The herald., 1896-02-24
Seven People Suffer Death by
Asphyxiation
TWO HEROIC MEN MET DEATH
In FrultIess Efforts to Save the Lives of
Children
Life.saver rcAfee Again Proves His Courage
and His SkiII-Iist Of the Dead
and Wounded

AeSOClAtCu rtcsS opcClhl w iIes
BALTIMORE, Md, Feb. 23.-Seven people
were asphyxiated, one fatally hurt by
jumping from window, and five others
more or less injured by q fire in the resi-
dence of James r. Armiger, a prominent
jeweler, on Charles street this morning.
The dead are:
James r. Armiger, aged 55.
William B. Riley, his son-in-law, aged
SO.
Richard Riley, son OF VIM. B. Riley,
aged 4.
Marian Riley, daughter of W. B. Riley.
aged 21s.
Mrs. Marion Chaplin, daughter of James
E. Armiger, aged 80.
James Chaplin, her son, aged 3.
Horace B. Manuel, aged SO, of New
York city, a guest.
Fatally injured:
Alice Williams, colored servant. skull
fractured and other injuries.
Mrs. William B Riley, burned about the
face and arms; suffering from inhalation
of smoke; will recover.
Mrs. James r. Armger, aged so; slight
burns and suffering from shock and expo
sure.
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 a row of granite residences
belonging to the A. S. Abel estate on
Charles street, just north of Lafayette ave-
nue.. 1t is four stories in height and at the
time of the fire was filed with costly furni-
ture and much rare bric-a-brac and unique
jewelry, of which Mr.. Armiger was enthu-
siastic collector. In the house were thir-
teen persons. OF these ten we're members
of the Armiger household, two were SER
wants. and the other, Mr.. Manuel, was a
guest who had been visiting the Armiger
family for the past two or three days. 1t
was his purpose to return to his home IN
New York last night. but Mr.. Armiger pre-
vailed upon him to remain until Monday.
All of these people were in their
bedrooms, on the upper floors, some OF
them being partially dressed, when at
$3.50 this morning fire was discovered
issuing from q partition in the cellar 1t
had ignited from an overheatcd furnace
flue and was first seen by Lewis Whiting,
the colored man of all work, who was at
the time cleaning the front steps. Whit
ing ran to the adjacent corner and gave
the alarm to policeman and hurried
back to the house, entered tile front door,
closed it behind him. and ascended to the
second floor, where Mr.. and Mrs. ,Armiger
had their bedroom. The house was by
this time filed with dense, sitting
smoke, and when the negro and Mrs.
Armiger attempted to descend they found
it impossible. Whiting aided Mrs. Arm
iQer to the front window and helped her to
reach a small balcony in front, upon
which he placed her and returned to the
aid of Mr.. Armger. He found the latter
had gone and came back to Mrs. Armiger,
who, clad in nothing but her night
clothes, was shivering on the mar
row ba'conv and shrieking in agonized
tones for help. Half dozen men who
were passing hastened to the power house
of the Charles street cable car line block
below and procured short ladder. When
they returned they found Deputy Fire
Chief McAfee, 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 ne attempted to lift her from
the balcony her scanty clothing caught on
an obstruction and she fell forward with
her whole weight upon the outstretched
arms of the fireman. Just then the ladder
slipped and every one below expected to
see the rescuer and the woman he was try
ing to save dashed to death on the pave
ment below. By a 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 fainting
woman down in safety.
In the meantime the other inmates OF
the front rooms were crowding to the win
dows, making the most piteous appeals for
help. The. people below shouted 10 them
not to jump, but Alice Williams disre-'
garded their warnings and with an appal-
mn uhrto
window, struck the stone steps full upon
her forehead, fractuIipg her skull and sus-
tanning other injuries from which she will
die. An attempt was made to succor the
other unfortunates by means of the door
way on Charles street, but when police
man burst it in they were met by such
volume of smoke and flame they were
driven back.
In the 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 extrem-
ity they leaned far out of the roar window
and cried for help. A neiRhbor came to
their aid, and under his cool-headed direc-
tions Miss Virginia lowered her younger
sister with q sheet, and, throwing a mat
tress out Of the window, leaped to the yard
below. She alighted in safety and, beyond
the shock and slight injury to her ankle,
escaped unhurt.
By this time the firemen had reached the
scene and in twinklipg had reared long
ladders up to the windows, both front and
rear. Up these they swarhed and in few
minutes the remaining inmates of the
doomed house were carried out. On the
stairway leading from the second to the
third floor was found the body of Mr.. Arm
iger, with that of his little grandson, Rich
ard Riley, ciasped tightly in his arms,
showing that the old man had made gall
ant attempt to rescue the boy at the cost
of his own life. In the front room on the
third floor was found the corpse of Mr..
Manuel. He, too, had the body of a child
In his arms. telling another story of unre.
Quilted heroism. In the rear room, on the
third floor, lying OH the bed, the fremen
found the dead body of Mr.. Riley. BY his
side lay his wife, breathing family. She
was hurried into the open air in time to
save her life. and though she is badly
burned about the face and arms and half
crazed by her terrible loss, she will re-
cover. In another room were the bodies of
Mrs. Chaplin and her 3-year-old son, while
upon the upper floor the firemen found Ida
Whiting, the colored servant, unconscious
from smoke, but not seriously hurt.
The injured were taken to the homes OF