The Herald, 1904-01-15, Page 6PANIC PREYENTEO
8Y FIRE aBILL:
!Children March Like Troops
From Burning School
Building Destroyed, but one
of the Children Hurt,
Fire Drill Saved the Lives of
600 .Children,
I Toronto report—With all the con-
ditions present for the creation of
a fire panic which might easily have
rivaled in horror the Chicago catas-
trophe, nearly 600 bare -headed child
ren, ranging in age from the flee-
, year-old tots of the kindergarten to
the Lads and misses of the• higher
grades, marched quietly out of the
,Hamilton Street ,School yesterday
morning and -formed in line in the
yard, where they discovered that
the mimic performance which they
bad so often rehearsed had at 'last
become a reality, and that the el-
: fioiency of their fire drill had
brought them safely forth from a
(building winch was rapidly lalling
to prey to the ravenous tongues at
the flames.. The occurrence was a
complete vindication of the value
' of the fire drift, which for tat years
had been an -mpol-cant feature of
faire Toronto Public e.chools.,
•The burned school was a three-
storey, 12 -roomed building, situated
north of (Queen street, on the west
Aside of Hamilton street, which is
. the third thoroughfare east of, and
'running parallel with, the Don. The
:building had been altered several
times, the last occasion being about
• four years ago, when four r. oo ms,
;were added by putting on an extra
storey. The school registers eon-
s tained 612 names, but ow;iu•g to the
severity of the weather and the
fact that the school had reopened
only on Monday, after the mid -
!winter vacation, the attendance
Vies not quite up to the average.
The fire was discovered about 9.30
jue-t after the various classes
had become nicetg nettled into: the
morning work. Arcoo:unts differ as to
who first discovered the blaze, but
it seems to have manifested its exis-
tence to several people in• the school
at practically the e.'ame time. Miss
,Finch, a teacher in one of the 4ec-
omd-floor rooms, located over the
furnace, noticed ,smoke coming out
of the wa;inaeort•tin;;, near the hot-
air register. Sae immediately; utilized
, tb,e small private telephone in!stall-
ed in the school to apprise Principal
Wallis of what she had seen. Tire
principal, •on coining into tlxe'hat,l1
to thverstigateU was mat by Harvey
Hicks, a -plumber, who hard been• em-
ployed tbawing out frozen pipes in
the cellar. Michas stated that the
building, was on fire, a quantity,
plaster having dropped off the eeil-
5.ng Of the cellar, revealing the pres-
elect() of fire underneatlei
Principal Wallis immediately) gave
the ordinary; gong eignaLs for fire
drill. The majorityi of the teachers
and some of the pupae suspected that
;,the occasion was not one for, ordin-
ary drill, for it was unlikely, that
'the children would bre emit out in-
to zero atmosphere unless for as ur-
gent reason. There was not the least
particle of excitement or undue
haste. Tholse previously assigned to
positions as door openers immediate-
ly„ sprang to their placers. The chil-
dren in each room formed in line and
snood patiently, until the word was
givefn to march omit. Though by this
time the ,smoke in several rooms was
quite thick, children and teac1ier s
preserved their co,oLness. Each class
peeved out in its appointed turn, and
so thoroughly! and 'uljstem;atically
hail the drill been acquired that in
lees than two minutes frown the time
the etgnal was eounded, every hada
eideal bad left the 'school. Principal
;Waffle was tiro last to melee an exit,
be haying taleen up hie position in
the Lower hall tend directed the
classes as they filed out.
As soon as all were safely out, boys
were despatched to send in the alarm
to the tore brigade, . Tele boxes at
queen street and L'road'view avenue
and Matilda and Sterner streets
wore both pulled, and the Bolton ave-
nue and Wilton avenue sections wore
soon on the sl:ot, followed by the men
of more distant stations.
Meanwhile a corps of b:gger boys,
endertne dieeo,tion of Assistant Prin-
oipal Ilittz, .liacl entered the burning
-,wilding to save svli t wraps and
e a.dgear they could reach, as teach-
ers and children hail all left their
rooms without waiting to obtain
their outer clothing.. Several trips
were made to the cloak -rooms, tied
zl cons:derable quantity of clothing
cli,rried out before the progress of the
flames made I'rinc,pa1 'Wallis fear
that further visits to the burning
building wnuld be fraught with clan-
ger to the boys and the citizens who
were assisting them.
Assoon as tee firemen arrived they
laid seven or eight lines of hose, and
quickly had streams playing on the
fire, wiaeli be this time was burning
briskly on the second floor of the
school. The Water pressure was so in-
stefifclerit, however, that it was Im-
possible to throw the wafter to any
eonsieerable height, with the result
that thea"flames ate their way
through; to the roof and burst forth.
alba firemen were practically power-
less to check their: advance upward,
and were compelled to let tbe eon-
flagratfon work its will on the upper
storeys. They turned their attention
to the lower floors, and prevented
the fire from spreading downward;
but In doing so the rooms were dam-
aged considerably by water and
smoke. It was not till noon that the
fire was thoroughly under ,control,
and by that time so much water had
been poured 'into the building that
there were three feet of it in the eel -
ler.
MONTREAL CLUB BURNED. •
One_Fireznan Was Killed and Others
Injured.
Montreal. Jan. 11, es a result of
a fire which broke out ,shortly after
seven ocloek this morning, all that
now; remains of the Mount 'Royal
Club, the finest private club In Ment -
real., is a mass of blackened walls.
Ono fireman was killed and several
othners were easily injured.
Col. Liardet, the secretary of the
club, was so badly injured by jump-
ing from a top storey window that
he died ;shortly before midnight at
the Royal victors Hospital.
Miss Oman, the club bookkeeper,
was also badly injured by jumping
from a top window.
The Loss is estimated at $120,-
000, insurance $82,000. The build-
ing, which was occupied by the club,
was situated on Sherbrooke street,
and was a historic structure. It
was built by Sir John Abbott, at
one time Premier of Canada, as a
private reeidonee for Lord and Lady,
Aberdeen. It was subsequently pur-
chased by the Mount Royal. Club, the
most exclusive social organization in
iilentreal., and was transformed into
a palatial club -house. T.he build-
ing has been very unlucky as re-
gards fires, having been badly
scorched on two previous occasions,
and now. it has been practically
deems ed
CASHEL'S BROTHER JOHN.
lie Made Overtures te the Police
Matron at Calgary.
Calgary, N. W. T., Jan. 11.—Flora
Brazeau, one time matron at the
mounted pollee guard -room, young
and prepossessing, was a sensation-
al witness in `the John Cashel case
last evening. She said she had met
Ernerst Cashel in the guard -room and
became quite intimate with him, and
also met John Cashel, who bad call-
ed on her frequently at her home.
Some weeks before the escape John
Cashel told her that if Ernest did
not secure a nee trial he would get
him out. Ile would get a couple of
revolvers and smuggle them in, en-
abling him to hold up the guards,
and would have a horse waiting for
him to get away Theo be would
dress himself in woman's clothes, go
to Buffalo, Wyoming, end there the
police would never get him'.
He himself would not be near the
barracks at the time of the escape,
and would not be suspected. $e ask-
ed her if ,she would aceompa.ny him
at the time of the eecn;pe and be a
witness for him in proving an alibi.
He would get Erman out even if he
went down himself. Ile a,sieed her to
buy, one revolver for him,, but she
refluxed, and the prisoner said he
could get them himself.
She went to 1iie.dioine Hat, and
John wrote her • a couple of letter's
outlining hie plans, but ordering her
to burn th-e lettere-, which she did.
The mo=unted police, who arrested
her after the escape :said they'wouid
keep her arrested until ;she told what
she knew. She said nothing for five
hours, then confessed. Witness was
not threatened and told the truth.
HAD A HARD FIGHT.
Steamer Lamantine Reaches Halifax
After a Perilous Passage.
Halifax, N. S., Jan. 11.—The Amer-
ican Line steamer Laurentian ar-
rived this morning from Liverpool,
showing every appearance of a great
battle with wind, waves and frost.
The steamers decks and sides were
thickly covered with ice. From
the time of starting Oho encounter-
ed very heavy weather, but it be-
gan in earnest on the 27th. It was
bitter cold, and sea after sea leap-
ed over the steamer. On tbe 28th
the storm continued with head-
winds, but the 300 was a terrific
day, when the steamer made but 90
miles. The seas ware mountains
high, the weather was bitterly cold,
and the great waves threatened to
engulf her. On the &1st the storm
abated ,somewhat, but on the next
day it commenced again, and very
little headway was evade. Heavy
weather was experienced around the
Drinks.
The Laurentian brought 177 pas-
sengers altogether. The voyage
lasted eleven days from Moville.
HER LIFE THREATENED.
Concert Tour Nordica Had
Planned May be Abandoned:
New York, Jan. 11:.—As a result of
throats ngains2 her life Mme. Lil-
lian Nordica, fide for some time been
under the constant protection of
a pollee guard in her apartments
in Madieon avenue. It is sail by her
most intimate friends that she has
received many litters of such a
character that she dare not ignore
them, and called the 'police to her
aid.
It tva,s stated 'by one of her frienns
Iast night that site had Intended to
go on another concert tour, but
the peculiar c:runt noes surround -
leg, the threats upon her life aro
deterring her from making final ar-
ra.ngementta for the tour.
isir. Demme, her husband, against
whom the recently began a suit for
abeolwte divorce, Is stilt a patient
to Dr.; Bull's sn.ni•tarinni,
NEWS IN BRIEF 2e��
,Sauht Ste. Nltarie, Ont.—Fire this
morning destroyed three double
houses, the property of the Steele
Company, Yrs p gonna.
W'innlpeg.� x,. I3fead, of Rapid
City,. lids been nominated .lay the
Liberalrr of Marquette for the com-
ing Dominion elootions.
Gioodwood.—Tine stables and other
outbuildings in connection with the
Forsythe .Rotel, were burned early
this morning, together with a
Large ,supply of hay and wpod.
Hartford, Conn. -Mrs. Edward J.
,Starr, who was terlbiy burned yes-
terday, while trying to extinguish
the blazing clothing of her sister,
Miss Mamie; Quenney, died to -day, in
?Sande Hospital.
St. Joseph, fele.—J. E. Marcell,
cashier of the Bank of Highlands,
Kansas, was arrested on a Grand
Island train last night at Troy, Kan-
sas, charged with forging notes ag-
gregating $30,000.
Windsor.—Fire was discovered in
the 'basement of the Polisseir Street
School yesterday forenoon and sev-
eral hundred children vacated the
building in record time in response
to an alarm.% The damage done by
the fire was slight..
Rome—The Congregation of Rites
(charged with the process of the
canonization of saints) at its ses-
sion to -day performed the first of
the series of ceremonies previous to
the canonization of Joan of Arc,
namely, the official proe•lamation of
the virtues and heroic deeds of the
maid of Orleans.
Windsor, Ont.—The WalkerviIlo po-
lice yesterday arrested, a man who
was soliciting alms. Ile was brought
before Magistrate Bartlett later in
the day and gate) his name as John
McConnell, •and his home as Bay
City, Mich. Hi) was sentenced to five
months in the Central Prison, ,
R'indsolr.—Tho Sangane Electrical
Co., of Springfield, 0., will open a
factory for the manufacture of elec-
tric motors 10 the White block about
the middle of this month. Thefac-
tory will .employ about 15 men at
first, but this number will be an -
creased as soon as the factory is
thoroughly equipped.! , '
•
New York.--Two---
degrees above
zero waSthe coldest temperature re-
corded early to -day in this city,
and by 10 o'clock the mercury had
risen to 5 above. The local fore-
caster believes the crest of the cold
wave has pawed. There is still much
delay in railroad service, and the
increasing amount of ice in both
rivers makes fery service irregular
and stow,.
1. cw York—A Kishineff cable to the
World says: Advocate Kalnovici has
been forbidden to practice law for
two years. He was eloquent on be -
b o. the Jaws la:fore the ecurt that
pretended to investigate the mas-
sacre. Secretary of the Council, Ka-
rabezewski has been exiled to Si-
beria for five years. Both were
charged with having supported tbe
Jews in agitations against the Gov-
ernment.
Puri: .i despatch received by the
French Foreign Office from Seoul
says: "The Corean army is serious-
ly disaffected, chiefly because of pay
arrears, and is threatening to en-
gage in an outbreak. Two British,
two Russian and one American war-
ships are in the barber of Chemulpo
and will remain until the crisis is
over. The Lorean authorities admit
they cannot answer for the loyalty
and discipline of the troops, but the
Americans only, have landed ma-
rines."
RUSSIA TO BUILD THEATRE.
Will Burn it, With Sheep and I•tabbits
for Human Beings.
Peter,burg, Jan. 11.—The Chi-
cago theatre lire has stirred up
the Russian Commission, appointed
some time ago to investigate and
report on the protection of audi-
ences from fire, and et a meeting
held yesterday they determined on
the most sensational series of ex-
periments ever taken in order to
gain the knowledge they seek.
They aro going to build an experi-
mentlil theatre, in which they will
place an audience of animals—alieep
and rabbits, probablye-and they wi.i
in this theatre instatuto a series of
tests, culminating in its destruc-
tion by fire and the sacrifice of the
animals in order to get the facts
they deem necessary for an ade-
quate study of the protection of
audiences,
The Government is bearing the ex-
pense of the experiments, and they
tare to be carried out without con-
sidering the cost, The theatre is
to have its due proportion of in-
flammable furniture, galleries, seats,
scenery, drop curtains, etc.,, and is
to bo provided With en asbestos fire
curtain,
!Aires will be started on the stage,
in the wings, and in the files, and
an effort will be made to .imitate
the great theatre fires of tits World,
A large fire department will be in
attendance to insure the co=iflagra-
tion goes no further than is neces-
sary for 'the 'purpose ,02 each exper-
1 iment until the last, when the
structure will be allowed to burn,
with all the animals that do not
escape by the regular exits.
The proportion of such escapes
/will be computed and filed 'teeth the
rest of the statistics and data that
will be obtaineds
To the objection that the animals
will not give •a true parallel to a
human audience, the scientists on
the commission reply that they will
approach the desired condition
more closely than laymen think, as
an audience in a panic ifs oblivious
to printed signs, clallous to injuries
or the rights of each other, and in-
tent only on rushing out of the
theatre—in other words, a human
audience untrained for emergen-
cies, under the influence of fear and
in the presence of deadly danger,
does not apt with human intelli-
gence.;
The most ;grisly of the experiments
involves the dearth of the animals
and a post mortem examination.
Everybody mho has read such hor-
rors as the Chicago disaster is fam-
iliar with the expression of the
hope that the victims died of suffo-
cation rather than that they had
been burned alive. Science knows
nothing of shrinking from horrors,
and this Russian commission pro-
poses to ascertain what the fact
is — not what. it is desirable it
should be.;
The results of the investigation
iare to bo embodied in a Noitxnne and
made public and a code for the
government of theatres and other
buildings in which many persons are
gathered, is to be instituted, the
provisions of which are to be based
on the findings of the commission.
A YEAR OF HORRORS.
Astrologers Predict Terrible Things
for This Year of Grace.
Paris, Jan. 11.—Papers here are
commenting gra-veer on the unanim-
ity of the astrologers, magicians,
cbairvoy ante, and trance mediums in
predicting' ayear of horrors for
1904.
A leading astrologer named Jacob
sizes up the situation as follows, and
the others agree more or less as
to detail:
"Here is the horoscope for 1904,
made at the moment the sun enter-
ed -tie sign of Capricorn. It indi-
cates a year of great immorality
in London. The Viceroy of India
abdicates. The United States have
grave quarrels with, Russia and Ger-
many. Roosevelt falls sick and a
oo 1,epiracy is hatched against him.
Serious financial disasters in Am-
erica.
"The Emperor of Japan' has grave
accident.
"An attempt on the life of the
Emperor of China.
"Volcanic shocks 'in Constantin -
aisle, Chili, and Philippines.
"A fear of unhealthy literature
and unlimited materialist.
"The, French Cabinet falls' be-
tween April 7 and 10.
"A panic in a music hall, grave
accidents and popular disturbances,
in Russia. An attempt to poison
the Czar. Serious dissensions be-
tween Russia end Austria.
"England lases prestige. The cam-
paign in Thibet falle through.
"Tremendous failures in Calcutta
and the Transvaal..
"Anarchist troubles in Spain ; the
Government threatened.
"In China women massacred.
"Everywhere crimes of passion,
mysterious deaths, and strange
phenomena.
"Nineteen hundred and four Is an
anagram of 1409, the date of the
birth of Joan of are. This year a
wiernderful child will bo born with a.
high destiny, showing its power in
1924, an anagram of 1429, the date
of the apogee of Joan of Arc."
ACCUSED OF MURDER.
Woman Charged With Poisoning
Bier Husband.
Hedrick, Iowa, Jae. 11.—IIrs. Belle
Lewis ie in jail in Sigourney, c,ha.rged
wet•n the murder of her husband by
poison. 'The indictment, charging
murder in the first degree, was re-
turned a few days ago by the Keo-
kuk county gravid jury, but was kept
a secret until Sheriff John Baty
place/tette accused w. mars in cus:oey.
she vias not admitted to bail.
lti illiam 11. Lewis died Oot, 10 at his
home, just west of Hedrick, being
found dead in his bed at 10 b'olock
that night by hie whet when she went
to ,retire. Ile .had been i11 all day and
had been left alone by the family. The
co'roner's jury was suspicious, but re-
turned a verdict of death from nat-
ural causes as far as the jury could
ascertain, having the stomach taken
out and sealed up, however, should
the grand jury take the matter up.
An anaiyele by the State chemist
showed laudanum in the stomach,
and this, with many suspicious cir-
cumstances, caused Mrs. Lewis to be
charged with the murder,
Mrs. Lewes had f.uruji.ated laudanum
at two ctiffcireut stores, i,i Hedrick
and Fremont, a few days previously,
Rand neither of the bottles wa,s found
in the nouse. She had given her hus-
band medicine several tunes during
the day, and his symptoms were so
suspicious that the attending physi-
cian, Dr. Morgan, of Fremont, who
wee/called after tile death, refused to
sign the burial certificate. Lewis car-
ried $2,000 life insurance in the A.
0. U. 1•;-,, and theorder refused to
pay on the ground of murder. 'The
insurance company will assist In the
prosecution, as should a conviction
be obtained its inability; would be an-
nulled. •
Lewis was 49 years old, and had
four children. The accused woman is
about 40 years old and is a , quiet -
appearing woman. There are rumors
of an accomplice in the affair, al-
though no formal charge has been
made. It Is known positively that .the.
suspected person and the wonneb had
been together frequently, and had
been seen driving together.
.COCAINE AND MORPHINE
Use of Them Increasing andl
New Laws Needed.
co-
caineand �dJmorphine habit, thk te State
Board of Pharmacy yesterday de-
aided to recommend to the Legisla,-
tura the enactment of a laws Pro-
hibiting the, reale of tbese drags on
old prescriptions, or what are known
as "repeaters."
The reale Is to .be restricted te,
prescriptions of physicians • and
dentists, only one sale to be made
on each ;prescription. The cocaine
habit is growing so rapidly that,
many pharmaceutical associations in
the state have urged the importe
once of_ a state law, to lessen, it
not entirely check, the sale of the
drag to habitual users.
The committee on adulteration
and eubseription of drugs reported
that of 070 samples tested in the
state. 415 were Tound to be ,below
standard. The number of sam-
ples taken from Newt York city drug
stores was 871, of which 310 were
found to be impure or substituted
drugs.
HOTEL GUEST ARRESTED. l
Archibald Edward Stuart,ofEngland,
Charged With Vagrancy.
To onto, Jar. 7.1.—Areh''bald Ecava;d
Stuart, a young, well -drowsed English-
man, who is believed to be one of that
class of hotel guests of whom the
proprietors at a meeting last week spoke
in strong terms, was arrested last night
by Detective Chas. Slemin on the broad
charge of vagrancy. Stuart reached
Toronto about two months ago, and
registered at the King Edward Hotel,
where he made many friends. For a
time he paid his way, and then stopped.
Last Wednesday his bill amounted to
$150, and when spoken to he departed
suddenly.
After he had gone the hotel officials
found out that Stuart's bill with P.
Maher for the hire of carriages and
riding horses was, in round numbers,
$70, and that he had ordered clothing
worth $80 at a King street establish-
ment. Stuart for some reason induced
Ernest E. Laing, an employee of the
King Edward Hotel, to resign and go to
work for him as a valet. Laing was
with Stuart ,when he ordered the cloth-
ing.
Stuart was located at the Walker
House, where he took up his residence
last Thursday, the day that he left the
King Edward Hotel. When locked up
he had but nine cents. He admitted
that he had no money, but added that
his wife had. She lives at Grey Lawn,
Berkshire, England.
ACTS AS PEACEMAKER.
King Edward Tries to Stop War
Between Russia and Japan.
London, Jan. 11.—Tire Daily Ex-
press says it learns that King Ed-
ward le bringing, pressure to bear
on the Czar in favor of ,peace. Af-
ter Premier Balfour and Foreign' Sec -
rotary Lord Lansdowne bad a con-
ference Monday afternoon Mr. Bal-
four joined the Duke of Devonshire't9
party at Chatswoth, where the Kla+g
Is a guest. The Express believes that
Japan has the most complete war
find, and says that she will issue
treasury notes, which American and,
English banks have agreed to sup-
port.
Tho Tokio correspondent of the
Daily Tlelegrap'h notes a great fall in
tee prices of stocks, many of which
show declines ten per cent. greater
'than occurred at the outbreak of
thfe •Chinese -Japanese war.
The expectation that Japan will
take immediate steps to secure leer
interests in Corea is confirmed bY,
th'e Daily Mail's Tokio correspondent,
who says that Russia's rejoinder Is
el facially considered unfavorable. The
newspaper, Asa'hi, declares that the
reserves of the Second Army Division
ie'avo been called out. The Admiralty,
Is buying coal extensively 'at Sasebo„
Nagaasaki and Karateu.
A QUID PRO QUO.
•
Chamberlain Will Ask Some kteturns
from Colonies. '•
London, Jan. 11.—Mr. Chamberlain
writing to the Agent -General of New
South Wales, points out that the de-
tails of his Imperial preference
scheme cannot be settled until all
'the parties to the proposed measure
are ready to negotiate. Il'e de-'
Glared himself confident that notice
ing he, will ask by wa.y of surrender
by the colonies will be more than a
fair return for the Large concessions
lie is prepared to give.
Tho London Evening Globe, com-
menting. on this statement of Mr.
Chamberlain, says, "The colonies w,i1l.
got a quid pro quo for all they may,
be asked to surrender.'
The Westminster Gazette, nom-
4mentin,g, says : "It is evident from
NM'r. Chamberlain's remarks that it is
his intention to ask the colonies for
something. This is another proof
of the absurdity of the statement
that there Ilea been any offer what-
ever already made by the oolen-
ies.'
Killed by Comrade.
Ingeri all, Jan. 11. ---Word was receiv.
ed in town that a young morn by the
game of Smith died at Avon as a
result of a gunshot would. 'Smithi
was a, member of a party of hunters
w,ho,were out rabbit shooting on NeW
Year's' Day. One of the party, It is
said, was carrying leis gun over his
Shoulders, when it was accidentally;
cliecbarged. Smiths wa,s a short dlse
tance ahead, and the charge lodged in
his back. I.1'is death occurred about
4 o'clock Saturday morning, ,