The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-26
EIGHT PERISHEO At LEAST
Their Bodies Still Lie in the
Buildings Smoking Debris.
HAlR-BREADTH ESCAPES
Aged Mrs. Davies Comes Down Hand
Under Hand Until She Reached the
Second Story When She Lost
Her Hold and Fell

Spokane. Jan. 25.--As the result of the
disastrous fire which broke out shortly
before midnight last night in the Great
Eastern business block. en- Riverside
avenue, at least eight lives were lost.
and the burned remains are hidden In
a mass of debris in what was the base
ment. The flames started In the base
ment it is thought, from a boiler explo-
sion. and when the alarm was given.
that part of the building was roaring
furnace The fourth and fifth floors
were used as apartments and nearly 1a0
people We're in the room al the time.
Several brave men risked their lives to
climb the stairs and arouse the Sleep
ing people.
By this time the streets were filed
with horrified throng. and men and
women were appearing at the windows
and fmploring those below to save them.
The corridors had become filed with
dense smoke and men, women and chill
dfen We're falling there from suffoeati0n
Several score of half-clad people were
helped down the fire escapes. Itembiults
women, clad only in their night robes,
stepped barefooted into snowy streets
and fainting. We're carried TO places of
shelter
The firemen worked with desperate
energy and saved many lives but their
efforts We're terribly handicapped by a
net work of wires around the flaming
building. The scene was one of horrible
fascination. The thronged streets were
frantic with horror and the awful gloom
was only relieved when some act of
hefoism or courage saved an endangered
life. Then great cheer would go up.
American courage was never seen to
better advantage. Brave men risked
their lives time and again to rescue
women and children and the thrilling
scene was repeatedly witnessed of
daring man climbing down narrow fire
escape from the top stories Of the roar
ing building with a faintlng woman or
a screaming child In his arms.
The list of dead is:
Miss Alice Wilson, aged Is. employed
as a hat trimmer
Maud Wilson. aged ).
Mrs. Rose Smith. aged 20.
Mrs. II. g, Davies, an elderly lady
from Nebraska City. Nep.. Who fell in
Advsrrnding from tire fifth story. and
died at the hospital this morning
w. Il. Gordon, mining engineer and
expert.
Mrs. Cora Peters and her daughters
Ethel and Alma, aged respectively D
and Z.
1t is also thought that Mrs. Peters
son Charles. aged II, perished but
there are reports that he was saved
and taken into the country by rela-
tives.
Mrs. Davies was living with her /
daughter. Mrs. ]. T. Pronger They |
had rooms on the fifth floor and found /
themselves cut off from the stairway I
and fire escape. The firemen 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 I
building. He climbed down these to /
the fourth story and managed to catch /
the top of the swaying ladder in a net |
work of wires. He descended 10 the /
ground and was followed back up the I
ladder by fireman carrying a light /
ladder on his shoulder. This was con-
nected with the main ladder. Mrs I
Pronger caught and made 1t fast To the /
other end, and she then descended in /
safety. Meanwhile Mrs. Davies had /
tried to follow Mr., Pronger, but in The
dense smoke missed the ladder. She
came down. hand over hand until she
reached the second story. There she
lost her hold and fell to the stone pave
ment She was = years Of age. One
son. Samuel r. Davies. is merchant at
Nebraska City. Another. Rev. F. G.
Davies, is pastor of the First Baptist
church at Ottumwa. Iowa.
None of the remains of those lost |
have been recovered. The four walls Of
the big building remain intact. and fire
u 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 a,
s225, ,000: insurance, s133. 900.
A report that 6. ID. Albert a violinist
and brother of the famous pianist il
proves unfounded He was
not in the building at the time and has