Tragedy at the Old County Hospital
An elderly woman is trapped and killed when a kerosene lamp sparks a blaze in the abandoned county hospital building.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mrs. Mary E. Pearce, 79 years old, was burned to death in her home at the old county hospital, a half block south of the present county hospital, and the entire two-story structure was razed to the ground as the result of the overturning of a lamp at 7 o'clock last night. Parker Pearce, the aged woman's husband, who is nearly 78 years old, was in the building at the time the fire started, and made a desperate attempt to drag his unconscious wife from the place, but failed. The old couple had been living in the abandoned hospital building, located near South 88th and Pacific Ave., at the expense of the county. Mrs. Pearce was preparing for bed when a lamp overturned. Her husband wrapped a comfort about her and dragged her to the door, but exhaustion prevented him from pulling her to safety. Her charred remains were recovered by firemen minutes later. The building was deemed worthless and slated for demolition, though criticism was leveled at the fire department for an alleged delay in response and equipment issues.
“After he had returned with the water, however, he was so exhausted that he was unable to drag his prostrate wife from the building.”
This story highlights the precariousness of aging and housing in early 20th-century Tacoma, where vulnerable populations were often relegated to 'worthless' surplus public property. The intersection of South 88th and Pacific Avenue remains a busy thoroughfare, though the institutional landscape of the city has shifted drastically since this fire.
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