Gilpin observer., 1902-06-12
PERISH In FLAMES.
TEN PERSONS KNOWN TO EE
DEAD AND MANY MISSING.
Score of Imprisoned Men Break Iron
Bars and Save Each Otter From
Fire-EnvcIoped EuiIdine-rdob in
Streets Crszcd VIA Sympathy.

thirty persons were ..1dred ia fire
which yesterday afternoon destroyed
the sanitarium- conducted by the ST.
Lukes society, at Wabash avenue ana
Twenty first street. The society oc-
cupied the building, which was Ions
known as the Hotel Woodruff, and for
brief period as the Hotel Lancaster.
By far the greater portion of the pa
tients received in the institution were
those seeking cure from the drink
habit and those who were addicted
to the use of drugs. When the fire
broke cut there were on the fifth door
a number of patients suffering from
delirium tremens and some who were
deranged by drugs. Several of these
were strapped to their beds and it
was found impossible to save them, so
rapidly did the fire spread through
the building. The list as far is known
at present is es follows:
The dead: William Kent, alderman
of the Fourth ward; s. ]. Newell,
Carl A. Carlson. Joseph Harrington,
Samuel Dalzell DR.. j. T. Stanton, G.
A. Ribbeck, ]. B. Knapman, Mrs. NJ.
Bauman, DR.. B. II. Boyd.
lhe injurCd: A. w. Wattles, fatally
burned; Mrs. Amelia Wilson, VII
probably die; Mary McMannus, bas:y
bArned; John Downey, Omaha, jumued
from third story to roof OF adjoining
building. og sprained; Mrs. B. II.
Bowman; Mrs. Leah Omaha, over
come by smoke, not serious; j. L.
Suit. jumped from third floor into net
injured internally. will probably die;
Michael Luby will probably die; G.
S. Gott, fatally burned; j. 3. Bishop,
will probably die.
Missing: NJ. ]. Cahill. William Egg
gleston. Morris B. Loucks. George
HaErigan, Charles McGrail. Malcolm
Morris. Thomas Ryan.
AS the cry of fire gang through the
building patients sprang from their
beds and before they could be pre-
vented, several had jumped from the
windows to the pavement. The fire
department was on the scene within
a few minutes and as the windows
were filed with people shrieking for
help, the firemen devoted their first
efforts to saving lives and allowed
the fire TO burn.
A scene that wrought to the pitcn
of madness the great crowd that had
gathered around the building was en-
acted at a fourth story window.
Across this window was a heavy wire
screen and on the outside OF the
screen were iron bars. The space be-
tween these bars was too small to al
low the passage of even a small boy
and behind them were gathered a
crowd of men, whose numbers were
afterwards found to be between
twenty-five and thirty. Escape in
other directions was impossible So
iiercely did the prisoners tug at the
screen that from the street below
streams of blood could be seen trick
ling from lacerated hands and flowed
over the window sill. A number OF
the men at the window were in
straight jackets and manacles and
those, not being able to help them
selves or others, were the widest of
all in their frantic efforts to break
through the bars. 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 all the men would die within
six inches of freedom.
Saved by a Cool Head.
That any of the men escaped is ow-
ing to the work of w. E. Davis of
Cedar Rapids. Ia. a patient in the in
stitution. He induced the men to
cease their disconnected pulling at
the screen and to unite their efforts.
After few desperate pulls they man
aged to tear down the screen and
then the bars. Then a new danger
assailed the prisoners. The crowd
behind, hearing that at last the way
was open, pushed forward with such
haste that those nearest the window
were nearly forced through to meet
death on the sidewalk four stories be-
low. The first man through was DR.. c..
A. Anderson of Chicago. No ladders
were in front of the window and An
dersons one hope was to reach the
platform of a fire escape in front of
the window just west of where he
was. He hesitated for an instant ahd
then sprang for the fire escape,
clutched it and was safe. The next
man through was C. S. Gott of La
vergne, Ill. 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. Clinton Os.
borne. real estate dealer of New
York city. was the third man. He
crawled out beside Gott and told the
men inside to grasp his feet This
they did and telling Gott to take hold
of his wrists and drop over the win.
dow sill, Osborne hanging head down
ward swung Gott to and fro until he
had acquired sufficient momentum and