Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-03-29
ANOTHER FATAL FIRE.
Omaha Women Penned Up in a
Lodge Room.


Two Are Killed and Others Receive In
juries from Burns and Broken Bones
from Which They May Not Recover
The Victims All More or Less Prominent
in Omaha Society The Fire Caused by q
Gasoline Expio.ion.
Omaha, Neb., March PA score of
women and children were imprisoned
by fire in a lodge room on the third
floor of the Labor temple. Most Of
flames. All were seriously injured, two
were killed, and several others are be-
lieved to be fatally hurt.
The blaze was the result Of gaso-
line explosion which occurred under the
stairs leading to the lodge room. The
imprisoned women were first acquaint-
ed with their plight by the shouts Of
great crowd that Immediately assem-
bled at the corner of Seventeenth and
Douglass streets. The women rushed
to the windows. and many jumped be-
fore preparation could be made to save
them. The crowd rushed forward to
break their falls with outstretched
arms, but rendered little aid. The
flames spread so rapidly that the fire.
men could not reach the spot in time
to be of service to the women.
Victims Are Prominent.
The victims are all more or less prom
inent, most of them being members of
the Ladies of the Maccabees, as well as
the othre orders. Two of the woman
made their way down the stairs through
the flames and escaped. though severe
ly burned.
Mrs. j. G. Holt got out in this way,
but in the excitement was parted from
her 6-year-old daughter. Though her
flesh was still burning, she dashed back
into the building and brought her child
down in safety. Both were terribly
burned. There were many instances
Of bravery among the imprisoned
women. Mrs. Susie Allen, wife of the
chief clerk of Alpha camp, Woodmen OF
the World, appeared at window. with
the flames licking her face. She sat
on the sill and carefully surveyed the
situation. Men rushed beneath her. TAX
ing off their coats to break her fall.
Some screamed to her to leap. while
others waved her back. saying the fire.
men would soon arrive.
Mrs. Allen leaned far out over the
window to save her face, and at the
same time she encouraged the others to
hold on to their perilous positions in
the windows until rescuers arrived
Finally she could stand 1t no longer,
and, motioning to the crowd below that
she was about to jump, she carefully
wrapped her skirts around her and
leaped far ont from the building. Her
body turned over a number Of times
and her head struck the stone tagging
She will probably die. Mrs. Taylor
chung to a window until life was almost
extinct The ambulances were on the
way to the place before the women had
begun to jump from the building, and
as fast as they were picked up they
were taken to doctors offices.
The dead are: Mrs Thomas Taylor.
leaped from the third floor and sus-
tanned injuries which resulted in imme-
date death; residence 1916 Cummings
street: aged 3S. Mrs. A. L. Samuel
son. 261O North Fifteenth street.
The List of Injured.
Following are the names of the in
jured people: Mrs. c. F. Brosius, face
and hands burned; Mrs. A. M. King.
face badly burned, left wrist cut; May
Samuelson. 8 years old, left hand
burned, forehead burned slightly; Mrs
G. D. Wilson, face burned and back of
hands, disfigured; Mrs. Shamel. both
elbows broken, hands terribly burned:
Mrs j. C Holt, face and hands burned:
Marguerite Holt, years old. one hand
burned slightly and face badly, perhaps
injured internally; Mrs Harry Hopkins,
face and head badly burned; Mrs. Ath-
erton, face and hands burned severely:
Mrs. Jerry Sullivan, wrist and hands
severely burned Mrs. w. A. Rex, hands
and face burned; Mrs. Ed Shriner, face,
body and hands burned, had cut in
head, will probably die; Mrs. Susie AL
len. badly burned and bones broken:
Mrs A. A. Smith. terribly burned; Mrs
Thomas p. Thornton; Mrs. Williams;
Mrs. French; w. w. Scott, janitor of
the building; unknown man. supposed
to be a Hebrew face severely burned
ears and hands burned to crisp. wrists
severely burned; Stephen Williams, 8
years old. face and hands slightly
burned; Jessie Williams. s years old,
hands and face burned slightly: Fire
man William Guider. company No. 6,
suffocated and fell from ladder; inju-
ries may prove fatal; Lieutenant James
Adams, engine company No. 3. injured
above hips by falling on a landing.