The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1911-10-25
FORTY DRIVEN OUT.
INTO THE COLD
BY FIRE
EARLY.MoRNiNG BLAZE ON
SPRUCE STREET CAUSES IN.
JURiEs TO WOMAN AND BOY.

SDout loTty men, WoIll9H anu cnils
dren were turned out into the cold
night by fire that gutted the three
story. frame rooming house at 3l7
West Spruce street. The fire was
discovered little before o'clock this
wednesday, morning and IL was sew
eral hours before the flames were
subdued. a brisk wind making more
difficult the work of the firemen. The
property liz owned by r. Holden, who
acquired It u short time ago. II is
said to have been insured, but the
lessees, Mr.. and Mrs. George Perry.
are reported to have lost heavily.
In this fire several were slightly
injured. but only two people, a L.
year-old boy. Elmer cady. and u
middle-aged woman. Mrs. NJ. La
Chonde. were hurt seriously. Both
were taken to st. Patrick's hospital at
an early hour this morning. the boy
with severe burns and the woman with
an injured back. sustained when she
Jumped from a third-story window.
So suddenly did the fire come and
so flercely did 1t burn that the rec
ords OF the house were destroyed, maxi
Ing complete census of the inhabi-
tants impossible this morning. For a
long time 1t was feared that boy,
Willie La chonde, the little son of the
woman who jumped from the top story,
mad perished In the building. but, FL
nally, he was found at the ST. Jo-
sephs acadamy, where he is a pupil
According to the landlady. Mrs
George Perry. the following fam
lilies were among those who re-
sided In the rooming house. although
she could give no definite figures az
to the nnGber of children In each:
viii Zozcl, J. II. Hackeson, q Morris
Smith. VIII cady and Mrs. NJ. La
Chonde. The homeless people. who
escaped with nothing but their night
clothes, were cared for at neighbor-
Ing homes and at the European hotel,
a half block away.
Spectacular Features.
There were many spectacular fea-
lures, Will cady. who had come to
Missoula from Helena but few DAYS
mer at the risk of his own life, sus-
tanning minor injuries In the rescue
The father took long chance In en-
tering the fire-filled room where the
child was lying and was forced to
throw the boy from the window into
the arms of Fireman Mike Riley. who
was on ladder twelve or fourteen
feet below.
John Meeralimba and Costin Bill
DAM saved half dozen or more of
the children In the building, by catch
Ing them as they jumped from VIM
dows or by throwing them into the
waiting arms of men on the ground.
At 2 O'Clock the people In the ad-
joining house, No. 3l9, We're still pre-
pairing to be ready for a sudden move.
but the indications were then that the
fire would be controlled. None was
forced to leave.
Telephone Wires Cut.
The alarm was turned In by c. e.
Hill, wire chief for the local office of
the Bell Telephone company TO the
mystery of the origin of the fire and
the rapidity Of Its spread may be add
ed the fact that Mr. Hill had found
the wires of his telephone cut earlier
In the evening and had repaired the
damage. Il returned from a trip up
the Bitter Root early tonight" he said.
and tried to use the phone. 1t
wouldn't work and I found that both
wires had been cut, evidently with a
knife. I repaired the damage, and, /
guess, it's a good thing did. | don't
know that this had anything to do
with the fire"
Mrs. Perry. lardlady, said; AT II
o'clock. as Is my custom, went all
through the house, turning off the
lights and making sure that every
thing was all right for the night. AT
that time | smelled no smoke and
noticed nothing wrong. It didn't seem
10 minutes more before my room was
full of fire and smoke and I was
crawling out through the window"
Mrs. Perry and her five children
lost all of their clothing and we're
huddled IN hathrobes and blankets IN
"A neighbor's house for the rest of thu
night. The house at s19 was dam.
II