The record-union., 1898-01-26
The Fire at Spokane, Washington,
Results Most DisastIouSly.
Remains Of Many Human Beings Hidden III
the Mass Of Debris.
One Hundred and Fifty People
Were in the Upper Stories OF
the Big Building When the
Flames Broke Out, Several OF
Whom Met q Horrible Fate.

SPOKANE (Wash.), Jan. 23.-As a
result of the disastrous fire which broke
out shortly before midnight last nlgnl
in the Great Eastern business BLOCK
on 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 II
boiler explosion, and when the alarm
was given that part of the building Mas
q roaring furnace The fourth and
fifth floors were used as apartments,
and nearly $50 people were in the rooms
at the time. Several brave men risked
their lives to climb the stairs and
arouse the sleeping people.
BY this time the streets were filled
with a Mortified throng, and men and
women were appearing at the windows
imp,oring those below to save them
The corridors had become filled with
dense smoke, and men, women and
children were falling there from suffo-
cation Several half-clad people were
helped down the fire escapes. Trem >
ling women, clad only in their night
robes, stepped barefooted into the snoW
IN the streets, and .fainting, were ear
ried to places of safety and shelter.
The fircmen worked with desperate
energy, and saved many lives. but their
efforts were terribly handicapped by a
network of wires around the flaming
building.
The scene was one of horrible fasci-
nation, the throng III the streets wera
frantic with horror, and the awful
gloom was only relieved when some
act of heroism or courage saved an
endangered life. Then a great cheer
would go up.
American courage was never seen 10
better advantage. Brave men riske i
their lives time and again to rescue
women and children, and the thrilling
scene was repeatedly witnessed of a
daring man climbing narrow fire es-
cape from the top stories of the roarlnS
building with a fainting woman or a
screaming child in his arms. Those
known 10 have been lost are: Miss AL
ice Wilson. aged IS, employed as hat
trimmer; her sister, Maud Wilson, aged
); Mrs. Rose Smith, aged 20; Mrs. II.
c. Davies, an elderly lady from Ne
braska City, Neb., who fell in descend
ing from the fifth story, died at the
mining engineer and expert; Mrs. Cora
Peters and her daughters Ethel and
Alma, aged respectively 8 and I.
1t is also thought that her son
Charles, aged II. perished, but there
are reports that he was saved and
taken into the country by relatives.
Mrs Davies was living with heT
daughter. Mrs j. T. Pronger. Tney
had rooms on the fifth floor, and found
themselves cut off from the stairway
and fire escape. The firemen failed III
their efforts to lift ladders to the fifsa
story, owing to a tangle of electric
light and telephone wires. Mr.. Prong
er discovered two large wires running
up the outer wall of the building. He
climbed down these to the fourth story
and managed to eaten the top of The
swaying ladder in a net work of wires.
He descended to the ground, and was
followed hack up the ladder by fire
man carrying a light ladder on his
shoulder. This was connected with the
main ladder. Mrs. Pronger caught it
and made it fast 10 the other end, and
she ther descended in safety.
Meanwhile Mrs. Davies had tried 20
follow MIR Pronger. but in the dense
smoke missed the ladder. She came or
down, hand under hand. until she
reached the second story. There she
lost hold and fell to the stone pave
ment She was 72 years of age. One
son, Samuel r. Davies, is a merchant
at Nebraska City, another Rev. II. "a.
Davies. is pastor OF the First Baptist
Church at Ottumwa.
None of the remains of those lost
have been recovered. The four walls
of the big building remain intact, ana
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
estimates the total property loss at
SOD, 900; insurance S133.000.
The report that G. De Albert, a vio-
linist and brother of the famous plan
ist IS missing proved unfounded. He
was no. in the building at the time, and
has been located.