The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-17
FORMER MAN-OF-wAR's-MA J.
MNEiLL RkSCUES THREE PER-
SONS FROM DEATH
WAS OVERCOME By SH0KE
FELL BACK UNCONSCIOUS AND
WAS WITH DIFFICULTY RES
CUED BY POLICEMEN
THREE DEAD AND MANY HURT
burning of the Hotel Helene In Chi
cagO Attended with Melancholy
Scenes-SOme OF the In
Jured VIII Die.

/ Jured VIII Die.
| CHICAGO, May 16.-Three persons per-
ished in the fire that destroyed the Hotel
| Helene 11O F1fty-third street, between
ESQ and $3.50 o'clock this morning. a third
| was injured so severely as to die during
the day, four others probably will NOT
survive their hurts, and several wera
bruised or badly burned
One Of the most dangerous fires that
ever occurred in my experienc., said
| Chief Sweenie who was early on the
scene.
Inc splendid heroism of James McNenl.
the porter of the hotel who rescued
three persons single-handed, and the
bravery Of the gallant police officers Of
Inspector Hunts command and Of tba
firemen We're features of the melancholy
! episode.
THE DEAD.
| 5. G. McHADDEN
| CHARLOTTE PETERSON, dining room
girl, found in her room burned to a
! crisp. u :"
LENA PEARSON. found burned almost
Peyono Pey recognition in room with Miss
| Missing
- PATTERSON, man, last seen in
motel office at II o'clock last night
seriously injured
| W. e. Horn. burned about face. hands
and. pody, leg broken will die
Il. p. Iarbox, burned about body; re-
Elizabeth Florence internally, ini,,rad
| and skull fractured; unconscious: recov-
| cry doubtful.
E. B. Allen, both ankles sprained and
| internally injured in jumping from third
! story window.
| Mrs: r. D. Allen, back broken and in
tern3ally injured; jumped from third story
| window; will die
Miss Helen Joseph, badly bruised and
| overcome by smoke.
Stella Neiiwolski. chambermaid, Jump
| ed from first floor; overcome bv smoke
| and injured internally
T. James Mcneil, porter, burned about
Miss Sarah Hutchinson. biqb scb,oI
teacher injured in falling from second
James Costin, fireman, cut by falling
Mrs; Bruce and baby. overcome by
Thomas Morgan, policeman. back injus
Mrs Adelia Lawson, badly bruised.
The loss to the building and furnishings
was $4,000.
HERO DEVELOPED.
Inc destruction Of the hotel was replete
with daring rescues and narrow escapes.
ON~AA@S@
OF hero. He was q porter in the hotel and
the hrst to warn the sleeping occupants Of
their danger. He carried Helen Joseph
down swaying ladder from the third
floor and then, amid the cheers of the
onlookers, returned to the second floor.
where woman was lying unconscious,
her clothing on fire. He carried her to
the window, and dropped her into the
arms of Policeman Wolf
The effort and the heat were too much
for Mcneil and he staggered back into
the smoke. The people below thought he
was lost. A policeman mounted TO the
shoulders of q brother officer, and clam
| bering over the window ledge. dragged
Mcneil from the room. He soon recover
ed consciousness.
The rescue of a woman and her baby
aroused the enthusiasm Of the crowd
Mrs. Bruce, with one arm around her in
fant, was clinging with the other arm to
| the ledge of a second-story window.
Smoke was pouring out in smothering
clouds, and her fingers were relaxing
when three policemen, carrying a blanket
rushed into the flames which were then
darting from the basement windows Just
in time to catch the woman and her child
in the blanket. Mrs. Bruce was badly
| burned, but succeeded in protecting her
baby.
There were many other narrow escapes
/ and exhibitions Of courage during the
burning of the structure.
There was but one entrance to the build
ing, which compelled the greater number
of the guests to make their exits through
the windows.
The rescues were nearly all accom-
plished before the firemen arrived. The
blaze spread so rapidly that had the peO-
pie in the hotel been compelled 10 await
the arrival of the hook and ladder COM
pany many more lives would have been
lost. The policemen and others early on
| the grouu. were able TO sec q q ladders
/ from q paint store near by, and by this
means many were saved.
The fire started in the basement and
! spread with great rapidity. But for the
/ heroic action of Porter Mcneil every per-
son in the building would undoubtedly
| have Derished.
Miss Florence, who was probably IA
| tally injured, was seen by Sergeant Dom
| ovan as she hung from a third-story
window
Hang on till I get a ladder he cried
! as he turned and ran for the article
/ needed. But the young woman nearly
fainting from smoke and nervousness,
/ gradually lost her grip. The officers hur-
| rying back with the ladder appeared just
in time to see her let go Of the ledge and
| fall to the stone sidewalk below. She
was picked up bleeding and unconscious,
| and placed in an ambulance.
| DR. n. r. Yeager who occupied one OF
! the upper rooms, escaped with few
| bruises by jumping to awning which
! had been left down over night. 1t broke
| the force of his fall.
w. T. L. Morrow, farmer whose homo
! is in Columbia Tenn, owes his escape
! to his horror of fires. He always sleeps
with a rope under his pillow. When the
| alarm was sounded. he had made fast the
J rope to his bed and slid TO the ground.
| Police fremen and spectators united In
one voice in praising Porter McNelh lie
| was formerly gunner in the English
| navy, on board the battleship Dread
naught, and holds medals for marks
! manship and proficiency in drilling. He
| took part in the Jameson raid, and IT was
| while in South Africa that the illness