The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-12-11
CORNELL MIN PERISH
Four Students and Three Firemen
Dead in Burning Building.
MANY JUMPED FROM WINDOWS

Sleeping Students Trapped ey Fire,
Which Destroyed Chi Psi Fraternity
House-Two Lost Their Lives Try
ing to Save Others.
Ithaca. y. T.. Dec s.-The burning
Of the Chi Psi fraternity house on the
campus OF Cornell University was al
tended with loss OF life that has
thrown not only the university. but The
whole city. into mourning The dead
number seven. OF these. four We're
students and The others prominent
townsmen who had responded 20 The
alarm in the capacity OF volunteer
iiremcn.
Among the students who escaped
death in the flames seven were in
jured. and OF these G. j. Pope OF East
Orange. y. f.. It is feared Win not
long survive. nc was removed 10 the
city hospital after having been badly
burned. and his condition has not per
ceptibly improved. The dead are:
Attorney Alfred S Robinson.
John { Rumsey. hardware merchant
r.. J. Ianion. salesman.
F. W Grclle. East Orange. y. j.. 10.
O l.. Schmuck. Hanover Pa. 'o7
W. H. Nichols. Chicago. "a
James McCutchoon. Jr- Pittsburg
Pa. 90
The injured are: II 5 Decamp. New
York. 'og. Henry NJ Curry Pittsburg.
pa. O9. L. r. Powers. Atlanta. Ga,
go. ". W Goetz. Milwaukee. 'O9, H.
s. UMlein. Milwaukee uf G. r..
sailor Pitshurs Pa ", G. }. Pope
East Orange. : J.. 80
The tire has united The city and
university IN common bond of sym
pathy The hcroism OF the volunteer
nremen who died attacking the fire
was matched by the heroism OF
Schmuck who re.entered the burning
building In a futile enort to save
Nichols. his room mate. and who died
later from his injuries. and by the
courage of McCutcheon who remained
I'M the flames until fatally burned. 10
assist his comrades 10 escape. Pope.
the freshman. received his injuries
while seeking To rescue other mem
bers of the fraternity. and the record
Of the injured corresponds nearly with
that OF the men who tried TO help their
fellows.
Among those earliest on the scene
and who contributed most of the work
of rescue from the flames. which had
already converted the first floor Of
the doomed dormitory into an Inferno.
we're several Cornell football men. All
did effective work II has been de-
clared that the work Of Sam Halliday
the old fullback, and Of Earle and Glib
son. the halfbacks of the season just
ended. united with that Of the chi
Psi men who risked their lives that
their brothers might live. will be re-
membered long in the annals OF Cor
nell
The burning chapter house burned
rapidly and the walls cracked apart
in all directions. The fire was so hot
that the fremen were driven from the
southeast side of the building They
put up a hard fight but the walls were
40 hot that any attempt at rescue was
impossible
The fire burned its way from the
kitchen into the lower hall. where the
stairs leading to the floor above were
soon burning.
The halls throughout the house were
Immediately filled with dense smoke.
In the rooms on the upper floors We're
" students. all OF whom were taken
unawares. Il was not possible for the
students to get out by way OF the
halls. and all went to the windows. AS
the fire approached the rear Of the
building the students were forced to
lump. and several were seriously in
iured in this way. The wind al the
time was blowing 80 miles an hour
and created a draft through the build
ing that soon made the interior mass
of flames
Aumsey Landon and Robinson, the
ithaca volunteer firemen, had managed
to train a hose on the north side OF
the house, when the wall tottered.
There was a cry OF alarm and several
men standing near managed to get out
OF the way. but the three men named
we're caught under the mass of debris
and killed.
The cause Of the fire will probably
never be discovered. The building Is
an unsightly wreck. with no particle
Of its inner furniture remaining. Cor
nell is deprived OF one of its land:
marks. for the lodge was built in 1881
by Jennie McGraw Fiske, at a cost OF
$4,000. The daughter of the lumber
king. John McGraw, who was one Of
Cornell's early great benefactors,
never enjoyed her palace. and entered
It only after death. Around the house
have clustered the memory OF the
great fight for the Fiske millions
waged between Professor Willard
Fiske. the husband. and Judge Board
man as the representative of Cornell.
TO which Mrs. Fiske had left the bulk
q