck the stone steps
full upon her forehead, fracturing her
skull, and sustaining otter injuries from
which she will die An attempt was made
to succor the other unfortunates by means
of the doorway on Charles street. but when
the policemen burst it in they were met
by such volume of smoke and flame that
they were driven back.
In u rear room ON 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 flames that they had no time
TO escape by the stairway. In their ex-
tremity they leaned far out of the rear
window and cried for help. A neighbor
came to their aid, ana under his cool
headed directions Miss Virginia lowered
! her younger sister with sheet, and throw
| ing mattress out of the window, leaped
20 the yard below She alighted in safety,
and beyond the shock and slight injury
20 her ankle escaped unhurt.
BY this time the flremen had reached
the scene, and in a twinkling had reared
long ladders up to the windows, both
front and rear Up these they swarmed,
and in few minutes the remaining in
mates of the doomed house were being
carried out. On the stairway leading
from the second to the third floor was
found the body of Mr.. Armiger, with that
of his little grandchild, Richard Riley,
clasped tightly in his arms, showing that
the old man had made gallant attempt
TO rescue the boy at the cost of his own