Evening Star Newspaper, April 13, 1892, Page 1

BURNED Ov! Fierce Fire in The Evening Sar Baling, IMMENSE VOLUMES OF SMOKE Blind the Printers in Their Efforts to Get Out. WANY NARROW ESCAPES. THE STAR STILL SHINES Shortly before 9 o'clock this morning a fire started in the basement of ‘Ime Evexixo Stan building and in less than half an hour the rear portion of the structure, from the business Office to the extreme northern end of the edi- fice and from the basement to the roof was wrecked. No lives were lost, but there were many narrow escapes. The fire created intense excitement and during the morning Pennsy!- vania avenue in the — aay office ded by thousands of people. barry pra the fire started the employes of ‘Tux Sran had already commenced the work of the day to bring out the paper. Every — was at his post, attending to his share of * complicated undertaking of preparing s arent newspaper for publication. The editors hat sent out “copy” to the composing room to start the corps of compositors clicking the lit- tle types into the “sticks.” The reporters were receiving their assignments from the city editor before starting on their rounds to sweep the city, the departments and the Capitol of are press-room the foreman in charge of the Stan's three great presses, with his force of eight assistants was oiling and cleanmng the presses, getting out the immense rolls of paper and doing the httie odds and euds of work nec- | essary to prepare the machinery for its later née basement of the building the fireman | who feeds the immense boilers was busying | himself about the engine with his back turned to the boiler. It is his duty to keep the engine clean. The boiler is located in the extreme northwest corner of the basement. THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE. At this moment, George Armstead, a young colored man employed in the building, came in with an immense bundle of waste paper. It} is customary to burn the refuse which ac- | cumulates around the building. He opened the furnace doors and shoved the mass inside. “I couldn't get the door closed,” he after- | ward explained, “‘and I Layo a, ineer, was coming, so I left i pero the fireman, claims that Armstead | left the paper on the floor near the furnace door. Yn less than a minute after Armstead passed out the fireman, who was oiling the machinery, heard a crackling and turned around. The woodwork and ceiling of the whole room near the boiler was in @ blaze, which was being repidly obscured in # great cloud of smoke. Gibson threw a bucket of water on the wood- work, but, realizing the extent of the danger, ran upstairs into the press room shouting “Fire!” THE ALARM GIVEN. But the presence of the flames had been made known before he reached the top of the i Harlow had been working on No. 8 press, which was situated just above the boiler. While cleaning it he saw a cloud of smoke pour up by the window and heard the crackle of fiames underneath. He did not stop to investigate, but dashed | through the room, erying fire as he ran. Then out of the building he sped across Pennsyl- vania avenue to No. 2 engine house. “Tur Stax office is on fire,” he shouted. A fireman sprang to a rope and gave aclang | on a big bell on the wall, Down the brass pole from the rooms above came the firemen. | The horses’ stall doors flew open, the four | magnificent annimals dashed out and took | their places under the suspended harness. The | firemen had clambered into their seats on the engine and hose reel, and as the front doors of the engine house opened the machines rum- bled away on their mission of help. As they turned out of D street the foreman | saw a great cloud of dark smoke rolling high | above Tue Star buildings. It seemed as if the whole center of the block | was afire. The stution-keeper saw it too and turned in the alarm from the box at the engine house. No. 2engine took station at the corner of ith and Pennsylvania avenue. The hose was carried along the Eleventh street front and run into the press-room. PERIL OF THE PRINTERS. It seemed ages before the first truck—Truck (C—arrived. Men were clambering down im- provised ladders, and the crowd was cheering | and admonishing them to hold on. Smoke poured from all the windows, and the printers crowded into them to escape suffocation. Es- CLIMBING TO JUDD AND DETWRILER's ROOF. eape by the stairway was eut off. and they all turned to the windows, and were only prevented from jumping by the presence of mind of on- the employes of Judd & Det- weiler’s ) nti office, who climbed on the roof and r«.. . ladder to the extreme north window on the 11th street side. It was a peril- ous means of escape, but the frightened and half suffocated printers took their chances and escaped one by one, while the crowd below cheered. Just then truck © arrived. It seemed as thong! fully ten winutes had elapsed since the alarm was turned in be- fore the ladder-laden equipage appeared. Asectional ladder was run up from the side- walk to the composing room and those who re- mained wore taken out. FIREMEN FIONTING THE FLAMES. Chief Parris was one of the first to arrive. | minutes before upwards of seventy-five print- Che. Evening Star. THE STAR WASHINGT D. C.. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1892. TW O CENTS. BUILDINGS. The fire seemed the fiercest in the new wing in the rear, and when No. 5 company reached the roof of Galt &(o.’s jewelry store the en- tire back building was a mass of flames, The firemen lost no time in running their hose to the rear, and soon three big streams were playing in the room where only fifteen ers were setting the news of the day. EVERYBODY AT WORK. Foreman Maddox of engine company No. 2 was the first to arrive, he being on hand as soon as the alarm had been sounded. Every man in the service did his utmost, but the task of saving the building was a diffi- cult one. Half suffocated by smoke they fought every inch of the way up the stairs, and there they stayed uutil the last spark had been smothered. Thomas Fitzgerald of the water department did yeoman service. He was at the District building when the alarm sounded, and, know- ing the box was in the vicinity of Tae Star building, nastened at once to the big valves and in a moment turned the entire supply of the 48-inch main into service. The result was an abundance of water. Major Moore was also among the first arriv- nd with a big reserve from the several station houses soon had the street roped. At this time it is impossible to estimate the loss to THz Stan. It is, however, covered by ample insurance in home and foreign com- panies, THOSE IN THE GREATEST DANGER. The men in the composing room were in the greatest danger, and for a short time it seemed as though several of them would either suffo- cate from the dense volumes of smoke that RESCUING THE PRINTERS. poured in through the doors and windows, or be compelled to jamp from the fourth story window to the sidewalk below, in which event death or cruel mutilation would have been almost a certainty, ‘There were between severty and eighty men in the composing room at the time, and the best order possible prevailed and prevented men from being knocked down the steps or trampled over by others. “Take your time gentlemen,” was the warn- ing given by one of the compositors, “There's plenty of it.” Just then the men filed ont cne by one, and in less than sixty seconds fully fifty men had got beyond the danger line. All this time the smoke was pouring into the room and the atmosphere soon became s0 dense that the men who were in the rear found some difficulty in finding an opening through which they could reach either of the numerous stairways. Several of the men were finally cut off from the corridors and they had to seek the win- dows opening on the Eleventh street side, and there they stood while the hundreds of per- sons on the street below prayed and gesticu- lated and shouted “don’t jump.” SOME NARROW ESCAPES. Thomas Faulkner and John Dripps were first of those caught in the smoke to get out and they did so by climbing to the roof and then using the fire escape. Mr. Joseph Harris, assistant foreman of the composing room, was still in the room and with him were Messrs. William G. Collins, Jul- ian Wright, Arthur Campbell, Thos. J. Clem- ents and “Kid” Shields, The two last managed to climb down the window tothe roof of Judd & Detweiler’s building and there they did noble work rescu- ing their companions. | Thos. Mitchell and Arthur Campbell were | nearly suffocated by the smoke and they were probably in worse condition than the others, FOR GOD'S SAKE DON’T LEAVE me! Newton Croggan was the last one to get out of the composing room. When the other com- positors had either reached the ground or the roof of Judd & Detweiler’s building, he was left in the room with the colored messenger boy, named Curtis. ‘They were both near the window and the smoke having cut off every other avenue of es- cape, the bewildered boy did not know which way to move, and, turning to the compositor, he said: “Mr. Croggin, don’t let me stay here,” The latter did not think the boy had made his appeal with any degree of seriousness, but when the little fellow looked up at him and He was joined soon after the general alarm bad been sounded by his two lieutenants, Assistants Chiefs Belt and Lowe, and the regu- lar plan of fighting the fire was mapped out. It took but a second for the chief to grasp the situation. and he directed engine companies 6, 2,4 ud $ to attack the fire from the 11th mreet side aud sent companies 1, 5 and 7 to fi;t it from the reas. said: “For God's sake, Mr. Croggip, don’t leave me,” the latter realized that the boy's piteous appeal was in earnest, and before look- ing out for himself he saved the boy by band ing him through the window to the rescuers who had remained on Judd & Detweiler’s While these seenes were being enacted on the fourth floor the several thousand persons, who had congregated in the streets, were look- ing in almost breathless silence at what was happening on the floor below. MAURICE JOYCE'S CLOSE CALL. Mr. Maurice Joyce, the engraver, occupied that floor, and like many of the printers he re- mained in his office until he had to resort to the window as the only avenue of escape. He had been almost overcome by the intense Jeeat and smoke, and when he appeared in sight of the trembling spectators he straddled the win- dow as though getting ready to make a leap for life. Bob Joyce, his son, was standing beneath him, and in tones that were heartrending he appealed to the bystanders for help and called to one whom he was afraid would lose his life: «Father, for God’s sake, don’t jump.” His appeals in both directions were answered, and assistance reached his father before he was forced to let go the window facings and fall to the sidewalk. MR. BICKSLER RESCUED. A remarkable rescue and brave act was per- formed by Messrs. Clements and Shields. JUST IN TIME. After they had been rescued they discovered that Mr. T. J. Bicksler, the Sran’s zinc etcher, was in a dangerous position. In going from one piace to another he had been cut off by the smoke, and the compositors mentioned pro- cured a long ladder and succeeded in getting him from the third-story window to the heavy cornice above the lower doors and from there they succeeded in getting him to the sidewalk. Mr. T. J. Bicksler, speaking of his narrow escape, toa reporter that ho was on the second floor of the rear building in the old stereotype room when he noticed the smoke rushing through the hole in the floor where the machine belts come through, and he sent one of the boys to see if the building was burning. Presently the smoke came in such volumes that he knew there was something wrong and he started out. His bicycle was in another part of the building and he thought he had plenty of time to save that, Passing from one room to another he soon dis- covered that the doors behind him had been closed, and that the smoke in front was so dense that it was impossible for him to go further. He then knew that his bicycle was beyond reach, and he turned to retrace his footsteps, but was unable to do so, owing to the closed door and the smoke. There he was in a thick cloud of smoke, and when he reached the window he was neurly suffocated. A BOY'S PRESENCE OF MIND. C. F. Scott, an apprentice boy in Judd & Det- weiler’s, had presence of mind enough to aid in rescuing the compositors as soon as he saw GAVING THE BOOKS. them at the window apparently unable to get out of the building any other way. Heclimbed the ladder leading to the skylight and pulled the ladder to the roof after him. A couple of men from Tae Brar had already reached the roof and the combined weight of the men on one end of the ladder held the other end secure while the men climbed from the burning build- ing to Judd & Detweiler’s roof. PRESSMAN TRAVERS’ STATEMENT, ‘W. R. Travers, superintendent of the press room, said, after the fire was over: “Gibson hadn't more than got upstairs and announced the fire before the press room was filled with smoke, We had to hustle te get out, Aman who was putting on his shoes had to drop thom andrun. A man ran over to the engine house to give the alarm. In less time than it takes to tell it, almost, the fire was roaring up | joining through the back of the press room.” Edward Gibson, the man who was working near the boiler, said: “When I turned around and saw the fire it ‘was raging in the paper which Armstead had left near the door and seemed to have caught the whole room. i threw a bucket of water on the paper, but realized that the fire had too much of a start of me, so I ran upstairs to give the alarm.” Tom Harlow. the boy whose presence of mind resulted in the early notification of the fire department, said: “When I saw the smoke Islid down off the press where I was working and skipped out through the press room crying fire. I kept on over to the engine house and told them about it and then ran back to tho pressroom. That didn’t take long, but when Igot back to Tar Stan building the whole rear end was on fire.” SCENES AND INCIDENTS. Witbin five minutes after the fire started a crowd of several hundred people had gathered around the buildings, and in a little time this number was augmented until it reached thou- sands. It was an orderly crowd, and stood out- side the fire-lines roped off by the policemen. The only excitement that occurred was caused by the appearance of several men at the upper windows of the burning building who seemed about to jump to the pavement below. The crowd rushed forward in horror, shouting to them not to jump. For a few moments there was considerable excitement, and when the men finally escaped # great shout went up. When it became evident that a disastrous fire was impending four reporters were called into the city editor's room and directed to make a story of the occurrence. Each man was givens portion of the descriptive work to do. The reporters coolly noted the progress of the destruction, interviewed the workmen and EVERYTHING OUT. clambered around with the firemen through the smoke and water, The artist leaned care- lessly against a tree making sketches and two men with kodaks watched favorable opportun- ities to get snap shots of scenes, Aseach reporter collected material for his story he returned to that portion of the build- ing where the fire had not reached and sat down to write his part of the account. By 11 o'clock every man had gone out to attend to his regular daily assignments. IN THE COMPOSING ROOM. An Excimixa Tine ‘kona Tae Prirers— Many Nargow Escapes, Thore were exciting times in the composing room immediately after the fire got a good start. The room was filled with compositors hard at work at their cases setting up early morning copy and within tive minutes after the fire was discovered the room was filled with dense suffocating smoke, followed immediately by crackling flames. That lives were not lost in this portion of the building is something remarkable and is due ina large degree to the coolness which seems to have been universally displayed by the men. There were narrow es- capes, however, and several men approached very closely death's door. The composing room is situated at the top of the rear building, where the fire raged with REMOVING THE TYPE FROM STORE ROOM. the greatest violence, and seemed to be the especial point of attack, for the immense yol- umes of smoke which rolled up and through every passage way and window, and especially came up as through @ chimney from the area way between the burning building and the rear of the Palais Royal, The smoke first made is appearance through the windows facing on his area way and the firat alarm to the printers came from Mr. C. P. Boas, whose case is close by this window. .Five minutes after the room was filled with dense, gtiffing smoke and the men were escaping rapidly and in most case coolly down the stairs, SOME WERE TOO CALM. A number of men, however, did not succeed in getting down the stai: Several men were probably a littie too. calm and considered the danger only slight, However, the smoke filled the room in a marvellous short space of time. Mr. T. A. Mitchell had the narrowest escape, being nearly suffocated several times and only escaping finally by means of a ladder run up to one of the windows by, the fire department, Four other men, T. R. F; er, J. H. Dripps, Wm, M. McCullom and Joseph Hamaker, also had narrow pes, being forced by the smoke to ascend to the roof, and after extreme difficulty escaped by a fire-escape lad- der, Five others had # narrow thing of it, only reaching the roof of the adjoining build- ing (Judd & Detweiler's) by a ladder placed from the projecting roof to one of the win- dows, The men were W. G. WwW. N. Croggon, Sam. Edmunds, Julian Wright and G. M. Mobler, and « small colored boy, Lloyd Curtis, who was saved from suffocation in the front of the room by; W. N. Croggon. The man who placed the Indder from the ad- roof to the. w deserves great credit for his presendy @f mind, as he probably saved several lives, .-° Talks with a number of the compositors who experienced the full foree.of the danger of los- ing their lives through suffocation show that most of the men considered that the alarm was ‘8 false one or that at there was little or po danger. MR. MITCHELL'S STORY. “I was clear in the rear of the building,” said Mr. T. A. Mitchell, who had the closest shave, “When thecry of fire was raised I went forward, thinking there was little danger. The room, however, immediately filled with dense smoke and I went back to my case for my clothes and in starting again fell several times. I finally reached a window on the east side, where several men were escaping over the roof. The smoke was stifling by this time, and I was almost overcome. I am troubled with rheumatism and could not escape by the roof, and was so fine wink grarer " BulLoincs, EVENING STAR ¥ PENNA v eee & Cea 3s PLAN OF THE BUILDINGS. overcome that I could only stand at the win- dow and yell. After what scemed an age a ladder was run up to me andIcame down. As I left the room the flames were crackling and blazing in the rear portion. ‘MR. FAULKNER'S CLOSE SHAVE. Mr. T. R. Faulkner was one of the four who escaped by means of the trap door in the roof and the fire escape. “Yes, we had a close shave,” said Mr. Faulkner. ‘My case is by a window looking into the court between the office and the Palais Royal. There is always smoke coming up through this court from the engines, and at first I did not pay much attention to it this morn- ing. Mr. Boss, however, saw flames and yelled fire and everything was moving at once. I did not think there was much or any danger and put on my clothes. When I started to get out however, the smoke was rolling in dense columns up the staircase and exit was shut off. Some of us thought of the trap door to the roof and after fighting through the smoke, which was something terrible by this time, we found the iadder and managed to get the trap door open and reached the roof. It was aclose shave asthe flames were in the room, although the smoke was the great danger. On the roof also it was terrible and it was a hard fight to get to the fire escape and get down.” Mr. Wm, W. McCullom was also in the rear when the alarm was given. “In three minutes he said, “the room was filled with dense smoke, Escape by the stairs was cut eff, and, after a hard struggle, we reached the roof.” “The smoke was the worst I ever saw,” said Mr. J. H. Dripps. My case faces south and when the alarm was given I went to the front to yell down the pipe, giving the alarm down stairs. The smoke was pouring in the windows and when I started to get out was so dense on the stairs that I almost fainted. I fought my way back and could hear the crackling of the flames, Finally, after being nearly overcome, I reached the roof by the trap door and went down the fire escape,” ESCAPED BY A LADDER. W. G. Collins was one of the men who es- caped by means of a ladder from the project- ing roof of the adjoining building to the north window of the composing room. “I did not hurry,” said Mr. Collins, “when the alarm was given and shortly after going to the windows to look out found myself in a pretty bad way. The smoke was fairly suffocating and there seemed no way of moving in any direction. tried first to fight my way to the ladder which had been run up through the trap-door, but could not make it, Finally I reached & window and thought at first of throwing myself towards the projecting roof of Judd & Detweiller’s building. It would have been al- most sure death however and when some man run @ ladder from the roof to the window so that by standing on the sill you could reach his outstretched hand and step across it was a tre- mendous relief. Idon’t know who the man was who put the ladder across, but he saved several lives in my opinion! W. N. Croggon also escaped by the same means, after in all probability saving the life of a young colored boy. “When I started out,” said Mr. Croggon, the egress was blocked with smoke andI moved back. By the proof room I found Lloyd Curtis, a young colored boy, ina pitiable condition of fright and suffocation. I managed to get him to the window and we both finally reached the cornice of the adjoining building.” Nearly all of the compositors, even those who did not have to climb over roofs or down fire escapes, suffered some loss of property. Over- coats and coats and vests were lost in large quantities, and many of the men escaped only with their working clothes, leaving hats, coats, and in a number of cases considerable sums of money to help to feed the flames, IN THE MAILING Room. Mr, Findlay Harris, who has under his su- pervision the subscription and mailing depart- ment, began ae soonas the alarm sounded at once to remove valuable papers, subscription lists, books, &c., from the mailing room, and had nearly secured all that was essentially nec- essary when the flames, which had heen push- ing their way from the west end of the room, rolled over along the ceiling and whirled down to the front almost enveloping the entire room. Mr. Harris fell on his hands and feet and } crawled out safely, having merely had his eye- brows, eyelashes and mustache singed. the back numbers of the paper and files of ad vertisements, &c., to date, some of the mailing apparatus and quite a number of articles stored For considerable time it was an open ques- tion whether one of the finest collection of ad- ford’s, in of Tue Sran’s a of advertising "Mr. Clarence of the bureau just sent into the composing room the matter for about tweaty-five sdver- i E i i E f : Mr. Hungerford immediately established | temporary quarters on the second floor of Tue | Star office amid the chaos and set to work to | Prepare advertising matter for the various firms to go to this evening's “paper.” | THE FIRE OF 1885, | | , At about 4 o'clock on the morning of Thure- | | day, Jannary 29, 1835, fire broke out very near the same place where today's conflagration started, and which ultimately gutted the en- tire rear portion of the building. The damage then done was probably more considerable than that resulting|trom this morning's di The press room was entirely wrecked; press was entirely destroyed and the other was very badly damaged. Tho engine and engine | room were also rendered temporarily useless. | A clean sweep was made in the stereotyping room; all the matrices and plates in stock be- 1! ing entirely destroyed. In the composing room there was but little material which had.not been rendered entirely useless, the disaster the paper made its regular appear- ance that afternoon. The type was set in the | office of Messrs. Judd & Detweiler and the we was printed, by courtesyof Mr. George Lemon, on the fast press used im the National Tribune office. AMONG THE RUINS. DIFFICULT TO AT PRESENT MAKE AN ESTIMATE OF THE Loss. Estimates as to the money value of the dam- agedone vary considerably and until the in- surance experts have come to their conelu- sions no definite amount can be stated. The appearance of the wrecked portion of the building would be disheartening to others than men of courage and enterprise. Although the engine room is filled with blackened rubbish it is believed that neither engine nor boilers are really injured. The press room looks as though it had first been burned and then ured as a conduit through which the muddiest sort of Potomac water had been forced. Those great machines— three of the finest presses in the country— which have been admired by thousands of people, are blackened, dirt-clogged and, in places, already rusty, Smeared over much of the finely finished mechanism is the composi- tion which was melted off the roller stocks. From the once superheated but now soaked rolis of paper, in placé&nd ready for use, steam | was steadily arising to aceiling which consisted principally of charred rafters and a few black- | ened and depending laths, THE PAPER WARE HOUSE. In the paper ware house, where several thousands of dollars worth of paper was stored, were burned-out rolls, much moisture and an aspect of utter destruction. There had been a trifle of fire in the old stereotype room on the second floor, used now by the etcher and his assistants for a portion of their work. A great heap of charred rubbish was piled up onthe floor near the elevator, having tumbled down through the shaft. Iron flooring probably saved this section of the building from destruction. On this iron floor the water dripped copiously. In the mailing room immediately above nothing was saved except the mailing lists, Covering the floor, where there is a floor, is the mortar and laths and the other stuff which makes up fire debris. Thousands of copies of Tux Stag, stored there for the accommodation of people who want papers of more or less re- mote dates, were destroyed. Many books of re- ference were kept there also, but they all went out of existence. The floor of the stereotyping room—in the top story—is ankle deep in cinders. Every ecrap of the wood work is charred. The rafters are nearly all down and the rear half of the roof is on the floor. The machinery is not of a character easily damaged and the probabilities are that cleaning will put it right, THE COMPOSING ROOM. A picture of destraction is the composing room. At 8:30 this morning it was the finest composing room in this region; it 1s now blackened and thoroughly destroyed. The roof at the western end fell in and in several other places it was torn open by the firemen. The composing frames were saved, because they are made of iron, but the wood work is gone. Charred fragments of galley racks, half-burned cases and lumps of fused type metal compose the floor, which rests on girders that suffered severely from the flames, A net- work of gas piping made locomotion difficult and dangerous, Mr. Maurice Joyce's establishment, which is on the floor below the composing room, suf- fered only from water. The fire ate up a cou- ple of window sashes, but that was all. Mr. Joyce will be ready for business in a day or two. Inthe room beneath Mr. Joyce's floor the Linotype Company had a number of machines, These have not been operated for several months past, 0 only a watchman was scared by the sudden outbrrst of flame which shot up through the flooring at the western end of the room. Water did a good deal of harm, too, FIREMEN INJURED, Fireman Rhinehart of engine No. 2 got his foot seriously cut with an axe, and Fireman Brill of the same company got his eye injured from having a fuli stream of water strike him in the face. Neither accident will result very seriously. TO ADVERTISERS. All advertising copy which was received at Tur Stan office yesterday evening and prior to the fire this morning was destroyed. The senders of those advertisements will secure pub- lication by providing this paper with dupli- cations of the copy. If d@ired money will be refunded, NO INTERRUPTION OF ISSUE. The publication of Taz Srar will continue without interruption and in a few days it expected that the operations incident to publi- cation will all be conducted within Tue Stan building. An ample force of men, superin- tended by Mr. Fred Pilling, was at work before noon engaged in remoivng the enormous quantities of debris and preparing for the nec- essary reparative operations, Even the intense heat which for a time pos- sessed the press room had no effect upon the working of a clock which is suspended near the 11th street front of the room. The glass on the face was blackened and the outward appear- ance of the timepiece has been spoiled, but its tick was uninterrupted. Cou Gronoe L. Axpaews, 25th Infantry, wt Ben, : LAUNCHING OF THE BANCROFT. It is expected that the United States practice vessel for the Naval Academy will be launched on the 30th of this month st will be named the Bancroft, Honor of Historian Bancroft who is seid t5 hs been the originator of the establishment of Naval Academy. one i Teese News WILL TELL ITS HISTORY. AN IMPORTANT PUBLICATION AUTHORIZED BY THIS MORMON CHURCR. Isperespexce, Mo., April 13.—The More mon elders in attendance upon the internae tional conference of the reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints again administered to the sick yesterday at the Mormon Temple vy anointing with oil and the laying on of banda, The number who desired the treatment was fully as large as the day before, and the base- ment of the temple where the cerem: was performed was crowded. At the business ses- sion of the conference a resolution was adopted providing for the publication of a history of the church to be placed on sale at the world’s | fair. Very little other business was transr acted. The conference will adjourn some time this week, SUSPICIOU: FLAMES. FIRE BROKE OUT IN TNS CITY HALL AT JGRSEE CITY THIS MORNING, Jensex Crry, N. J., April 18.—a fire occurred shortly after 1 o'clock this morning im the City Hall, while a great crowd still waited about the building to hear the result of the charter clegs tion. The firemen, when they arrived. found In spite of | the flames burning fiercely in the second storf, | but they soon had the fire extinguished. Great excitement prevailed among the large num! of persons who witnessed the fire and many | them, on account of the defeat by the repui caus of the so-called rig, expressed the opinion that the fire bad its origin in some dire polit: Plot. Certain it is that the fire of av mysterious character, as there was nothing ine flammable or likely to cause flames in the office where it originated. DEATH ENDS HER TROUBLES. SUICIFE OF MRS. MILLER, = PRETTY rorx@ CHICAGO WIDOW, Curcaco Inx., April 13.—Mra, Amelia Miller, the pretty young widow who was brought inte unpleasant prominence during the ingury ree sulting from the finding of a dead infant a | 2301 Wabash avenue, has probably ended be troubles by suicide. That prey = 4 impr: with an exaggerated idea of the u brought upon her is shown by letters in whi she bids farewell to friends and children an declares her intention to kill herself. The police believe the young woman's remains will be found off Lincoln Park and are dragg: lake at that point. sigma — BELTZHOOVER CHAIRMAN. CONVENING OF THE PENNSYLVANIA DEMOC ‘BATIO COVENTION, Hanniseuns, Pa., April 13.—As early as 10 o'clock this morning delegates to the demo- cratic state convention began to assemble in | the Harrisburg Opera House, Every safeguard was thrown around the distribution of tickets for the reason that it was feared that those not friendly to Mr, Harrity and the state adminis- tration might counterfeit the tickets and fill the hall with an undesirable class of visitors, When the convention was called to order the lower floor of the Opera House was filled up by the 463 delegates and the two galleries woré ed full of spectators. No convention held ey in years has attracted such crowded | galleries. The convention was rapped to order by Chairman Wright at 12:10 and the business was formally begun by the reading of the cal} of the convention issued January 30. The calle ing of the roll of delegates ocoupied forty. minutes, many substitutions being made. Job: R. Read of Philadelphia nominated Congress- man Reltzhoover for tem chairman and he was elected unanimously, JEALOUSY NERVED HIS ARM. JAMES M. BARRY, A VARIETY ACTOR IN BOSTON, SHOOTS HIS wire. Bostox, April 13.—James M. Barry, a variety | actor at the World's Theater, attempted to kill | his wife early this morning at their boarding house by shi her in the back, and asa res sult she is condition ‘at the City Hospital. lousy was the cause, GIVEN POISONED CANDY. Port Hurox, Miog., April 18—Some da: | ago Miss Nellie McClayton died, and her death was said to have been cansed by drugg: | candy given her by Ben Mackey to obtain undue influence over hor. Mackey was ars rested and a post-mortem ordered. It is no} asserted that Macker gave het the drug to rs | ridof her. Should the coroner's inquest iad | Mackey responsible for the girl's death, it is | thought very probable the prisoner will share the same fate as did Martin a year ago. paponr tans Battor Boxes Locxen Ur. Troy, N. Y., April 13.—The Cohoes Republi- cans elect Henry A. Strong Mayor and Wm, B. Leroy Police Commissioner, and carry two of the five wards, with a tie on alderman in another. The ballot boxes of the fourth ward, which were taken to the police station when special policemen raided the polling place yesterday afternoon, are still held there. The ene wma caused oi the seizure of the ballot boxes by special policemen was unpre- cedented in Cohoce.” Infuriated citizens thronged the streets and threatened the police and police stations. The public wrath was great and was freely expressed. ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF 8T. FRANCIS’ NUNS DEAD. Dvsvgver, Towa, April 18.—Mother Mary Zavier, superior of the St. Francis nuns, died in this city yesterday. She was one of the founders of the order, the only superior it ever had, and came to Iowa with other members of the order when they were driven out of Prus- sia in 1875. She was sixty-one years old. meses o ng OUTRAGES BY RUSTLERS Omana, Nen., April 13.—A special to the Bee from Gillette, Wyo., says: A courier arrived from Buffalo last evening saying there are about 300 armed men in the vicinity of Prffaio. Yesterday a party of seventy-five rustlers took @ man from a stage coach. What has become of him or who he Isperenpence, Iowa. April 13.—C. W. Wil- liams has sold to the Cloverdale Stock Farnt, Philadelphia, Can't Tell, a full sister to Axtell and five head of well bred trotters. Price private. Srmoxoty Exponsrp rar Parsinexr. Rezp Crry, Micm., April 13.—Resolutions strongly favoring Harrison's administration were adopted at the Republican Congressional Convention of the Eleventh District. 1. Bates P. Stone of Ithaca lected delegates to National Conven- tion, and A. A. Bleaseley of Kalkaska and F. H, Dodds of Isabella, alternates, ++ ____ MURDERED ABOUT A NICKEL. Krvortsnen, Ox., April 18.—C. C. Davis, — gambler running a crap game over the Wis- consin saloon in this city, shot and killed a sol- ier of troop K, Fifth a, spy bee at lo'clock yesterday. re was a dispute over a nickel, resulting in a desperate fight. An autopsy was heid and the body sent to Fort Sheriff Clamp has Davis in jail for murder and a soldier named Fisk and a civil- ian named Kirby are held as witnesses. a THINES IT A “COLOSSAL FAKE.” cutted at the'reeidense of ter this Mr. Mario son of | t : dp i