Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-22
MANY WOMEN
IN DANGER
At a Fire That Occurred IN
Omaha Yesterday.
JUNE ED FROM WINDOWS
TWO We're Killed and Several Others
Are III a Critical Condition.
Lodge Meeting.
JUNE ED FROM WINDOWS

Omaha, March 21.-Comparatively in
significant in material destruction, but
appalling in its harvest of death and
suffering was a fire that partially de-
stroyed the Patterson block, at Seven
teenth and Douglass streets today. Two
of it's victims have already passed
away, one more is not expected to live
and about 20 others are suffering from
broken limbs and burned and LAGER
ated iicsh. The killed:
MRS. THOMAS TAYLOR.
MRS. ANNA SCHAMEL.
The injured: Mrs. c. e. Brosius, face
and hands burned; Mrs. A. King, face
badly burned; Mrs. A. l.. SalGuelson, face
and hands severely burned. both wrists
broken: May Sarnuelson, 8 years, burned
on the face and and hands; Mrs. G.. ID.
! Wilson, face. hands and shoulders burn
! ed; Mrs. T.. c. Holt. face II hands burn
ed: Marguerite Holt, hands burned, in
jured internally, may die; Mrs. Mary
Hopkins, face and head badly burned;
Mrs. Mary Sullivan, hands and face badly
burned; Mrs. w. A. Reed, hands &nd face
severely burned; Mrs. Ed. Sinner, face,
body and hands burned, bad cut on head,
will probably die; Mrs. French, South
Omaha. face and hands burned; Mrs. A.
A.. Smith, face and hands lady burned,
injuries probably fatal; Mrs. c.. E. Allen,
face and hands burned, cut by glass; Mrs.
Thomas Thornton, face and hands burn
ed severely: Walter Scott, hands and face
severely burned: unknown al badly
burned on hands and face; Steve Will
liams, 5 years old face and hands burned;
Fireman VIM. Guider, suffocated and fell
from ladder, internal injuries, will proba-
bly, die; Lieut.. James Adams, injured
about hips by falling down stairs.
A ornun of hannv women h1Sv with tha
affairs of the secret order with which
they were affiliated, were in a moment
brought face to face with death. Sixty
seconds later seven of them lay burned
and bleeding on the pavement to which
they had dropped so feet below and the
others were rescued after they had been
more or less severely injured in their des-
perate dash down the single pair of stairs
that led to safety.
The blaze started just after 8 o'clock
from a gasoline stove explosion in a
room in the c of the third floor of
the building and next to the elevator
shaft. 1t was not discovered until it
had spread to the adjoining apartments
Il the entire flEOr was filled with
smoke and flames About 20 members
of the Women's lodge of Maccabees
were attending a committee meeting in
the waiting room in front of the mid
die of the building on the same floor.
They Were unconscious of danger un-
til a ~janitor threw open the door and
told them to set out before the flames
cut them off.
The warning came too late. The fire
swept through the door and down the
single stairway. Those nearest the
door fled through the binding smoke
and reached the street with hands and
face burned and bljstered. The rest
faced a solid wall of flame. There was
a fire escape at the south front of the
! 1,,;1Is,,. 1,,E Nn+ ~ -
have thought of 1T.
They rushed panic stricken to the
windows, through which the smoke was
already pouring in suffocating puffs.
The fire was scarcely a foot behind
them. 1t caught their clothing and
intensity. In another instant the spec
tators, attracted by the clouds of
smoke, were Mortified to see ona after
another spring from the open windows
and fail heavily to the ground. Not
one arose. They lay in an inert and
apparently lifelcss heap until carried
into the office Of q physician across the
street. Most Of them were bleeding
from severe cuts and bruises and all
were burned until their torn and black
cned skin hung in shrads.
In a few minutes all except Mrs. Tay-
lor recovered Consciousness and phys,-
clans and nurses, hastily summoned,
did all that was possible to relieve
theiF sufferings. AS fast as hasty
dressings could be applied the victims
were taken to the Clarkson hospital by
the anfbulances. The body of Mrs.
Taylor was taken to the ,norgue and
| others whose injuries We're less severe
were treated at n~eighboring drug
STORES and at the Offices OF downtown
physicians.
Aside from the fatalities and the in
juries to the persons, the fire was not
a serious one. Few Of the losers are
able to place al exact stimate on their
losses, but the total will not exceed
$50, 900. The loss on the building IS less
than half of thai sum, and aside from
that the heaviest losers are the pro-
p~rietors Of the Boston store,e who had
a large surplus stock in the basement
of the block. The loss of the various
secret societies that occupy the halls
on the second ard third floors is larger
by water and smoke and is difficult to
estimate. One lodge Of the A. O. Y. W.,
two lodges of Redmen, two lodges Of the
Degree of FNnor four lodges Of Mac
cahees and several others lost regatta
and various items of furniture. The
building is insured up to the 80 per
cent clause and most of the other losses
| are largely covered by insurance.