Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-03-23
LEAP TO THEIR DEATH
LOGS of Life by Jumping from
a Burning Building.
TWO DEAD AND MORE MAJ DIE


OMAHA, March 22.-The Omaha Bee
of this date says: Comparatively in
significant in material destruction,
| but appalling in it's harvest Of death and
suffering was a fire that partially des-
| troyed the Patterson block at Seven
| teenth and Douglas streets yesterday
| afternoon. Two of it's victims have
/ already passed away, one more is not
expected to live and about twenty
>,thers are suffering from broken limbs
! and burned and lacerated flesh.
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. Sixty seconds later seven of
| them lay burned and bleeding on the
| pavements, to which they had dropped
| thirty feet below, and the others were
rescued after they had been more or
less severely injured in their desper-
| ate 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
rear room 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 twenty members of the
| women's lodge of Maccabees were at
tending a committee meeting In the
waiting room in the front of the middle
of the building on the same floor. They
% ln. 10,
itor 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 stairway Those near
est 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 it.
They rushed panic stricken to the
windows, through which the smoke
was already pouring in suffocating
puffs. The fire was scarcely foot be-
hind them. 1t caught their clothing
and scorched their faces with increas-
ing intensity. In another instant the
spectators, attracted 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 car
ried into the Office of DR.. Grossmann,
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.
Following is list of the killed and
injured
! Killed-Mrs Thomas Taylor, 1916
! Cunning street.
Mrs. Anna Schamel. 2505 Pierce
street.
Injured-Mrs. c. F. Brosius, 1870
North Seventeenth street, face and
hands burned.
Mrs. A. King, 2O49 North Eighteenth
street, face badly burned; left wrist
cut slightly.
Mrs. A. L. Samuelson, 2610 North
Fifteenth street, face and hands Sc
verely burned; both wrists broken.
May Samuelson, 5 years old, left
hand burned and wrist cut; forehead
| burned slightly.
Mrs. G. D. Wilson, 631 North Tween
tieth street. face and shoulders burn
| ed; hands severely burned.
Mrs. J. C. Holt, 2122 North Fiji
| teenth street, face and hands slightly
| burned.
| Marguerite Holt, years old, one
hand burned slightly and face badly;
may be injured internally.
Mrs. Mary Hookins, 524 William
street, face and head badly burned.
Mrs. Jerry Sullivan, 513 Poppletor
avenue, wrist and hands severely
burned; face slightly burned.
Mrs. w. A. Rex, 1910 South Sixth
street, hands and face severely burned.
Mrs. Ed. Shriner, 1416 South Fifth
street, face, body and hands burned;
bad cut in head; will probably die.
Mrs. French, South Omaha, face and
hands slightly burned.
Mrs. A. A. Smith, 1906 North Eigh-
teenth street, hands and face severely
burned; hair burned off; injuries pro-
badly fatal.
Mrs. C. E. Allen, 4O46 Charles street,
face and hands burned; hands cut by
breaking glass.
Mrs. Thomas P.Thornton. 4730 North
Fortieth street, face and hands burn
ed severely.
street, hands and face burned severe
ly.
Unknown man, supposed to De a
Hebrew, face severely burned; ears
and hands burned to crisp; wrists Sc
verely burned.
Steve Williams, GIG North Seven
teenth street, years old, face and
hands slightly burned.
Jessie Williams, GIG North Seven
teenth street, years Of age, hands
and face burned slightly.
Fireman William Guider, company
No. 6, suffocated and fell from lad
der; injuries may prove fatal.
Lieutenant James Adams, Engine
Company No. 3, injured above hips
falling on landing.