Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-12-13
met DEATH
IN A CHICAGO FIRE
One Of the Most Horrible Ca
tastrophes in History OF
the Lake City.
BODIES WERE RECOVERED
Building Was a VeritabIe Fire Trap
Occupants Having No Chance to
Escape--Fire Escape Gave Way
With Peoples Weight.

Chicago, Dec. 6.-Fourteen PERSON.
among the scores crowded into the Lin
coin hotel, at 10 Madison street, met
death shortly before 6 o'clock thh
morning in a fire which will pass into
local history as the most horrible chi
cago ever experienced.
Death came suddenly to a few, but
with awful slowness to others who were
penned in the death trap and suffocateo
or burned TO death. Some died In then
rooms, some CHANGED all in jumping ano
lost. while others were found in the
Railways, where they had expired with
their fingers dug into cracks OF the
floor. All The bodies we're recovered az
the hotel was not destroyed.
The dead: ~
M. NJ. HANDY, GAINESVILLE. Wis. '
II. X. WOOD, Lebanon, Ind.
SAMUEL j.. YOCUD, Davenport, Ia
j. c. NOCUM, Davenport. Ia
+. L. EWING. Marietta, q.
A. b. COON, Marengo, Ill.
T. V. SLOCUM, Waconda, Ill.
WARD LOWE, Minneapolis.
Il. w. CAREY, Bucyrus, o.
ED. TONER, Milwaukee. {
b.. +. BOSWELL. Chicago. :
The following were injured:
j. S. Allison, Richmond Center, WIS.,
cut about the hands. -
Edward Davenport. Chicago, injured IN n
ternally by jumping from fourth story 10
roof of adjoining building.
w. G. Thomas, Cedar Rapids, Ia, badly
cut and burned. ~
w. NJ. Snyder, Loom CITY. Ia oIuiseu
by falling down stairs. hook
Mrs. June Sheperd, Chicago, PACK
| strained, arms and hands cut and bruised.
Robert C. Hamilton, Lebanon 4ha'
Cliff Ward. Battle Creek. Mich, cut
| about head and hands lacerated;
Fred c.. Baker, Nashville Men, rect
burned.
Irwin Westerland, Chicago, feet burned.
Olof Oldorf, Chicago, hands Iacerateu.
Three others. Including enc VINO dlea
on the way to the hospital, ave not
yet been identified.
Anxious Inquirers at Morgue.
The victims were taken to Ralston's
morgue, and all day the place was hlled
with anxious people interested III the
dead, or seeking 10 assure themselves
of the safety of friends or relatives,
The building was n fre-trap or the
worst kind, according to experts.
There were but two exits, a narrow
stairway leading down four floors or
the building, and an incomplete hre es-
cape in the rear.
The fire started on the second floor
presumably from a lighted cigar
dropped on the carpet. Guests occupy
ing the upper rooms in the front part
Of the hosiery, aroused by the screams
of a woman were able to escape down
the stairway, and about thirty people
reached safety by means OF the hre
escape.
Fire Escape Gave Way.
To add to the horror, however, this
gave way, while others were attempt
ing TO escape, and three men were
dashed to death on the pavement OF the
alley below.
For the people in the real there was
no escape save by jumping. The stair
way was in flames and the fire escape
gone. Horror stricken faces appeared
at the windows and cried for help.
Firemen cried back to them to wait I'M
til nets or a mattress could be brought,
and those who did so in most cases es-
capped with slight injuries. Some,
crazed with fear, jumped to the pave
ment and either were killed or badly
hurt.
With great difficulty the fire, al
though a comparatively small one, was
%subdued, but it was sometime before
the rescuers could penetrate the
dense bank of smoke which filled the
place.
Dead Lying Everywhere.
1t was an awful scene which met
| their gaze. The dead or unconscious
were lying stretched OF the floors and
in some cases on their beds. Some had
attempted to slip on a garment before
making for the street, and had thus
been overcome, although most of them
were in their night clothing. Every
store n hotel in the vicinity was
filled with men and women who had
escaped with only their night own
An Investigation will be made. A
fire wall around the freight elevator
and other precautionary alterations
a been ordered some time ago, but
the matter had been neglected.
But Three Seriously injured.
OF the people injured it was neces-
sary TO take only three to the hospital.
The others. suffering from slight cuts
and bruises, or from inhalation of
smoke, were cared for at neighboring
drug stores. one of the injured taken
to the hospital is w. G. Thomas Of Ce-
dar Rapids, Ia. who was badly cut and
burned.
nj hhHE rnD nODnOD /