The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-03-25
ESCAPE WAS CUT OFF.
Sad Results Follow a Fire in
Omaha, Neb.
Members Of the Ladies of the Macca-
bees Forced to Leap from Windows
Two Are I<iiied-1wenty
Persons Injured.


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 10 live and about 90 9th
ers are suffering from broken limbs and
/ burned and lacerated flesh. The dead
are Mrs. Thomas Taylor and Mrs. Anna
SchameI. The injured are as follows:
/ Mrs. C.. T.. Brosius. face and hands
I burned; Mrs. A. King, face badly burned;
Mrs. A. l.. Samuelson, face and hands
severely burned. both wrists broken: May
Samuelson, 1--WE years, burned on hands
and face; Mrs. @. ID. 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. I'D
Schiner. 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. G. II.
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
| liams. FIVE years. face and hands burned;
Fireman William Guider. suffocsted and
fell from ladder. internal injuries. will
probably die. Lieut.. James Adams. injured
about hips by falling down stairs
Indy Mnccabees 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
iured in their desperate dash down the
single pair OF stairs that led 20 safety
The blaze started just after three
o'clock from a gasoline stove explosion
in a room in the rear of the third floor
OF the building and next 10 the elevator
shaft. II was not discovered until il
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 a 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
janitor threw open the door and told
them 10 get out before the flames cut
them off.
Lcnpcd from the Windows.
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
faces burned and blistered. The rest
faced a solid wall Of flame. There
was fire escape at the south front of
the building, but none Of them seems
20 have thought of il. They rushed
panic-stricken TO the windows. through
which the smoke was already pouring
in suffocating 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 10 see one after another spring
from the open windows and fall heavily
TO the pavement. Not one aroee They
lay in an inert and apparently lifeless
heap until carried into the office Of
physician across the street Most of
them were bleeding from severe cnts
and bruises, and all were burned until
their 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 20 relieve their
sufferings As fast as hasty dressings
could be applied the victims were taken
/ 70 the Clarkson hospital by the ambu.
lanccs. The body OF Mrs. Taylor was
taken TO the morgue, and others whose
/ injuries were less severe were treated
AT neighboring drug stores and al the
Offices OF downtown physicians
Mrs. Taylor chung to window until
life was almost extinct, and when her
body was picked up from the pavement
little remained but charred flesh.
Loss About 100000.
Aside from the fatalities and the in
| iuries 10 persons the fire was not a
serious one. Few OF the losers are able
/ 10 place an exact estimate on their
/ losses, but the total will not exceed
| $4,000. The loss on the building is less
than half that sum, and aside from that
the heaviest losers are the proprietors
/ OF the Boston store. 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 and third floors is largely by
water and smoke and is difficult 90 es-
innate. One lodge OF the A. O. u. W..
two lodges OF Red Men, two lodges OF
! the Degree OF Honor. four lodges OF
/ Maccabees and several others lost re-
/ gala and various items OF furniture
The building is insured up 20 the so
per cent. clause, and most OF the other
losses are largely covered by insur-
ance.
This Gold Brick WINS All Right.
Davenport, Ia. March ga Mexi.
can miner sold NJ T. Nahs fedf a Co