The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-10

bent, almost doubled and six men went 10
the floor with a crash holding onto the iron
bar which they had torn from its fasten-
lngs. So quickly did the men behind them
spring to grasp the second bar that those
trampled on before they could rise. Another
bar was soon torn away and the path TO
safety was opened. Then a new danger as
sailed the prisoners The crowd behind
hearing that at last the way was open,
pushed forward with such haste that those
near the window were nearly forced
through to met death on the sidewarlk four
stories below. The men at the windows
fought to keep their places until the fire
men could raise ladders and the men In the
rear. some of whom were already being
reached by the flames, fought to gain the
window.
ESCAPE FROM THE WINDOW.
The first man through was DR.. c. A. An
derson. of Chicago. No ladder was in front
of the window, and Anderson's one hope
was to reach the platform Of fire escape
in front of a window just west of where he
was. He hestated for an instant. then
sprang for the fire escape. clutched it and
was saved. The next man through the
window was G. S. Colt, of Lavergne, Ill.
Anderson was much exhausted that he
was not able to drag Colt after him, and
Colt 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
crawled out beside Colt and told the men
inside to grasp his feet This they did, and
telling Colt to take hold of his wrists and
drop over the window sill, Osborne. hang
ing head downward, swung Colt TO and
fro until he had acquired sufficient momen-
tum, and then-swtiBsr him up and onto the
landing of the fire escape. where DR.. An
20 8
Colt then formed a chain, Colt holding 10
the fire escape and Anderson, tightly held
by Colt by one hand, reaching toward the
window, so that the men one by one as
they crawled through were able to take
one step on ledge and make a short leap
TO the platform of the nre escape, down
which they made their way to the ground.
Twenty-Five men made their escape in
this manner and when the last one passed
under the iron bar the building was fur
mace close behind him. He said that there
were several men lying on the floor over
come by smoke when he left and they all
persisted. 1t is doubtful If enough of the
bodies will be found to enable them to be
identified.
DRAGGED OUT BY FIREMEN.
While Anderson, Colt, 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 in the
building and dragged out a score of men
and women, who had been slightly over
come by smoke and were unable to find the
doorways. The majority of these were able
to walk away within a few minutes. The
progress of the fire was so rapid that by
the time the firemen arrived there were
many people in the windows preparing TO
jump. While some of the firemen raised lad
ders in all haste others prepared nets to
afnh hos xxrl1N afU1t INN, hefa fhnxv
could be carried down by the firemen.
About half a dozen sprang from the win
COWS on the fourth and third floors and
were caught in the nets without serious in
jury. The only man who missed a net held
for him WattleS, the attendant of
Alderman Kent and he would have been
caught had not the firemen been en-
barrassed by another man jumping at the
same time. They tried to catch both, but
Wattles, who jumped after the net had
in and half out of the net His injuries
probably will prove fatal.
DR.. G. milford Silvers. chief of the medi-
cal staff at the hospital, was absent when
the fire broke out. When word reached
him of the disaster, he hurried to the hos
pital He arrived as the firemen began
carrying out the dead. AS each body was
viewed the remains in effort to identify
them. He was unable to make any positive
identiications except in the case of DIR.
j. 7. Stanton and S. ]. Newell. The faces
of these men were not disfigured to any
extent and were easily recognized. Mr.. Sill
vers said that in the institution were sixty
patients, of whom fifteen were women.
ENGINEER ARRESTED.
After the fire was. over the police arrested
William Lanahan, the engineer. Lee Sey-
mour the fireman of the building and j.
P. Nagel, the inventor of a gasoline plant
in use in the basement of the institution
There are no direct charges against the
fire may have originated from the mis-
management of the gasoline plant, and
took the men into custody.
OF those who met death during the fire
nearly all were overcome by smoke and
burned. John Knapman was one of the few
who leaped to death from a window. He
the fifth floor and when he found
that all escape by the stairway cut
off, he ran to a window. The firemen were
raising ladders as rapidly as possible but
Knapman, fearing that they would be too
late, sprang into the air. There was no
net beneath him and he fell upon the side
walk, where he lay as lifeless as the stones
over which his blood and brains were spat-
tered.
DR.. B. H. Boyd. eighty years of age, bad
ly burned, leaped into the alley from the
fifth story. The firemen caught him in a
net, but he sustained internal injuries from
which he died within a short time. Two
men who jumped after him were caught in
the net and escaped without injury.
The burned building had a front of forty
feet on Wabash avenue and extended back
seventy feet to an alley. 1t was of brick,
five stories high and was valued at 500, 600.
1t was insured for half that amount. Be
fore the ST. Luke's Society secured the
building ii was the Hotel Lancaster and
before that was known the Hotel Wood
ruff, at which time ii was one of the finest
family hotels lin the city. The St Lukes
Society, which has no connection or affilia-
ton with St Luke's Hospital, is an institu-
ton for the curing of persons addicted to
the use of opium, cocoaine, tobacco or
alcohol to excess
Late tonight the police placed under ar
rest, in addition to the men taken into Gus
today directly after the fire, o. +. Miller,
the proprietor OF the institution, and Will
liam Sterner, the engineer of the building,
who went off duty at noon.
NINE YOUNG GIRLS PERISHED.