The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-11
HORRIBLE STRUGGLE
IN THE MIDST
OF FIRE
Nine Men and One w..
man Meet Their
Death.
A NUMBER BURNED IN BED
They We're Patients at the Senator
ium Crazed With Drink
and Drugs.
A BLIND MANS MAD LEAP FOR LIFE
Men Imprisoned in The Building Struggle so
Desperately to Tear Wire screenFrsm
Window That the Screen is
Reddened With
Blood.
(By the Associated Press.)

(By the Associated Press.)
Chicago, June 9.-Nine men and on
woman were killed and about thirty per
sons were injured in a fire. which Thu
afternoon destroyed the sanitorium, con
Quoted by the st. Luke's Society, at thu
corner of Wabash Avenue and Twenty
first street. cThe society occupied thu
building which was long known as thu
Hotel Woodruff, and for brief period
as the Hotel Lancaster. BY far the
geater portion of the patients received il
the institution were those seeking cure
from the drink habit and those who
were addicted to the use of drugs. When
the fire broke out there was on the fifth
floor a number of patients suffering from
delirium tremens and some who were de-
ranged by drugs Several of these were
strapped to their beds, and it was found
impossible to save them, so rapidly die
the fire spread through the building. The
list, as far as known at present, al
though it is possible that the list OF
dead will be increased later, is as fol-
lows:
The dead-S. j. Newell. Carl A. Carlson
Joseph Harrington, Samuel Dalzell, DR..
]. T. Stanton st. Louis, Mo-; Geo. A. Rib
beck, Hillsdale. Mich; G. S. Scott,
Lavergne, Illinois; William Kent, Alder
man of the Fourth Ward, Chicago John
B. Knapman, Mrs. M. Baumann, B. H
Boyd, 70 years of age and a member OF
the medical staff of the institution.
The Iniured.-A. w. Wattels, Mrs
Amelia Wilson, Mary Manniss, Matte
Jameson. Minnie Ellis. John Downey
Omaha, Neb.; A. G. Davis, Henry Nor
man, Frank Johnson, Fred Capra, DR.. H
L. LII re Mrs. B. H. Bowman, Mary Bow
man, Fireman Michael Hadley, Mrs.
Leah, Omaha; J. A. Suit, ]. d. Bishop,
Michael Luby. M. S. Colt.
A STRUGGLE FOR LIFE.
scene that wrought to the pitch of
madness the great crowd that had
gathered around the building, was en-
acted at a fourth story window on the
north side Across this window was a
heavy wire screen, and on the outside
of the screen were iron bars. Behind
them were gathered crowd of men
whose numbers were afterward found to
be between twenty-five and thirty. Es-
cape in other directions was impossible,
for the fire was steadily eating its way
toward the window The one chance for
life for that crowd of men lay through
that screened and barred window. So
fiercely did the prisoners pull at the
screen that from the street below were
plainly visible tiny streams of blood that
trickled from lacerated fingers and hands
and flowed over the window sill. A num-
ha. of bo Of fhn ind N
straight Jackets and menacles.
The crowd in the street watching the
desperate situation of the men behind
the screen was simply an insane mob.
They shouted all sorts of commands and
directions at the men. and gave orders
to the firemen, who were doing all that
men could to get through the bars from
the outside. AS the flames came steadily
toward the men the people in the street
jumped up and down and screamed in
helpless rage. 1t seemed as though
nothing could be done. and that if the
men would die within six inches of free
dom. That any of the men escaped at
all is owing to the work of w. E. Davis,
of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, patient in the
institution. He induced the men to
cease their disconnected pulling at the
screen and to unite their efforts. Four
men took hold of the screen, and after a
few desperate pulls managed to tear a
portion of it. Nerved to. the work by
their success the bodies of the men
swayed back and forth as they put all
of their strength into one last effort.
Finally down it came, the men in their
desperation pulling with it a large piece
of the mortar in which it's sides had
been incased.
The bars yet remained. As many men
as could place their hands on bar took
hold 1t bent almost double and six
men went to the floor with crash, hold
ing on the iron bar which they had torn
from its fastenings. So quickly did the
men behind them spring together after
the second bar that those who tore down
the first bar were badly trampled on be-
fore they could rise. Another bar was
soon torn away, and the path to safety
was opened.
The first man through was DR.. c. A.
Anderson, of Chicago. No ladders were
in front of the window and Anderson S
one hope was to reach the platform OF
a fire escape in front of a window just
west of where he was. He hesitated for
an instant. then sprang for the fire
escape, clutched it and was saved. The
next man through the window was NJ. S.
Colt.
Anderson was so much exhausted that
ne was not able to stand. Colt came
after him and Colt was so badly burned
that he was not able to leave the sill.
He crouched on the windowsill while the
men clamored. Gott was swung to the
fire escape landing, where Dr. Anderson
seized and held him.
And he and Colt then formed a chain,