The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-07-26
MEETS DEATH IN
BURNING Nj BUILDING
Arthur Wilson,, Young Englishman,
Caught in Flames Of Burning
40 Rooming House in Denison.
BUILDING TOTALLY DESTROYED
Was Occupied by Mrs. Silence Daz-
Origin Of Fire Unknown-6uild-
959jns Covered by Insurance.

The most disastrous fire in the his
tory of lDenisOn occurred on Thurs
DAY morning, when the lodging and
boarding house of Mrs. Silence Daz
located on lower Main street. i'm
mediately north of the station grounds
of the Chicago & Northwestern rail
road, was burned to the ground. The
destruction of the building was com
plete. 1t was not, however, the loss
OF the property involved, but the death
Of young man occupying one of the
upper rooms of the building, which
shocked the community. 1t is the
first time in the history of the city
that the loss of human life has re-
suited from the burning of building
It was somewhere toward four
o'clock in the morning when the alarm
was given, and those who were first
at the scene of the fire, discovered
that the flames had already made con.
siderable headway. The whole Of the
first floor and portion Of the second
were enveloped in flames. The fact
that the water connection was so far
away that it was impossible to secure
an adequate flow OF water, was dis
couraging circumstance after the fire
company arrived.
The building was occupied at the
time by Mrs. Daz and her two
nephews, Arthur and Lister Wilson,
who had but recently arrived from
Dovershire, England, to make their
home with her. Mrs. Daz was sleep.
ing down stairs in room on the east
side of the building and her nephews
on the second floor in q room at the
south end of the building. When she
was first awakened by the smoke and
realized that the building was on fire,
her first thought was of her two
nephews., She endeavored to make
her way to the stairway to call them.
but was driven back by the smoke and
flames, with which she came in con-
tact. Panic stricken, she then rushed
out of the building and around to the
side of the house where the room oc-
cupied by the two boys was located,
and frantically screamed in order to
arouse them and to convey TO them
the danger to which they were ex.
posed. Lister, the younger boy, was
awakened and called to his brother,
Arthur, and thinking that his brother
had heard him and was following him
as he groped his way toward win
dow overlooking the porch roof on the
south side of the building, he made
his escape with difficulty through the
window in dazed condition to the
porch roof from which he was helped
to the ground. Every possible effort
was made to reach Arthur, who was
still a r lsoner in the room. but all
efforts re unavailing. His charred
remains ere found after the fire di'
rectly under the room where he was
sleeping.
At first the Impression prevailed
that A. E. Johnson. a travelling sales
man of Omaha, had perished in the
flames. Mr.. Johnson registered at
$3.50 the evening before and soon after
repaired to his room and as late as
$3.50 light was seen in his room. 1t
seems, however, that he decided not
to remain in Denison over night and
took train for Carroll at a late hour.
Mrs. Daz, not knowing that he had
gone, reported that he was in his room
and for time great excitement pre-
vailed for fear that he too had per-
ished.
It is reported that Mrs. Daz had
S65.0O in paper money concealed in
the cot upon which she was sleeping
at the time the fire broke out and that
the money was destroyed. A consid-
erable amount of furniture in the
building, including piano, was also
totally destroyed as well as one OF
the policies of insurance which she
held on the property. The property
was covered by insurance and If col
lected the loss from property stand
point will not be of any material con-
sequence, but nothing will compen-
safe for the death Of her nephew who
was but nineteen years of age.
No fire has occurred in Denison for
a long time that attracted so many
people and developed greater anxiety
because of the fact that the life OF
a human being was involved.
The funeral services for young VIII
son were held from the First M. f.