The Detroit times., 1908-05-21
PAIR NEARLY lose
LIVES IN FIRE
At 8 A. N.
Or. J. j. PERRY AND WIFE WAX
EN- TO FIND HOME IN FLAMEe.
ALMOST suFFocATEp, AM
RESCUED ~ FIREMAN.
MY God, we're all anre.

My God, we're all afre.
This exclamation broke from the
lips OF Mrs. ]. J. Perry. the handsome
young wife OF DIR. j. j. Perry. dentist
on the second floor at No. 2S6 Wood
ward-ave.. when she awoke. about
o'clock Thursday morning and saw
through the open door OF her bed
room, flames sweeping the hallway.
The bed chamber and In fact all the
rooms were already dense with smoke
and Mrs. Perry reused her sleepy hus-
band with difficulty. When he did
awake he gave one bound out OF bed
and rushing into the hall was met by
a burst OF flame that drove him back
into the bedroom and nearly stifed
him.
Mr.. and Mrs. Perry then CROPPED
their way through passage used as
a closet. connecting the bedroom with
the parlor. and thence into the doc
tors public reception room in the
front OF the apartments. window
overlooking the alley was partly open.
To this they made their way slowly
and, throwing 1t up with a supreme
effort, Mrs. Perry was about to leap
from IL to the cobble stones below
when her husband restrained her.
At the same instant Mrs. Perry
caught glimpse OF a passing police
man and shouted Are" at the top OF
her voice. The officer at once turned
In an alarm and within three minutes.
at the outside. engine company No. 8,
Clifford and Griswold-sts., was on
hand.
Minutes Of Waiting Seem Eternity.
To DR.. and Mrs. Perry, standing in
no In ru
ed an eternity. Every instant the
heat was growing more intense, until
| II became almost uncomfortable, and
they kept from suffocating only by
leaning far out of the opening. More
than once they were tempted to jump
and take their chances. but persons
who had congregated below warned
| them to wait the arrival of the fire de-
partment. Presently the firemen ap-
peared. ladder was run up and Mr.
and Mrs. Perry. both attired In their
night clothes descended. For several
minutes. after being rescued. Dr. Per-
ry ran excitedly about In his night
robe. Then he recalled that he had
dropped his trousers out of the win
dow and lost no time In getting into
them. Mrs. Perry walls taken to the
Avenue hotel
The Are started In the doctors lab
oratory, three doors down the lhA1(
from the bedroom and defective wiring
Is believed to have bean responsible.
The fire started sometime after
O'Clock for Dr. Perry Wis UP at that
time and. found nothing wrong.
Mrs. Perry . Hssoine.
Mrs. Perry was the heroine Of the
occasion In more ways than one. But
for her forethought there would have
been no escape by the cloAe passage
way. They moved into their present
locations less than two weeks ago ana
one Of the first things Mrs, Perry mo-
ticed was that there was NO door con.
Meeting the closet with the bedroom.
Instead the closet was Accessible only
from the parlor. which had formerly
been used as a bedroom. Mis-. Perry
would not rest until a door was cut.
between the closet and her bad cham
Der. To this fact the Perrys probably
owe their lives. for had they been
forced to go through the hall inS search
OF the stairway IL Is doubtful Ii they
would have survived
The loss to the building is not igreat.
the fire being confined chiefly tp the
laboratory. The furnishings are bad
ly damaged by smoke and water. bow
ever Mrs. Ada Johnson. her 2-year-
old daughter, and Miss King. roApm-
er. were driven out of the adjoining
fiat by the smoke, but they were In
no peril and were able to take thdir
| time