Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-01-03
SIX LIVES LOST
In a Burning Building in Columbus,
OhiO--TwO Of the Victims We're
Sisters Of Mrs. Charles Menkemeller
Of This City.

Sisters Of Mrs. Charles Menkemeller
Of This City.
Columbus, Ohio. January AT a.
m. to-day the residence Of John H. Hib-
bard, 1893 East Long street, was dis
covered en- fire, Mr. and Mrs. Hibbard,
their son. Allen, aged 3, and baby, Do
rotby. Miss Fay Hibbard and Mrs. Grace
Hubbard Lee, sisters, Of GAINESVILLE,
o., persisted in smoke, and their bodies
We're more or less destroyed by fire.
-Four sons less than Is years of age
and .he colored servant, aged is, and
originally from Palatka, Fla, escaped
by jumping from second story windows.
Natural gas was used, but the fire evil
IDENTIFY originated from some defective
construction in the woodwork.
Mrs. Lee was the wife Of q son of tho
editor Of the GAINESVILLE Enterprise.
She and her sister were to have re-
turned home to-day. Mrs Harry Lewis,
a sister, resides in Chicago. The other
friends are i'm Ohio.
Mr.. Hubbard is secretary Of the Cen
trail Ohio Natural Gas and Fuel Com
pany. and is connected by marriage
with the Deshlers. HuntingtOns and
others of the wealthiest families in Co
lum6us.
Annie Bell. a colored servant and four
other children of the Hubbard family
Webster. Walter. John and Hinton,
whose ages ranged from TO II years,
escaped by jumping from a second story
window. Annie Bell suffered a frac-
ture Of one ankle and Walter Hubbard
sprained one Of his ankles. The others
are not injured Annie Bel says she
was Weakened by a sense of choking,
and found her room full of smoke. She
tried to run over 10 the part Of the
house the family were sleeping in, but
found the hall so full OF smoke that
she could not do il. and returning 10
her room raised the window, jumped
10 the ground. about 90 feet, and then
she saw Mr. Hubbard at the window of
the room where some of his children
were sleeping. He dropped the four
bows out. and then fell, evidently over
come with the smoke. His body was
found with arms stretched across the
window sill, just as he fell after drop
ping Webster Hubbard TO the ground.
Am the six bodies were found in the
same room. They evidently had sought
refuge there and were suffOcated.
Mrs. Lee was the wife of Editor Char
les Lee. of the GAINESVILLE Enterprise.
They were married two years ago, and
she leaves q baby six months old, which
she did not bring to Columbus with
her.
The house is a large. modern frame,
two stories and an attic in height. and
was heated with natural gas by means
of a furnace. The fire probably result
ed from an explosion of natural gas.
The house is not badly burned, but the
interior woodwork is all scOrched.
The boys were early r.sers They
were beginning 20 sir IN their room.
Walter smsLsd something Ike cotton
burning. He opened their bedroom
door Smoke rushed n and the boys
rushed out They broke for the head
Of the front stairs. Smoke from fire
below coming UP the open stairway
from the reception room drove them
back They fed through a haM 10 q
landing on back stairway, where four
jumped through a window 10 the
ground. A,.7n. SIX years cid. could
not. il would seem. climb UP 10 the win
dow sill. The boys called to him to
jump. He ran back into the hal. met
his father mother and the two guests,
and four of In I'M, father and the twO
gueses and Allen ran into the room
from which the servants had jumped
10 the ground Mrs. H.b53rd evident
IS went back 10 the guest room 10 get
her l.-tla sir, from a CRIB. as the moth
err was found dead in -he hall, faced to-
ward her child and not far from it.
Mr.. Hubbard. the two lady guests
and Allen died right under the win
dow from which the servant jumped
They we've either suffocated and IN
able TO jump by the time they got 1here
or The Aj.es were afraid TO jump and
Mr Hubbard gallan-ly pe-lsAed With
them while dong his utmost 20 save
them The two ladies' had bed clc,h-
ing about tleir heads as a defense
against smoke. showing tina. while al
persisted, they seem TO have made an
Unconfused effort 20 escape. Had they
believed the boys were on, Of the build
ing the adults migh- have jumped from
their front bedroom windows, bU- the
frantic cries Of Allen in the hall, no
doubt. led the adults IN that direction.
Mss Fay H.t9ard. one Ct the victims
Of he Columbia disas-sr. was well
known p Wheeling. She had relatives
on The South SIDE and in Bsl.a.re. whom
she feCur--ly visited. She was a viva
c.0us winsome young lady. and made
many friends She was prominent n
social lfe. and during her visits to
Wheeling attended a number CT balls
and ~ her entertainments