The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-26

Spokane. Wash. Jan. 25.-AS result
of disastrous fire which Ike out
shortly before midnight last night in
the Great Eastern business block in
Riverside avenue, at least eight lives
were lost. and the burned remains are
hidden in a mass of debris in what was
the basement. The flames started in
the basement it is thought, from a
boiler explosion, and when the. alarm
was given that part of the building was
a roaring furnace. The fourth and fifth
floors were used as apartments, and
nearly $50 people We're in the rooms at
the time. Several brave men risked
their lives to climb the stairs and rouse
the sleeping people.
ACCOUNTING SPECTACLE.
By this time the streets were filed
with a Mortified thEOng. and men and
women were appearing at the windows
and imploring those below to save
them. The corridors had become filled
with dense smoke, and men, women
and children were falling there from
suffccation. Several score OF half-clad
people were helped down the fire es-
capes Trembling women clad only IN
their night robes stepped barefOoted
into the snowy streets, and falntlng,
were carried to places Of shelter The
firemen worked with desperate energy.
and saved many lives. but their efforts
were terribly handicapped by a network
of wires around the flaming building
AMERICAN COURAGE.
The scene was one of horrible fasci-
nation. The throng in the streets were
frantic with horror. and the awful
gloom was only relieved when some act
of heroism or courage saved an endan-
gered life. Then a great cheer would
go up. American courage was never
seen to better advantage Brave men
risked their lives time and again 10
rescue women and children, and the
thrilling scene was repeatedly wit
messed of a daring man climbing down
a narrow fire escape from the top stOr-
les of the roaring building with a faint
ing woman or a screaming child in his
arms
EIGHT LIVES LOST
Eight lives and probably nine were
lost in last nights fire in the Great
Eastern block They were:
Miss Alice Wilson, aged Is, employed
as a hat trimmer.
Her sister, Maud Wilson. aged D
Mrs. Rose Smith, aged 20.
Mrs H G. Davies, an elderly lady
from Nebraska City. Neb., who fell IN
descending from the fifth story; died
at the hospital this morning
w. B. Gordan, mining engineer ana
expert
Mrs. Cora Peters and her. daughters.
Ethel and Alma, aged, respectively
and l. It is also thought that her son.
Charles, aged u. persisted, but there
are reports that he was saved and was
taken into the country by relatives
Mrs Davies was living with her
daughter. Mrs J. T. Pronger. They
had rooms on the fifth floor and found
themselves cut off from the stairway
and fire escape. The hremen failed IN
their efforts to lift ladders to the NTH
story. owing to a tangle of electric light
and telephone wires. Mr. PronSer dis
covered two large wires running up
the outer wall of the bulidins- he
climbed down these to the fourth story
and managed to catch the top of the
swaying ladder in a network of wires
He descended to the ground and was
followed back up the ladder by a fire
man carrying a light ladder on his
shoulder. This was connected with the
main ladder Mrs. PrOnger caught it
and made fast to the other end, and
she then descended in safety.
LOST HER HOLD.
Meanwhile. Mrs. Davies had tried to
follow Mrs. Pronger but in the dense
smoke, missed the ladder. She came on
down. hand under hand, until she
reached the second story. There she
lost her hold and fell TO the stone
pavement She was - years of age
One son. Samuel T. Davies, is mer-
chant at Nebraska City; another, Rev
T. G. Davies. is pastor of the First Bap-
fist church at Ottumwa. Ia
None of the remains of those lost
have been recovered. The four walls
of the big building remain intact. and
fire is still burning in the basement
In that appalling mass OF blackened
debris lie the bodies of the victims.
The local board of insurance agents
estimate the total property loss at
1925. 600: insurance, 1888. 600.
The report that C. d. Albert, violin
list and brother of the famous pianist,
is missing. proves unfOundeC. He was
~ The L.-illir,.- The rlr-l- md has