The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-11-08
FATAL FIRE At HURLEY
KLONDIKE THEATER BURNS AMI
FULLY TEN PEOPLE ARE
MISSING.
CANNOT IDENTIFY DEAD

Seven Bodies Are Recovered, but They
Are Unacceptable as Nothing but
Portions of Skeletons Remain-The
Victims Are All Attaches of the
PIace-Disaster Caused by the Elk
pIosion of an Oil Stove.
Hurley Wis. Nov. THE Klondike
theater. owned by Edward Leclaire OF
this city, caught fire at an early hour
while most of the inmates were in bed
and the wooden structure was mass
of fire in a flash. Nine men and one
woman are missing and there may be
others who have lost their lives in
the fire. 1t was only by the heroic eff
forts of the fire department that the
entire town was saved from destruc-
ton. The names of the dead are:
c. w. Cleveland, attorney, Hurley,
Wis; Tim Ryan, comedian, Ironwood,
Mich: f. L. Gay, stage manager, st.
Louis, Mo-; Thomas Ozzonne, property
man; Thomas Leclaire, bartender; H.
H. Clifford, comedian; Harry Ray
mond, porter; George Benert, pugilist;
Clara Bonnie, vocalist, and D. B. EN-
cry, musical artist Five others are
injured.
The Klondike theater building was a
structure 125 feet long, stories high
and so feet wide and valued at s10,-
600. 1t was occupied by % people,
consisting of the Leclaire family and
q stock company, who give vaude-
vile entertainment six nights of the
week. On the first floor was the audi
forum, barroom, gambling rooms,
dressing room, kitchen, dining room,
stage and proprietor's bed room. On
the second floor were the boxes and
number of bed rooms. The third floor
was taken up by sleeping apartments.
The fire is thought to have been
caused by the explosion of an oil stove
IN the proprietor's bedroom. An
alarm was quickly sounded. Those
who heard the cry of danger imme-
diately were few and their exit by way
Of the stairway was cut off. The only
remaining exit was through the side
and front windows. Most of the wo-
men crawled out the side windows,
dropped to the adjoining buildings
and reached the ground in safety WITH
slight injuries.
Were Forced to Jump.
Some we're forced by the flames to
Jump from the front windows and all
those were injured. William Nc
Laughlin. assistant cook, had his night
clothes burned from his back while
running to the front windows. He
leaped through an opening and fell
three stories. His body is blistered
and his skull fractured. The doctor
has little hopes of his recovery. Laura
Russell of the musical team of Emery
and Russell was thrown from the
third story by her partner, d. B. EN-
cry, and fell heavily to the sidewalk
sustaining a broken limb and was bad
ly bruised. Emery is thought to have
tried to rescue or alarm his friends,
for he did not follow through the win
dow. He lost his life. William Rush
bolt, an IronWood, Mich, man, jumped
from the second story and in his de-
scent was caught by telephone wire
and turned over in the air. He fell
upon his face and side and had his
limbs broken. His recovery is very un-
certain. Tim Ryan was at one time
safe outside the building, but re-
turned, it is thought, to save others.
He is one of the missing. Clara
Bonne, the only woman victim, was
warned of the danger, but after start
ing for safety returned to her room
1t is supposed she hoped to secure
portion of her jewelry and wardrobe.
She forfeited her life as conse.
quence. Frank L. Gay, the stage man.
ager. had been in his room about an
hour when the fatal fame commenced
its work and no one saw him after he
left the drawing room. His wife had
left here but a few days before to
bury their young boy at st. Louis,
his home.
& Seven bodies of the missing have
been found, but their identity cannot
be determined as the fire has done its
awful work too well and nothing but
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