The herald., 1898-03-17

with his load of girls Gleason was about
to start up again when the supports of
the elevator machinery at the top of
, the shaft caught fire, and seeing that
they would give way before the ele-
vator could make another trip, Gleason
gave it up.
At the rear st. John did equally good
work, but was not able to make more
| than one trip, as the fire swept through
| that part of the building before 1T at
tackled the front. In less than ten min
utes after the explosion all escape of
the inmates by the stairs and the ele-
vators was cut off. There remained only
the windows and the single fire escape, a
narrow thing not over eighteen inches
from side to side. This was quickly COW
cred with string of people. some on one
side, some on the other. AS they
scrambled down in frantic haste they
trod upon one another's fingers, bump
ed into one another, and progress was
slow and difficult. Many of these who
could not reach the fire escape II 90 their
way to the front windows, and II rs out
of these that Clark, Smith a:u Binz
hurled themselves to death.
DASHED TO DEATH
Clark was bookkeeperd for the Ohm
stead Scientific company on the sixth
floor, and remained to put the books in
the safe. He might have escaped had
he run on the first alarm. He was first
seen at one Of the seventh story windows,
and few minutes afterwards showed
himself in a window of the sixth floor.
The fire was close upon him, the 1ioors
and walls behind him were crashing
down, and it was certain death to re-
main where he was There was no pos
sibiity of help. and he took his only
chance. Three minutes later he was
dead on the pavement below.
Miles A. Smith, a salesman for the
Olmsteal Scientific company, also leaped
from a window on the sixth floor. He
hesitated some time before taking the
leap, but, like Clark, understood that
it was his only hope. He was instantly
killed, his body being horribly mangled.
Edward Bnz, the cashier of Sweet.
Wallach & Co., on the sixth floor, fell
a victim to his desire to save others and
to protect his books from harm. He,
upon hearing the alarm, ran to the rear
of the store to warn the employees to run
for their lives. He then rushed back to
his desk, gathered up his books and
jammed them into the vault. then he
started for the stairway, but the flames
were ahead of him and he turned back.
There was nothing but the window. and
to this he went. He clambered upon the
sill and stood there in view of the crowd
below Clark and Smith had already
bedaubed the pavement with their life
blood, and the crowd knew there was no
more chance for Binz than for them.
They watched him in silent horror as
he stood celebrating. The building was
q mass of flames, and Binz's face and
hands were badly burned before he
jumped. He Wondered the matter but
few seconds, then shot downward, and
in the drawing of a b-sath he was as
lifeless as the stones over which his
blood and brains We're spattered.
A DARING RESCUE
One fireman distinguished himself by
a daring rescue. He was up on ladder
close to the building when he heard a
cry ringing out above the roar of the
flames. He made himself fast to the lad
der and peered into the dense spoke.
Just then a gust of wind cleared the
scene
The fireman saw man in window Of
the fifth floor carrying an inanimate
form. That the rescuer was about to
throw the unconscious human form into
the street in the vain hope of saving the
man from a death by roasting, was evil
dent. The fire was roaring so that no
voice could be heard Putting up his
hands as a signal to wait until he got
ready, the fireman again braced himself
upon the ladder and reached out his arms
for the rescuer to drop the unconscious
man to him. With a shock that nearly
knocked the heroic fireman from his po-
sition upon the ladder, the body of the
man struck the fire fighter. But it did
not get away from him. He held the un-
conscious man through all the swaying
and swinging of the ladder. Hastily de-
scending, the fireman turned his un-
conscious burden over to the police and
returned to his post.
The man who saved the unconscious
workman had disappeared. He had a
chance to escape had he been brave
enough to dash through the smoke and
flame. But if he did not Immediately
follow the fireman who bore away the
man he had picked up on the fifth floor
his charred remains will be found in the
ruins when the search for the dead
begins.
w. A. Olmstead, president of the Ohm
stead Scientific company, ran to the rear
of the seventh floor of the building 215
Wabash avenue, and has not been seen
since. 1t is thought he has been buried
in the ruins.
The scene upon the downtown streets
rivaled anything seen at a fire in Chicago
for years. The great flames which shot
from the cellar of the burning structure
rose to such height in the air that
they could be observed three blocks in
either direction down Wabash avenue.
Black volumes of smoke rolled upward
and spread over the surrounding streets.
alarming the crowds. Business and
shopping affairs of every description
We're abandoned Immediately, and the
vast throngs made rush for the scene.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS