Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-11-02
Cincinnati Apartment
Fire Kills 6, Hurts /;
Only 4 Escape Unhut'
BY the Associated Press

CINCINNATI, Nov. Six per.
sons died early today in firt
which swept through Railways Of
a three-story apartment building
at the edge Of the downtown dis.
trict and left them trapped ir
their rooms. Seven others were
burned or hurt in leaps from
second and third story windows
-Four other persons who livec
In the apartment in the 120(
block Of Elm street apparently
escaped without injury.
Five of the victims were re.
ported to have died of burns
while a sixth died in a leap from
. window.
Ironically, the blaze IVES extin-
guished quickly by f1remen, ano
Fire Marshal Harry McNay esti-
mated the damage at only about
$4,000.
One Of the dead was a boy
about 8 years old.
Attaches at General Hospita.
reported none of the injured ap-
peared to be critical.
Charles Dean, a taxi driver, who
was one of those who turned in
the first alarm, said he was at
tracted to the scene by screams OF
women.
Il could see the fire." he said
"and see people at windows and
all at once fire was blazing out of
the second and third floor win
dows. It was awful. I saw two
people Jump and I saw another
man get to another building by
walking around a ledge on an
upper floor window.
Some one probably saved his
life because they shouted to him
not to jump.
THAT fire really beloved out
those windows in a hurry"
At General Hospital. the iden-
titled dead were listed as:
Coy Shelton. Athens. Tenn.
William Hartman, Cincinnati.
Mrs. Alma McBeath, Liberty,
Ky.
James Alexander, about 8. son
Of Mrs. McBeath.
Goldie Taylor, So. Cincinnati.
One man was unidentified but
hospital attaches believed it might
be George Smith, So, who has a
daughter living at Huntington,
w. Va.
He still was unreported among
the survivors.
Mr.. McNay expressed belief the
fire was started by some one smok-
ing in bed.
So quickly did the flames race
through the brick building in the
densely populated area that within
two hours firemen were through
with their work.
The charred Railways, however,
told the story of what had hap
pened. - -, -,
Several of the rooms in the
building appeared not to have
been damaged more than slightly.
But the halls were blackened,
plaster had been burned from the
walls and the stairways were little
but CHARGED wood. j
! Oddly. howeser Tire IRE went
Through the 6auwk4s SO quickly
that T. burned the outer portion
Of the stairways and halls suit
there swas no damage to their
supporting timbers.
After the fire had been ex-
tinguished, observers were able to
60 back and forth through the
halls and into the rooms without
danger.
The injured at General Hospital
were listed as:
Earl Rittenhouse, 81; smoke in
halation and injuries from jump
out Of . second-story window.
Bernard Kaelin, Is; smoke in
halation.
Herman Dowdee, So; shock and
burns.
Lena Dowdee, So, his wife;
burned and injured in a Jump
from q third-foor window.
Carl McBeath, "a, husband Of
the dead woman; burns on his
feet.
Carl Mcmahon, "a, injuries I'M
determined. /
May Malone, Il: burned.
All are from Cincinnati.
Falls From Ledge.
Mrs. Dowdee fell from a ledge
around the third floor as she and
her husband tried to inch their
way to safety. MIR. Dowdee said
his wife suddenly seemed to col
lapse and he was unable to hold
her.
Mr.. McBeath was pushed out
Of a second floor window by his
wife. She and her son by pre-
vious marriage were found dead
on the floor of their apartment.
Mr.. Hartman, one of those
burned to death, was found on his
knees in his room, completely COW
cred by burned wall paper.
Mrs. Taylor was the one who
died Of injuries suffered in a
Jump. She leaped from q third
floor window and died after being
taken to General Hospital.
A. H: W. N:>LaI