Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-20
PROBABLY FATAL FIRE,
The Worst TerTe Haute Has
Eyer Known.
IT STARTS IN SHOW WINDOW
Spreads Swiftly and Causes a Loss
Of $1,000, 600.
GALLANT DEED OF A DRUMMER.
He Saves the Life of One Young
Woman and Possibly That of An
other, Though 1t is Thought Lat
ter VIII Die.
ter VIII Die.

TERRE HAUTE, IND, December 10
The worst fire in the history of Terre
Haute broke out tonight causing loss
Of 81 100000. The blaze started in the
big show-windows OF the Havens & Ged-
dens Company. wholesale and retail deal
prs I'm dry-goods and notions. The cause
IS not definitely known. but it IS supposed
that a i've electric wire set fire to some
cotton with which the window was deco
rated. and before the blaze could be eX-
tinguished the fire spread 10 the decorl-
tions Of evergreens i'm the store. and the
building was wrapped in flames I'm an
incredibly short space OF time.
The following firms are the losers:
Havens & Geddens. SjO0.OO0-insurance
about two thirds; Breinig & Miller furni-
ture, s25 go; Pixley & Co.. 100000; Terre
Haute Shoe Company, $4,000; Albrecht &
Company, retail dry-goods, $4,000; United
States Baking Company. $4,000; Thorman
q Schloss. clothiers. $4,000.
number of small concerns were utter
~ annihilated by the fall of the rear
wall Of the Havens & Geddens wholesale
house.
EMPLOYEES INJURED.
The fire started at $50 T. NJ. when half
the employees of the establishment Were
at their homes for supper There Is a
force Of 800 or more I'm the retail depart
ment of the establishment, and had the
entire force been present the loss Of life
would have been frightful. As It is. Kate
MaIoney, a clerk in the notion depart
ment. is lying at the point OF death. She
sprang from 4 window I'm the second
story. and sustained injuries from which
she will probably die. Miss Luella Fer
gusOn, a clerk in the same department,
Jumped tust before Miss Maloney did but
was caught by some men VINO were
watching for her. She is internally in
jured, but will recover. Louis Kramer,
the trimmer who was I'm the show win
dow when the fire started, Is frighttully
burned about the head and arms. When
rescued from the burning building he was
insane from pain. and begged to be killed.
FIREMEN HURT.
Firemen AusterloutZ. Walsh. and Shea
were badly injured IN the falling debris.
The Fire Department worked admirably.
and there We're many narrow escapes
among them. Several of the fremen are
i'm \ precarious condition from burns and
the effects of the sitting smoke, but it
is thought 10 night all will recover.
DRCMMERS GALLANT All.
At II o'clock tonight she fire was still
burning fercey, but the fremen had it
under control. a heroic act Of man
named Peters. a travelling salesman from
Chicago for a music house called forth
cheers from the crowd watching the
flames. When the fire first started,
Peters was standing in the crowd and
saw the Maloney and Ferguson girls APP
near at the secOnd-story window The
girls We're panc-stricken, and We're IN
momentary danger of going down with
the floor. Peters sprang through the
door. with his coat over his head, and
dashng through the flames ana smoke,
reached the window at which the girls
appeared. and after talking with them.
swung out from the ledge and dropped.
His example was followed by the two
girls.