The San Francisco call., 1898-07-30

A fire in the Oregon, cheap lodging house at 113 Oregon street. last even ing. resulted in the death by smother ing and burning of five people and the serious injury of five others.
 That there were no more fatalities IS remarkable. as there were over twenty people packed into the small house and the fire. which was not discovered un- iii it had gained considerable headway, ate its way through the building with great rapidity, doing damage in every room in all three stories. A number of the inmates escaped death or mutila- tion by jumping from the windows and but one of these was injured by leap ing to the ground.
 The blaze was discovered by Special Officer Gillen, who immediately warned the inmates and then called out the de- partment by an alarm from auxiliary box 19. The fire had a good start, but was soon under such control that the firemen could enter the building.
 While going through one of the rooms in the second story Captain William Killday of chemical engine 3 came across the body of a woman, which afterward proved to be that of Kate Connolly. Assistant Engineer Wells picked up the woman, whom he thought to be still alive. and carried her down a ladder. This was the first thought that there was anyone still in the build ing, and when Captain Comstock learned of it he immediately put his patrolmen at work searching for bodies.
 F. Kelly, also known as "Lighty' White was found lying on the floor in a room directly in the rear of the one in which Kate Connolly was discover ed. When taken down to the street by the patrolpen it was found that he was still breathing. A young medical man in the crowd of spectators did what he could for the suffering man until the arrival of the ambulance, when he was removed to the hospital, where he died almost immediately. He was burned about the face and body, but his death was probably due to suffocation.
 The body of Robert Kelly was found on the floor of his room in the third story near the door, which indicated that he had discovered the fire, but was unable to reach a place of safety. His death was due to smothering, though his face and body were burned.
 Robert Curran, longshoreman, as were nearly all the men killed and in- 1ured, was found dead in his bed on the third floor. His face and shoulders were scorched to a certain extent but the suffocating smoke was the cause of his death.
 A one-legged newsboy named Char ley Holmes, familiar figure to all who have occasion to visit the ferries where he had his stand, was the fifth victim of the fire His body was terribly burned and he Is probably the only one of the five whose death was caused by burns. He was found near the window of his room on the second floor.
 All of the bodies were taken to the Mcrgue ant the scene there was heart rending. Friends and relatives of the victims visited the place in large num- hers and their cries and modLs were enough Io toLc oh a heart of stone.
 Martin Abram, the proprietor of the Oregon House was probably among the first who heard Special Gillens cry of fire He said:
 When I heard some one hello up the stairway tlat the house was on fire my first impulse $ to run out and warn the lodgers. My room is just at the head of the stairway in the front of the building. I opened the door and the whole place was flames. Finding it impossible to make my way out that way I closed the door and awoke Kate Connolly, who was sleeping in the same room, and told her to follow me. She must have bec,l confused, for when I looked around to see if she was be-