The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-22

fering from broken limbs and burned and
lacerated flesh.
MRS. THOMAS TAYLOR.
MRS. ANNA SCHAMEL.
injured
MRS C. 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 old, burned
on hands and face.
MRS. G. ID. WILSON, face, hands and
shoulders burned.
MRS. ]. C. HOLT, face and hands burned.
MARGUERITE HOLT, hands burned, in
jured internally, may die.
MRS. MARY HOPKINS, face badly burned.
MRS MARY SULLIVAN, hands and face
severely burned.
MRS. w, A. REX. hand and face severely
MRS ED. SCHINER, face, body and hands
burned. bad cut on head; will probably
die.
MRS. FRETCH. South Omaha, face and
hands burned.
MRS. A A. SMITH, face and hands badly
burned; injuries probably fatal.-----7-
MRS. c.. L. ALLEN, face and hands
burned, cut by glass.
MRS. THOMAS THORNTON, face and
ndnOS burned severely.
WALTER SCOTT, hands and face severely
burned.
UNKNOWN MAN badly burned on hands
and face.
STEVE WILLIAMS, five years old, face
and hands burned.
FIREMAN WILLIAM GUIDER, overcome
by smoke and fell from ladder, internal
injuries; will probably die.
LIEUT. JAMES ADAMS. injured about
hips by falling down stairs.
HAPPINESS TURNED TO SORROW.
A group of happy women. busy with the
affairs of the secret orders with which they
were affiliated, were in a moment brought
face TO face with death. Six seconds later
seven of them lay burned and bleeding on
the pavements, 10 which they had dropped,
forty feet below, and the others were res
cued after they had been more or less Sc
verely injured in their desperate dash down
the single pair of stairs that led to safety
The blaze started just after o'clock from
a gasoline stove explosion in a room In the
rear of the third floor of the building and
next to the elevator shaft. 1t was not dis
covered until IL had spread TO the adjoin-
ing apartments and the entire floor was
filled with smoke and flame. About twenty
members of the Womens Lodge of Mac
cabees were attending a committee meet
Ing In the waiting room in the front of the
middle of the building on the same floor
They were unconscious of danger until a
janitor threw open the door and told them
to get out before the flames cut them off
The warning came too late. The fire swept
through the door and down the single STAIR
way Those nearest the door fled 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 not one of them seems to have
thought of IL. They rushed panic c-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 horri-
fed 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 car
ried into the office of a physician across
the street. Most of them were bleeding from
severe cuts and bruises. and all were burned
until their torn and blackened skin hung in
shreds. In a few minutes all except Mrs
Taylor recovered consciousness and phy-
sicians and nurses hastily summoned, did
all that possible TO relieve their suf-
ferings. AS fast as hasty dressings could
be applied the victims were taken to the
Clarkson Hospital by the ambulances. 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 phy-
sieians.
PROPERTY LOSS NOT LARGE
Aside from the fatalities and the injuries
to persons the fire was not a serious one
Few of the losers are able TO place an ex-
act estimate on their losses but the total
will not exceed $4,000. The loss on the build
ing is less than half that sum and aside
from that the heaviest losers are the pro-
prietors of the Boston store, who had
large surplus stock in the basement OF the
block. The loss OF the various secret socie-
ties that occupy the halls on the second and
third floors is largely by water and smoke
and is difficult to estimate One lodge of
the A o. L. W.. two lodges OF Red Men,
two lodges of the Degree Of Honor four
lodges of Maccabees and several others lost
regalia and various items OF furniture The
building is insured UP 10 the 50 per cent.
clause and most OF the other losses are
largely covered by insurance.
Ths Patterson building was erected In