The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-10

two of these from their fastenings and l with two other men who followed him,
 climbed out on the sill. They were seen by the firemcn, who called to them to re- main where they were and they would
 save them. A ladder was run as high as | possible. and the two men with Wattles
 were taken down. He became crazed
 with excitement and sprang for a net
 which some men were holding on the side
 walk beneath. He fell partly in 1t and | partly on the sidewalk and sustained injuries which probably will cause his
 death.
 Died of Suffocation.
 Kent was lying on the floor of his room
 and evidently died of suffocation. His
 body was burned after death Three
 hours after the outbreak of the fire it
 was found on the floor of his room. | In room on the second floor was pr. 1 William Bunker of Chicago, who some | time ago lost one of his legs in an acci- dent. He was in bed when the fire broke | out. and on going to the door of his room l found escape in that direction cut of. | Hobbiing to the window he climbed out \ on the window sill. He was without I clothing and when he saw the great | crowd below. he crawlcd back into the
 smoke and came out again wrapped in a | blanket He was soon taken down by the ! firemen.
 Across a fourth story window on the | north side was d heavy wire screen. and | on the outside of the screen were iron
 bars running parallel to the sill. The | space between these bars was too small
 to allow the passage of even small boy. | and behind them were gathered a crowd | of men, whose members were afterward l found to be between twenty-five and
 thirty. Escape in other directions was | impossible. The one chance for life for the crowd of men lay through that | screened and barred window The men closest to the screen tore and tugged at | it in vain effort to tear it from its | fastenings anf the men behind them fought madly to get close enough to the screen to fasten their fingers in it. A | number of the men at the window were | in straight jackets and manacles and these not being able to help themselves or others were the widest of all in their frantic efforts to break through the bars.
 An Insane Male.
 The crowd in the street watching the desperate situation of the men behind
 the screen was simply an insane mob. It seemed as though nothing could be | done and that all of the men would die within six inches of freedom. That any | Ol tlic ihti tSCdVFFt at dli Is OWiHS tp tkS work of w. E. Davis of Cedar Rapids. Iowa. patient in the institution. He induced the men to cease their discon- nected pulling at the screen and to unite in their efforts. Four men at first took hold of the screen and In almost a
 minute the crowd behind them pushed l them away and before the four men could get to the screen again they were compelled to fight with their fists. Davis managed to get the men to the
 window again and after few desperate pulls they managed to tear down Il por- ton of the screen. 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. Final ly down it came. the men in their despe- ration pulling with it large pieces of the
 mortar in which it's sides had been in- cased. Et J&
 The screen was gone but tho bars had been incased evT hrn- the heavy bars were finally torn away by the united ef- forts of the men. There was a rush for
 the window and pr. A. C. Anderson of Chicago was the first man through. He sprang for the pla tform of the fire escape in front of the window and managed to catch 1t and thus was saved.
 Formed Human Ladder.
 The next man through the window was c. S. Scott of Lavergne, Ills. Anderson was so much exhausted that he was not able to drag Gott after him and Gott was so badly burned that he was not able to make the leap himself He crouched on the window sill. while the men on the inside clamored for him to jump. Clinton Osborne real estate dealer of New York city was the third man. He crawlad out beside Gott and told the Iii, fao T1,,a Nhatr did and telling Gott to take hold of his wrists anI drop over the window sill. Osborne having head downward. swung Gott to and fro. until he had acquired sufficient momentum. and then swung him mp and ono the landing of the fire escape, where Dr. Anderson seized and held him and he and Gott then formed a chain Gott holding to the fire escape and Anderson tightly held by Gott with one hand reaching out toward the win dow so that the men. one by one, as they crawled through were able to take one step on d ledge and make leap to the platform of the fire escape, down which they made their way to the ground
 Twenty-hve men made their escape in this manner and when the last one passed under the iron bar, the building was furnace close behind him. He said that there were several men lying on the floor overcome by smoke when he left and they all perishcd. It is doubtful if enough of their bodies will he found to enable them to be identified.
 Dr. G. Mulforda Silvers chief of the medical staff at tho hospital. was absent when the fire broke out He arrived IS the fircmen began carrying out the dead. He said that in the institution were sixty patients of whom lj were women.
 Thrilling Scenes of Rescue.
 While Anderson. Gott Osborne and their companions were making their escape on the north side of the building. thrilling scenes of rescue were enacted in front | of the building on Wabash Avenue and l in the alley at the rear. Scores of men | and women were dragged out of the | building by the hremen without serious | injury
 By the time thc iremen arrived there ] were many people in the windows pre- | pairing to jump About half dozen | sprang from the windows on the fourth | and third floors and were caught in the | nets without serious injury. !,
 After the fire was over the police arrest ed William Lanahan tho engineer. Lee Seymour. the fireman of the building and l. NageI. the inventor of a gasoline plant in use in the basement of the in stitution There are no direct charges against the men. the police have the idea that the fire may have originated from the mismanagement of the gasolene plant.
 Of those who met death during the fire. nearly all were overcome by smoke and burned John Knapman. was one of the few who Ieaped to death from a window on the fifth floor. Dr. E. II. Boyd. 80