The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-08-20
DEATHS TOLL IS THREE IN D|SAS-
TR0US FIRE At Town Of MORGAN
RESIDENCE STORE, LARGE GRAIN WAREHOUSE,
WITH ALL CONTENTS BuRNED-PRoPERrY LOSS
OF $1,000, PARTIALLY COVERED BY INSURANCE.

Fire, which destroyed the resi-
dence and store building adjoining,
occupied by Herbert Phillips and
family, and also the warehouse
across the road belonging to Bal
four-Gutherie & Co., on Friday night
last. was one of the most terrible dis
asters of this nature that has hap
pened in Morrow county.
Three members of the Phillips
family, Edna, "a, Arthur, %, and
Winnifred, II, lost their lives in the
fire, and Mrs. Phillips barely escap-
ed with her life by jumping from an
upstairs window. She was severely
burned about the face and arms and
her back was badly injured by the
fall, and it was thought at first that
the injuries might prove fatal. At
this time, however, Mrs. Phillips is
improving and will recover.
The Origin of the fire is not posi-
lively known but it is practically
certain that it started from the kit
chen stove in the residence. The
family had had late supper on Fri
day evening and retired very shortly
afterwards, and Mrs. Phillips states
that there was a hot fire in the stove
at this time which had not died down
when they retired. To shut out the
heat from the other part of the
house, all doors leading from the
kitchen had been closed.
The fire was discovered by DR.. A..
G. Hawson, brother of Mrs. Phillips
who was sleeping in room down
stairs. Not being able to get out at
door, Mr.. Hawson broke through
window and gave the alarm to Bob
Sperry who was sleeping in the Of
flee of the warehouse across the
road from the store. They tried to
arouse the family who were all
sleeping upstairs, Mr.. Sperry rush
ing in and opening the stair door
when he was met by rush of flames
and smoke, and the whole Of the up
per part of the residence seemed to
be on fire, and no assistance to those
entrapped could be rendered. Mrs.
Phillips, who was sleeping in the
corner room over the kitchen, was
aroused, and finding her escape from
the room shut off and thinking all
but her had escaped, she pulled the
screen from the window and fell to
the ground below. She must have
been followed very shortly after this
by her son, Arthur, who was sleeping
in an adjoining room, and who was
overcome just as he reached the op-
en- window, sank down and was be-
yond the help of human hands. Ar
thur was burned in this position
The two young women, each occu-
pying separate rooms, never left
their beds, and their bodies were al
almost entirely burned up.
Mr.. Phillips was not at the house
as he was sleeping in the barn some
little distance away. Up till the
night of the fire, Arthur had been
sleeping with him, but not feeling
we'll this evening, his mother
thought it best for him to come to
the house to sleep, otherwise he
would have escaped this awful death
Arthur Phillips was the postmas-
ter at Morgan and was running the
store there, being assisted by his sis
ter, Winnifred. Edna had but re-
Gently graduated from the State Nor
NAL school at Monmouth and had
engaged to teach school in the neigh
borhood for the winter. Miss Win
nifred would have been II years OF
age on Sunday, the day her remains
were laid away in the cemetery at
Morgan. They were all exemplary
young people, highly respected in