Destructive fire--five persons Burnt to death.
--One of the most horrible catastrophes which has, probably, occurred in this city since the burning of the
Richmond Theatre (some forty years past), took place about 1 o'clock yesterday morning.
At that hour, the three-story brick building on Main street, between Thirteenth and Fourteenth, occupied jointly as a store and dwelling by
Messrs. Marcuse &
Hutzler, and
Mr. Joseph Stebbins and family, was discovered to be on fire; and so rapidly did the flames spread, that the occupants of the third story, consisting of
Mr. Stebbins, his wife, and three children, perished in the building.
In order that the particulars of the affair may be fully understood, it is requisite to state that the tenement in which this distressing calamity occurred fronts on Main street three stories, and runs back with an end of the same height, the whole forming an ell. The sleeping apartments of the inmates were in the rear end;
Mr. Hutzler's family using the second story and
Mr. Stebbins's the third.
The fire was first discovered by a member of
Mr. Hutzler's family, who was awakened by the crackling blaze which proceeded from the enclosed porch above, used by
Mr. Stebbins as an office and drying-room, he being engaged in the dyeing business.
In an incredibly short time the flames enveloped the outside wooden structure, and running along, soon lapped up the stairway, which forms the only communication from the building to the yard below.
Fortunately the occupants of the first and second stories succeeded in escaping in their night clothes ere this avenue of egress was cut off, or else they, too, would have fallen victims to the devouring element.
As nothing was positively known of the fate of
Mr. Stebbins and his family, strong hopes were entertained during the earlier part of the day (yesterday) that they had, in the excitement and confusion consequent upon the earlier stages of the conflagration, passed out of the alley leading to the street unobserved, and were quartered at the house of his brother,
Mr. Charles Stebbins, in the upper part of the city, or had taken refuge with some other of their friends and acquaintances.
Parties were sent in different directions to search for them, the crowd behind, in the meantime, peering and peeping about among the smouldering ruins in order to settle the doubt which still existed in the minds of some that human life had been sacrificed. --About half past 11 o'clock, the last messenger returned, bringing no tidings, when it was determined to ascend the third story, which had not yet been explored.
Accordingly, the Hook and Ladder Company brought down one of their ladders, which was placed on the outside of the building from Main street, by which means access could be had to the highest point; and one of the members was first sent up to ascertain the situation of affairs.--Near the street window were the bodies of
Mr.Stebbins and
Mrs. Stebbins, where they had fallen with their faces downwards, as if in the act of rushing back to the assistance of their children, while, in the other part of the room, the charred and almost limbless trunks of the three children, consisting of their daughter, Laura, a beautiful young girl, nineteen years of age, and two little sons, named
Henry, aged ten years, and
Arthur, aged eight, were lying with their faces leading to the street, as if endeavoring to follow their parents.
The three children were lying together, the two youngest being in the embrace of their sister, as if she were trying to carry them to a place of safety.
The bodies of neither of them could be recognized by their features; and the only means by which they could be identified was their respective sizes.
About 11 o'clock the unfortunate victims of this horrible occurrence were put into separate coffins, lowered to the ground from the front windows, and all placed together in an ambulance in waiting outside.
They were then taken to the
Broad Street Methodist Church, where an inquest was held by
Coroner Little, before whom the following testimony was elicited:
William H. Hayward testified — A few minutes after 1 o'clock I arrived at the scene of conflagration.
I did not see any of
Mr. Stebbins's family, but distinctly heard, before I got to the house,
Mr. Stebbins crying for help; also, a female voice crying for help.
When I arrived there, there were only a few persons present.
I made an effort to pass through the store to the staircase be hind, which I found enveloped in flames.
I passed through the store and through the back door to the platform outside.
The doors were all open.
I asked a lady if
Mr. Stebbins's family had escaped; she told me she thought they had. I had no reason to believe that the place had been set on fire.
I got a ladder and ascended to the second story, which I found full of smoke.
I descended to the ground for the purpose of getting a longer ladder to reach to the third story, but could not find one long enough.
I expressed my fears to a fireman that there were some persons in the building, when he responded, it was none of my business, and ordered me off. I think if I could have gotten a ladder sufficient-
ly long to reach the third story I could have saved the bodies, if not the lives, of
Mr. Stebbins and his family.
R. J. Christian, having been sworn, testified — Last night, about 1 o'clock, I was on Main street, and hearing the cry of fire, proceeded in the direction from whence it proceeded; found the house next door to
P. Johnston on fire in the rear; went up a small pair of steps, which led to the sleeping apartments of the occupants of the store; assisted in removing the children and some bedding from the room to across the street; when I returned, heard that there were persons sleeping up stairs; went to the steps, but found the fire had gained such headway that I could not get up; I then went to the front of the house, on Main street, and heard the cries of persons in distress up stairs; called for a rope to throw up, but could not get one; some beds were put on the pavement, and the parties in the house were told to jump out; they did not do so, I suppose, on account of the distance; or, I think, they must have been nearly suffocated, as the smoke was issuing in large volumes from the third-story windows.
Heard the shrieks of the persons above; one said, "It is too late." Just about this time the Hook and Ladder Company arrived on the spot.
I assisted in putting up the ladders; found them too short to reach up high enough, and looked on the end to see if they could not be put together.
After seeing
Captain Hayward descending, asked him if he could do anything?
He said no. At this time the firemen increased in number, and cleared the sidewalks.
Know nothing of the origin of the fire; but think that, if the ladders had been long enough, some assistance might have been rendered the occupants, although the fire was well under way before the firemen arrived.
At the conclusion of the evidence, the jury rendered as their verdict that the said
Joseph, Mary E., Laura,
Henry and
Arthur Stebbins, came to their deaths by the accidental burning of the house in which they lived.
From the position in which the bodies were lying when found, it is supposed that the room in which they were sleeping was filled with smoke and fire before they awoke.
That, being aroused, they sprang for the stairway, but, finding it on fire, made their way into the front room, on opening the door to which a draft was created, which drew the flames after them.
As it was stated by one of the witnesses before the
Coroner that he called to
Mr. Stebbins and his wife to jump out of the window, but they failed to do so, and soon afterwards turned away, the presumption is that, just at that time, they must have beard the screams of their children behind, and perished in attempting to go to their assistance.
The building in which the fire originated was, with the exception of a small portion of the rear end, destroyed.
Mr. Hutzler lost his furniture and most of the contents of the store.
It was owned by
William Ira Smith, of this city, and insured to the amount of eight thousand dollars in the
Mutual office.
The tenement on the west side, occupied by
James Knotts as a shoe and trunk factory, also took fire, and the two upper stories were considerably damaged.
The contents were, however, saved.
