Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-03-24
Fire Breaks Out During Session Of
a Committee Of Hiveof Ladies
Of the Maooabees.
Escape Being Cut Of, and with
Clothing Aflre, Many Leap
fyom the Windows.
Two Of Them Are Killed and About
Twenty Others Are Seriously
Burned or Injured.
$500 = Many Secret Societies
Lore Their Paraphernalin.

The Financial Loss Is Estimated at
$4,000 = Many Secret Societies
Lore Their Paraphernalin.
Omaha, Neb., March 22. ~ Compare
lively insignificant in material destruc-
ton, but appalling in its harvest of
death and suffering, was fire that par
tally destroyed the Patterson block
at Seventeenth and Douglas streets
Tuesday afternoon. Two of its victims
have already passed away, one more is
not expected to live and about 20 9th
ers ara suffering from broken limbs and
burned and liberated flesh. The dead
are Mrs. Thomas Taylor and Mrs, Anna
Schamel. The injured are as follows:
Mrs. G. F. Brosius, face and hands
burned: Mrs. A. King, face badly burned;
Mrs. A. l.. Samuelson, face and hands
severely burned, both wrists broken; May
Samuelson, five years, burned on hands
and face: Mrs G. d. Wilson, face, hands
and shoulders burned; Mrs, j. G. Holt, face
and hands burned; Marguerite Holt hands
burned, injured internally. may die; Mrs.
Mary Hopkins, face and head badly
burned; Mrs Mary Sullivan, hands and
face severely burned; Mrs. w. A. Rex
hands and face severely burned; Mrs. Ed
Schinsr, 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 badly
burned injuries probably fatal; Mrs. c. e.
Allen, face and hands burned, cut by glass;
Mrs. Thomas Thornton, face and hands
burned severely; Walter Scott, hands and
face severely burned: unknown man, bad
ly burned on hands and face; Steve Will
ia +, Odc bI1rn a6.
Fireman William Guider, suffocated and
fell from ladder, Internal injuries, will
probably die; Lieut.. James Adams, injured
about hips by falling down stairs.
Lady Maccabees Suffer.
A group of happy women, busy with
the affairs of the secret orders with
which they were affiliated, were in mo-
ment brought face to face with death.
Sixty seconds later seven of them lay
burned and bleeding on the pavements,
to which they had dropped 40 feet be-
low, and the Others were rescued after
they had been more or less severely in
jured in their desperate dash down the
single pair Of stairs that led to safety.
The blaze started just after three
o'clock from a gasoline stove explosion
In room in the rear 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
and the entire floor was filled with
smoke and flame. About 20 members
Of the women's lodge of Maccabees
were attending committee meeting
in the waiting-room in the front of the
middle of the building on the same floor
They were unconscious of danger until
q janitor threw open the door and told
them to get out before the flames cut
them off.
Lenped from the Windows.
The warning came too late. The fire
swept through the door and down the
single stairway. Those nearest the
door fed through the binding smoke
and reached the street with hands and
faces burned and blistered. The rest
faced solid wall of flame. There
was fire escape at the south front of
the building, but none of them seems
to have thought of it. They rushed
panic-stricken to the windows, through
which the smoke was already pouring
in suffoeating puffs. The fire was
scarcely foot behind them. 1t caught
their clothing and scorched their faces
with increasing intensity.
In another instant the spectators. at
tracted by the clouds of smoke, were
Mortified to see one after another spring
from the open windows and fall heavily
to the pavement. Not one arose. They
lay in an inert and apparently lifeless
heap until carried into the Office of a
physician across the street. Most of
them were bleeding from severe cuts
and bruises, and all were burned until
thar torn and blackened skin hung in
shreds.
In few minutes all except Mrs. Tay-
Tor recovered consciousness, and ply
sicians and nurses, hastily summoned
did all that was possible to relieve theil
sufferings. AZ fast as hasty dressing:
could be applied the victims were taker
to the Clarkson hospital by the ambu
iances. The body of Mrs. Taylor was
taken to the morgue, and others whose
injuries were less severe were treated
ut neighboring drug stores and at the
offices OF downtown physicians.
Loss About $4,000.
Aside from the fatalities and the in.
jnrdes to persons the fire was not a
serious one. Few Of thelosers are able
to place an exact estimate on theil
losses, but the total will not exceed
$4,000. The loss on the building is less
than half that sum, and aside from thai
the heaviest losers are the proprietori
Of the Boston store, who had a large
surplus stock in the basement of tn,
block. The loss of the various secre
societies that occupy the halls on tn,
second and third floors is largely b,
water and smoke and is difficult to es
innate. One lodge of the A. o. U. w
two lodges Of Red Men, two lodges o
lhs Degree of Honor, four lodges Of
Haccabees and several others lost re.
gala and various items Of furniture.
The building is insured up to the SO
per cent. clause, and most Of the other
Losses are largely covered by insur-
ance.
Buried In Arlington.