The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-14
Heartrending Scenes.

ne Sceu0S dDOut GuS dllCI
the fire was over and the search for the
dead was tegun, were heartrending.
Nothing so pitiful of such proportions
has been seen in New York city since
the Slocum disaster, when a thousand
persons, nearly all women and children,
lost their lives. -
The fire started in the basement, oo-
cupied by Isaac Davis, his wife, and
three children. Davis had. been out
last night and returning to his home
early this morning, went into his store
on the same floor just in time. to see q
kerosene lamp in the rear rear exRl99dee e. ne
out the flaming lamp, but without sue
cess, and then gave all their at.
tention to getting their children out Of
the burning building. =: A polio eman
who heard the cry Of ALARM rushed to
the scene, and every effort w. made to
arouse the sleepdng persons in the house.
Walls of Flames.
| spread with startling rapidity, and
when the persons who had been asleep
on the upper floors awoke they found
| themselves confronted by wall OF
flames on nearly every side.
Scenes of the widest description fol-
lowed. The panic stricken people, fight
ing for their lives, rushed to the fire.
|
rubbish Of all descriptions and almost
| impossible to pass certain points, and
narrow passageway flowed a stream OF
humanity. ;:
On some Of the escapes the rubbish
was SO closely packed that it became
impossible to puss certain points, and
men, women and children stood literally
roasting to death as the flames roared
thru windows around them.
Policeman Hero.
One Of the escapes, which ended near
the roof Of shed about twenty feet
above the ground, had been manned by
a plank across to the window Of an
adjoining building. Nearly dozen
persons had been carried across this
narrow bridge by the policeman when
the flames began to sweep around the
lower end of the fire escape.
Rushing into the fire, the policeman
seized little child and started on the
last return trip across to- the place Of
safety. sa
He had made only half the distance
when the plank, burned more than half
thru, broke where it rested on the fire
escape, and the rescuer and rescued
fell to, the stone-paved yard. twenty
feet below. The man struck fairly on
his back and one Of his shoulders was
shattered by the force Of the fall. The
child was uninjured.
Firemen Braved Death.
In the meantime the firemen had run
] up ladders at other points around the
. building and dozens Of people were be-
, ing taken from the crowded fire escapes
and upper windows. By this time the
building was furnace and the rescues
were effected in many cases only after
! the greatest show of bravery on the part
of the fremen.
Heroes developed at this time. Lieu-
= tenant Bonner, sos Of the former FIRE
! chief, assembled the red-hot fire escape
. . five times. Four times he came down
: with woman or child in his arms.
!. The fifth time he was making for the
: street with an unconscious woman,
o when his strength gave way. He stag
: gered and would have fallen to death
: had not comrade come to his assistance.
Child Pleaded for Tot
: AS Bonner reached a fourth-story
+ window on one of his ascents and
> dragged little girl from the window
d where she stood surrounded by flames,
Continued on I'd Page, 9th Column.