The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-24
WAS AN AWFUL FIRE
Seven People ASphyxiated and One
Fatally Injured.
THIRTEEN IN ONE HOUSE
An Over-Heated Furnace FIue
Does the Work-Unreaui;ed Hero
ism of athers and Grandparents
Loved Ones Clasped In Arms.


were asphyxiated. one fatally hurt by
jumping from a window. and five 9TH
ers more or less injured by fire in the
residence 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 36; Richard Riley, son of w. b.
Riley, aged 4; Marion Riley. daughter
of w. b. Riley, aged 21a Mrs. Ma
rion Chaplin. daughter of James Ar
niger. aged 30; James Chaplin, her son.
aged 3; Horace B. Manuel, aged Sc, of
New York city. a guest.
Fatally injured-Alice williams col
ored servant, skull fractured and other
serious injuries.
Intured-Mrs. william b. Riley,
burned about the face and arms, will
recover; Mrs. James r. Armiger, aged
so, slightly burned and suffering from
shock and exposure; Miss Eleanor Ar
niger, aged IA. slightly burned; Miss
Virginia Armiger, aged 25, ankle slight
ly sprained; Ida Whiting, colored SER
want, slightly burned.
The house In which the holocaust oc-
CURED is one of a row of granite resi-
dences belonging TO the A. S. Bell es-
tate on Charles street, just north of La
Fayette avenue. 1t is four stories in
height, and at the time of the fire was
filled with costly furniture and much
rare bric-a-brac and unique tewelry of
which Armiger was an enthusiastic col
lector In the house we're 13 persons.
OF these 10 were members Of the Ar
niger household, two were servants
and the other. Mr.. Manuel, was a
guest. All of these people were in their
bed rooms, on the upper floors, some
of them being partially dressed, when
at $3.50 O'Clock this morning, fire was
discovered Issuing from a partition in.
the cellar. 1t had ignited from an over
heated furnace fiue and was first seen
by Louis Whiting. the colored man,
who was cleaning the front steps.
Whiting ran to the adjacent corner and
gave the alarm to a policeman, and
hurried back to the house, entered the
front door, closed 1T behind him and
ascended to the second floor, where
Mr.. and Mrs. Armiger had their bed
room.
The house was by this time filled
with a dense. sitting smoke, and when
the negro and Mrs. Armiger attempted
TO descend they found 1t impossible.
Whiting aided Mrs. Armiger 20 the
front window and helped her to reach
a small balcony in front, upon which
he placed her and returned ITO the aid
of Mr.. Armiger. He found the latter
had gone and came back to Mrs. Ar
niger, who, clad in nothing but her
night clothes, was shivering on the
narrow balcony and shrleking In agon-
lied tones for help. Half a dozen men
who were passing hastened to the
power house of the Charles street cable
car line. a block away. and procured a
short ladder. When they returned they
found Deputy Fire Chief McAfee, a
noted life saver, who quickly mounted
the ladder. 1t was not long enough,
but by standing on the uppermost
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 upon
the outstretched arms of the fireman.
Just then the ladder slipped and every
one below expected to see both rescuer
and woman dashed to death on the
pavement below. BY tremendous eff
fort. however. McAfee steadied himself,
and holding Mrs. Armiger with one
hand, grasped the balcony with the
other. Hanging thus he slowly replaced
the ladder with his feet and brought
the fainting woman down in safety,
and in the meantime the other inmates
of the front rooms were crowding to
the windows, making most piteous ap-
pealS for help. People below shouted
TO them not to jump, but Alice WILL
Jams disregarded their warnings, and
with an appalling shrek, sprang from
the fourth-story window. struck the
stone steps full upon her forehead.
fracturing her skull and sustaining
other injuries from which she will die.
An attempt was made to succor the
other uhfortunates by means of a door
way on Charles street. but when a po-
Hcepen burst it in, they were met by
such a volume of smoke and flames
that they were driven back.
The ss idest scenes.