The herald., 1898-01-26
EIGHT PEOPLE
Perished in the Flames at
Spokane
A NETWORK OF ELECTRIC WIRE
HAMPERED FIREMEN TRYING TO
GIVE AID
A NETWORK OF ELECTRIC WIRE
The Fire Still Burning and the Bodies
of the Dead Are in
the Ruins
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
SPOKANE, WASH, Jan. 25.-Eight.
and probably nine, lives were lost in
last nights fire in the Great Eastern
block. They were:
MISS ALICE WILSON, aged 1s. a.
ployed as hat trimmer.
MAUD WILSON, sister of the above.
aged 5.
MRS. ROSE SMITH, aged 20.
MRS. III. C. DAVIES, an elderly lady
from Nebraska City, Neb., who fell in
descending from the fifth story. and
died at the hospital this morning.
w. 3. GORDAN, mining engineer and
expert.
i MRS. CORA PETERS.
ETHEL. and ALMA PETERS, daugh-
,ers of the above. aged respectively 3
and Z.
It is also thought that her son, Charles,
aged ~, perished. but there are reports
that he was saved and taken into the
country by relatives.
Mrs Davies was living with her
daughter, Mrs. ]. T. Prongcr They had
rooms on the fifth floor, and found them
selves cut off from the stairway and the
fire escapes. The flremen failed In their
| efforts to lift ladders to the fifth story.
owing to a tangle of electric-light and
telephone wires.
| Mr.. Pronger discovered two large
wires running up the outer wall of the
building. He climbed down these to the
fourth story and managed to catch the
| top of the swaying ladder in network
of wires. He descended to the ground
and was followed back up the ladder by
a fireman carrying light ladder on his
shoulder. This was connected with the
main ladder. Mrs. rronger caught and
made fast the other end. She then de-
scended in safety. Meanwhile Mrs. Da-
vies had tried to follow Mr.. Pronger, but
in the dense smoke missed the ladder.
She came on down, hand under hand, un-
til she reached the second story. There
she lost hold and fell to the stone pave
ment. She was ~ years of age. One son,
Samuel 7. Davies, is merchant at Me-
braska City; another son, Rev. F. G. Da-
vies, 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. and fire is
still burning in the basement. On that
appalling mass of blackened debris lie
the bodies of the victims
The local board of insurance agents
estimates the total property loss at
s225. 900; insurance. $133000.
All of the upper two floors and part of
the third flood were used for lodging
purposes and at least $50 people were
in, t1,a hull xxrtn ho fro
started. While most of them escaped
with only their clothes. it is thought
number perished. What makes the hor
ror greater is that no one knows who
is still imprisoned. AS the people were
removed from the burning structure or
escaped themselves they sought places
of safety. The last out of the upper
floors report forms lying in the hall and
women shrieking in the flames
The origin of the fire is supposed to
have been in the engine room. Mrs.
Stark oliver, wife of DIR. Stark oliver,
who lived on the second floor, says she
heard an explosion shortly before the
flames appeared The boiler Of the
engine may have exploded and caused
the fire to start. There is another the
ory, and that is the chemicals in the
basement, stored there for the photo
graphic supply of John w. Graham Il
Company exploded.
The Great Eastern block was built in
1890 at a cost of $250,00 and was owned
by Louis Levinsky of San Francisco, who
carried but $4,000 worth of insurance.
On the ground floor of the structure were
the establishments of the John w. Gra-
ham Paper Company, stationery and
supplies, and Skerret & Donnelly, boots
and shoes. Both are total losses. Gra-
ham carried stock worth 100000, 70 per
cent of which Is covered by insurance.
The firm of Skerret & Donnelly had
stock of $4,000, of which 100000 was
covered by insurance
In the offices above there were large
losses on law libraries and fixtures, be-
sides probably still larger loss of fur
niture and household goods.
The fire was a singulary hot one and
the fire department was long in get
ting it under control. Even then the
flames rose hundreds Of feet in the air
as long as two hours after it started All
the hose in the department was brought
into use and the stores in the city were
called upon for their stock.
A thrilling rescue was that of Robert
Mason, his wife and their 2-year-old
|
side. From a fire escape on the fourth
floor, seven feet to one side from their
window, rope was thrown them, which
Mason made fast to his bed and came
down hand over hand carrying his boy,
Mrs. Mason following. AS she hung
suspended far above the ground the
crowd watched with breathless interest.
When she was grasped by q fireman a
shout of joy went up. The lives known
to be lost are those of Rose Wilson, aged
is, and Rose Smith, an invalid, aged 20,
besides Mrs Davies. Other bodies are
supposed to be in the building, which is
too hot yet to enter.
The report that G. De Albert, a violin
ist and brother of the famous pianist.
is missing proves unfounded. He was
not in the building at the time and has
been located.
Dole's Departure
CHICAGO, Jan. 25.-Sanford B. Dole