Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-24
Fatal Fire in One of the Residence Palaces
Of Baltimore.
SEVEN OF THE INMATES ASPHYxlATE0
One Fatally Injured by Jumping from the
Burning Structure.
FIVE OTHERS MORE OR LESS BURNED
Two Men Died in an Effort to Save Some
Little Children.
FIREMAN PERFORMS A DARING RESCUI
Prompt Action of n servant saved
the Lives of Some of the In
mates-Firc Caught from
n Furnace.

BALTIMORE, Feb. 2S.--Seven people were
asphyxiated, one fatally hurt by jumping
from a window and five others more or less
injured by a fire in the residence of James
r. Armiger, prominent jeweler on Charles
street, this morning.
The dead are: James r. Armiger, aged
55; William B. Riley his son-in-aw, aged
Sc; Richard Riley, son of w. b. Riley, aged
a. Marian Riley, daughter of w. b. Riley,
aged 2k; Mrs. Marean Chaplin. daughter
Of James r. Armiger. aged 80; James Chap
lin, her son, aged g. Horace b. Manuel.
aged 56 of New York City, guest. The
fatally injured are: Alive Williams, colored
servant, skull fractured, ara other serious
injuries. The injured are: Mrs. William
B. Riley, burned about the face and arms,
suffering from inhalation Of smoke, will
recover; Mrs. James r. Armiger, aged 90.
slight burns and suffering from shock and
exposure; Miss Eleanor Armger, aged IA,
slightly burned; Miss Virginia Armger.
aged 25, ankle slightly sprained in jumping;
Ida Whiting colored servant, slightly burnsd
and suffering from inhalation of smoke, will
recover.
Tie house in which the holocaust occur
red Is one of row of granite front resi-
dences belonging to the A. S. Abel estate
on Charles street, just north Of Lafayette
avenue. 1t is four stories in height and
at the time of the fire was filed with
costly furniture and much rare bric-a a-brac
and unique jewelry, of which Mr.. Armiger
was an enthusiastic collector.
In the house were thirteen persons. or
these ten were members of the Armiger house,
hold, two were servants and the other, Mr..
the Armigers for the past two or three days.
1t was his purpose to have returned to his
home last night, but Mr. Armiger prevailed
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 $50 this morning.
fire was discovered issuing from partition
In the cellar. 1t had ignted from over
heated furnace fue and was first seen by
Louis Whiting the colored man-of-all work,
who at the time was cleaning the front steps.
Whiting ran to the adjacent corner and
gave the alarm to a policeman and hur-
rying back TO the house, entered the front
door, closed it behinG him and ascended TO
tho second floor. Wien Mr.. and Mrs. Armiger
had their bedroom.
SAVED BY A SERVANT
The house was by the time filed 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 returned TO the aid of MIR.
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 shrieklng in
agonized tones for help. Half dozen men
who were passing hastened to the power
house of the Charles street cable car line, a
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 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 upstretched arms Of the fireman.
Just then the ladder slipped and everyone
below expected to see both the rescurer and
the woman he was trying to save dashed to
death on the pavement below. BY tre-
mendous effort however, McAfee steaded
himself and holding Mrs. Armiger with one
hand he grasped the balcony with the other.
I1diBUB lnus ne SLOWLY TtDlicSu lHe IuuuST
with his feet and brought tne now fanting
woman down in safety, and in the meantime
the other inmates Of the front rooms were
crowding to the windows, making the most
pteous appeals for help.
The people below shouted to them not to
Jump, but Alice Williams Disregard their
warnings, and with an appealing shrek.
sprang from the four,h-story window. struck
the stone step full upon her forehead, frac-
turing her skull, and sustaining other in
jures 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.
FLAMES SPREAD RAPIDLY.
In the rear room on the second floor were
Eleanor and Virginia, the unmarried
daughters Of Mrs. Arnger. They were par
TALLY dressed, but 50 rapid was the spread
of the flames that they had no time to es-
cape by the stairway. In their extremity they
leaned far out of the rear window and cried
for help. A neighbor came to their aid,
and under his coo-headed direction, Miss
Virginia lowered her younger sister with a
sheet, and throwing a mattress out Of the
window, leaped 10 the ground below. She
alghted in safety and beyond the shock and
slight injury to her ankle escaped un-
hurt BY this time the fremen had reached
the secene and In a twnkling had reared
long ladders up to the windows. both from
and rear. Up these they swarmcd. and in a
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 %
Nh. Armlger with that OF mis- little grandv
son, Richard Riley, clasped tightly in hia
arms, showing that toe old man had made
a gallant attempt TO rescue the boy at tho
cost Of his own life. In the front room on
the third floor was found the corpse Of Mrs
Manuel He too. had the body OF a child
In his arms. telling another story Of unre-
t.d In he thu