Wilmington Star, April 26th—One woman was seriously burned, two other persons slightly injured and property damage in the neighborhood of $50,000 inflicted when a fire of undetermined origin yesterday morning turned the Princess building, in the heart of the business district, into a smoking inferno, from which several inmates were saved from death through spectacular rescues by firemen, police and a daring restauranteur.
Mrs. L. L. Byrly, who occupied a third floor apartment in the burned structure, is in a local hospital in serious condition from burns about the face and body which she suffered when she delayed her departure to rescue a pet dog.
Mrs. Jane Carterette, who was snatched from a third floor window by Fireman J.L. Croom and Police Sergeant Applebury, collapsed while being brought to safety.
Sergeant Appleberry was painfully cut about the face by a piece of falling glass, but after receiving first aid treatment, remained on duty.
The upper floors of the building were destroyed, and business institutions on the street floor devastated by flames, smoke and water.
Gains Rapid Headway
The fire gained such rapid headway that when the fire trucks arrived the building was burning from bottom to top, and three women were hanging out of third story windows screaming to be saved. The blaze rushing up the stairway was such that an attempt to escape by that means was impossible. Fire Chief Charles Schnibben quickly realizing the situation, would not allow water to be used until the women were rescued. Mrs. Cartterettrette was brought down from the third floor as were Mrs. Byerly and her daughter. But Mrs. Byerly would not allow the firemen to bring her down until she went back into te flames to get her little dog. In doing this she was severely burned. However, the dog was saved although it was badly singed. Little Miss Virginia Byerly preceded her mother down the ladder.
However, before the fire trucks arrived, N. Kristi, proprietor of the Broadway Café, rescued from the second story windows Mrs. M.E. Thorp and Miss Beulah O’Sullivan. He effected the rescue by placing a painter’s scaffold against the building and climbing up this to the second story cornice and lifting the women out of the windows. In doing this he displayed daring bravery and received the applause of the hundreds of onlookers.
Although the fire lasted but an hour and 15 minutes, the firemen had a hard job getting it under control and prevent it from spreading to the building adjacent. Every piece of apparatus, including the fire boat Atlantic, was brought into service, and the blaze was fought from both the front and rear of the structure. Chief Schnibben called every fireman in the department to aid the battle.
Girls Stick at Post
An interesting feature of the fire was that the girls in the telephone office adjacent to the Princess building stuck to their posts even though their office was filled with smoke and they were not sure whether it was their building afire or the one next door. Not a single one left the switchboard, it was stated by business Manager R.F. Walker, and 12,000 telephone calls were answered by them during the hour and a half of excitement. The average number of calls handled by them each 24 hours is but approximately 3,000. Many operators off duty voluntarily came in to aid during the emergency.
The Princess was almost gutted by the fire. The structure was owned by T.H. Wright and he estimated the loss at approximately $30,000, with $27,000 insurance. This among did not, however, include that of the stock and fixtures of the four stores on the ground floor. The fire chief last night approximated the total loss as between $40,000 and $50,000.
The four stores on the ground floor of the structure were occupied by Jarman and Futrelle, druggists; Broadway Café, N. Kristi, proprietor; local agency of the Stieff Piano company; and the Legion Café. The stock and fixtures of the Broadway Café were almost completely consumed by the flames, and the stocks and fixtures of the other stores were practically ruined by water and flames.
An inspection of the building after the fire led the fire chief and others to believe that the fire originated in trash and boxes lying beneath the (end of sentence omitted in paper).
From the front page of The News-Reporter, Whiteville, N.C., Thursday, May 1, 1924. Name of burn victim was spelled Byrly and Byerly in the paper. another name was spelled Carterette and Carttettrette, and the name of Police Sergeant was spelled Applebury on first reference and Appleberry on second.
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