The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-24
ROASTED IN A FIRE TRAP
Seven Persons Perish in Baltimore
ConflagratiOn.
BRAVERY OF THE FIREMEN
Chief MeAfcc Barely Escapes Death In
Rcscuing Mrs. Armiser-COlOrcd Ser
wants Awful Lcap-A Young
Lndy's Presence Of Mind.

| ing when fire engines came dashing up
| and down the fashionable thorough
fare, shortly after s o'clock. Flames
We're seen breaking from the basement
of 1906 North Charles, the residence of
James Il. Armiger, one of the best
known men in the city.
y large crowd was before the burn
ing building almost in a moment, and,
| looking up at the windows. the hun
dreds who congregated below saw the
occupants of the house aroused from
their slumbers appear one after the
other at the windows in their night
robes.
| Lou Whiting, a colored servant, who
was employed next door of the Armiger
residence. first discovered the flames,
and, gaining an entrance over the rear
fence. he dashed through the building
! arouSing the inmates, most OF whom
We're still in their beds. But quick as
was his action the flames We're more
rapid and egress by the staircase was
shut off before half of the sixteen occu-
pants of the dwelling had left their
rooms With all possibility of escape
by the stairs cut off owing to the flames
and smoke which then filled the pas
sageways. Mr.. Armiger and other mem
bers OF his family rushed to the win
dows of their apartments seeking relief
in front from what appeared certain
death in the back ground.
The servants on the fourth floor
rushed down stairs but could get no
| lower than the second story where they
We're driven into the sleeping rooms of
other inmates of the house with closed
| doors behind them to keep out the
flames and smoke, the servants too,
rushed to the windows crying pteously
for help. Two maid servants who were
in the kitchen at the time the fire was
l,lis ,.I nod l.x- l,a
There We're then penned up in the build
| ing fourteen persons crying or Shrek
! ing for assistance whereby to get out
of the death trap
Afraid To Iumn Irto Nets.
As coon .e tha Eva da,,rtn,a,t ,r
,,vad n,ts u,.ra .,ratobad hanaath The
uindnws nd Tho fran,an onIiad tn ~.
,a,.,.n,, st,i',,',, ,r,,.', ~ tI'' ,',uI,o,,,s,
~ i,,,,,' M, ,n,,''i T., H,h' go -
r.oiiyi5o. IA aytant nf thc a,.a and
sr'ni,n ,,i,hi, - ha,,ea ,nI,ad ..p"r,t
i'n,n" :" rho bn,,iida,,ad ;nn,atas haid
Gact and SONS nf tbon, hisannearaI
| 80 -, iiii ,,",.I ~ II -
want hnc,, fn,. rlothipg ~, ne,.hans fo,.
some ,reasurad voImaLIa nnssaes;nn II
w,au , fo,,i ,,,n,,a nMd n, ,,nst ;,stnr,as
r,.t ~ rFa ''' 80 '''0'
p,i,on,,,o, C,,,,,, o,,,, rro,,., T., o,,a,.
m nssist those whose Ives we've in dan.
.,a,. hrn,, in Nv Front door 7. 80 !,
| lot To f,,r 4 nj, ha five -,
| hod hao,n In Tho Ia, san,ont Tho dro,,nbt
II needed and it roared through the
haliWays ana up the stairs with great
est iierreheSs. me pollceilen could not
reacn the linperiied persons lor tht'
s.a'is WE ,hei, ii. - i,iaSs vi iiaiiies' anu
'"1 M, nn1nn s,'a,, was n,ihu,''E h' =, t.,
ne ,,n ~ ~ ~ .,.'o t'',E III M oW !,
n,a I,s,,;a+ r,';'r msAfo
tn Tho sacond sto,,, w,ira,, ,,hnra NJ,
Armigar v,ns cr,,ing for baIn 1,bo Iad
dar did not o,,ita raach ~. uind"r
and there was tbe widest evcitament in
the audience below ,s nlcAfea stood ou
the upper round of the ladder and
grasped the window sill for sunport
He encouraged Mrs. Armiger TO swing.
herself out of the window. AS the CHIEF
grasped her with one arm he steadied
himself with the other and had taken
one step down the ladder when it
slipped and McAfee with the woman in
one arm and with the other holding
to the window frame. dangled in the
air. cry of horror went up from the
crowd as 1t saw the peril of the daring
fireman ana ms human burden. Fortu-
nateiy Tor them sssfee caught the top
round OF ,he ladder on ms toe ana ms
puil,ls IL pack Ihto positioi, released ms
noiu upon ,he WINDOW ana quickly de-
sce,,ueu Win the woman 10 the slde-
n Main. ~ So. .iieei "si!, up as res
'ueu anu iea.uei ieaciieu 'he Srouiio.
harold MANNERS Death.
Meantime the smoke poured from the
open windows. At one of the third
story windows anpeared the face of q
man wearing a. look of agony. He
raised the window and reacbjnr out hi
hands. shouted to the multitude below
1t sent him back an encouragin shout
and he a moment later. before a lad.
der could be run up disappeared Wher
the firemen reached the window the
body OF the man was found lying be-
meath 1t suffocated and badly burned
1t was Harold Manuel, New Yorl
stock broker ana banker. In his arms
was little Richard Riley, grandson OF
Mr.. Armiger, also dead.
Alice j. Williams, one of the colore6
servants, suddenly appeared at one oi
the fourth-story windows. shriekins
ike mad. She tore up the window will
a crash and leaned far out over the
pavement. Don't jump, yelled a hun
, dred voices. She stepped back wiring
ing her hands. Then she leaned ou
again appeared to be trying to cal
something to those below. Again tn,
cry went up. Don't jump Too late
the terrorized woman drew half bacl
into the window. and with an awfu
shrek, launched herself out in the air
Her body turned over several times
and struck the marble steps of tn,
residence. A man rushed forward fol
!. lowed by a score. The woman was car
ried to mr. RatcbeIor's office onnosita a
and subsequently, removed to the hos
pital