The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-07-29
-rrnm the rhilat,elnhia Times.l ]

From the Philadelphia TimcSl
.r,. rla district OF Kensington was the
...,,c Il 4 terrible fire Wednesday morning,
,h, los II property sinking into insignitl-
.o,. in face of the fact that death in its
,.,.. halrid shape came to two female opc-
: r..,f,.>. while others were seriously burned
.YJ nrrli>rd. on the west side OF st. John
.,r,,,. >nuth of Germantown avenue, stood
.i,, rirlrr-hoX selected by the tlamcs-a
,,rr...nrv brick building. fronting seventy
,iy ict on ST. John street, with depth
= tt;y feet. The building was half 4
century old. itS first Use being rs n
..noul-hoU>c. To the north stands the OLD
.Glohc Mill 4 structure that did service
in revolutionary days. having been replaced
iy Al enormous structure OF brick ana stone
. few wears ago. In the latter building
.i,ou, iJo men and women were at work ut
.I.Iimc II the fire. but the wind was in
favorable direction. and the immense build
M, filled with cotton and other intlamma-
IE. substances. did not fall 4 prey to the
rlmc>. The building destroyed was used
a. shoddy MILL to manufacture cloths
from RAGS and scraps. Although on fire
thrice before. no tire-escape had been pro-
,.lrd ior the opcratvcs-only one narrow
,,ir Of stairs from the ground floor to the
fourth story.
An ACT OF HEROISM.
t the usual hour the employes-thrce
men and seven womcn-Went TO WORK. Inc
force had been greatly reduced owing 10 4
diminished demand for shoddy goods. Five
- the women were ut work in the fourth
story sorting rags. one woman was in the
third story. or storagc-room, and the re-
naming woman. Ellen HEAVIER, with the
three men, was in the ground story, where
the cardinc was done. The employees had
been at work about three quarters OF an
hour when the fire broke out in the
pickcr-room, some iron substance striking
the revolving machinery used to re-
dncc the rays TO particles, and by spark
irniting the mass OF rags Greasy rags
and floors soaked with oil led the flames at
lightning speed. and inside OF five minutes
the building was in blaze. The only
means of escape, the stairs, were quickly
DESTROYED. but not before Ellen HEAVIER had
rushed UP TO the third and fourth stories
and sounded the alarm-an act OF heroiSm
that cost her life. The women hurried down
10 The second story, only to find themselves
inasca Of lire -Four OF the women-Mat-
tir Hoover. Corncia Peterson, Maggie Sher.
iitn. and Maggie Sweeney-ran through the
.'alnc, 10 il rear window, and by means OF
an old shed reached the ground in safety,
although each received bad ScorchinS.
JUMP! JUMP!
The other women, Ellen HEAVIER, Am
Patterson. and Maria Hoover, tried to fol
IoW their companions, but the fierce flames
drove them back. Step by step the fire
drove them back to the fourth story, they
all the time uttering frantic cries for help
An excited crowd had collected in front o.
the building, and shouted to the poor wo
men. now driven TO the upper windows b.
the heat: Jump! jump! or .ycu,ll b'
burned 10 DEATH" The crowd Of lockers
un seemed dcmented, and while some
. placed bales OF rags and shoddy beneath th'
windows others insancy dragged then
away to save the worthless stuff from tht
flames. Ann Patterson. at the extreme
northern window in the fourth story
first made the leap for life. Sht
struck the hard pavement with thud that
wrunS q cry OF agony from the terror
stricken crowd. Said spectator: "Sht
came down almost head-foremost, and re
bounded several feet in the air." She wa:
80 terribly bruised that not even moar
escaped from her lips. Then Ellen HEAVIER
Who died to save her companions, made tht
fatal leap. Though she did not strike tht
pavement with as much force rs did Mis-:
Patterson, the shock was terrible. Sht
moaned piteouSly, but was unable to speak
Maria Hoover, by means of rope, greatly
lc,>cncd the height OF her leap, and escaped
with Slight bruises. although she was badly
Nurncd.
FATAL LEAPS.
The wounded women were at once re-
moved to nei.hboring drugstores, where
their burns were dressed. Ellen Heavel
died while being placed in 4 wagon to bt
removed to, Il hospital. The brave woman
was thirty-thrcc years, married, and the
mother and support OF seven children, nel
husband, tanner, having been for some
t!mc lncapacitatcd for work. Her mangled
body was taken to her distressed family at
1913 Charlotte street. Ann Patterson was
removed TO st. Mary'- Hospital, where she
dled about noon III great agony. She was
an unmarried woman OF thirty-onc years,
h'lng with her brother in Bainbridge street
near Gray'S Ferry road. Maria Hoover was
taken to st. Mary's Hospital, and it is fear
cu that her terrible injuries by fire will
prove fatal. She lives in Gray's Ferry road
hear Alter street.
THE FIREMEN's RETREAT.
The Fire Department was promptly out,
but the intense heat prevented them from
working with advantage. 4 section OF hose
"iiicu III front OF the building quickly
burned up, and the fremen had to retreat
Tor their lives. BY the hardest kind Of work
they prevented the spread of the flames.
Opposite the burning Undertook, on the
east side OF st. John street, very narrow
lAoroughiare, stands row OF two-story
brick dwellings. They were on fire half Il
dozcn times, but each time the flames were
subducd. Robert Cruegar and his mother,
ihe occupants of one OF the houses, were
badly burned about the hands and face in
.aVing their household goods. A row Of
frames directly south OF the mill also caught
are, but were saved with small loss. Charred
windows and doors on all sides attest the
intensity OF the heat.
IL is stated that if Dickinson had not been
tiiled by Williams he would in all likeli-
MOOD have met that fate at the hands OF an
"lher " young lady's father, also resident Of
Wytheville.
Dir. j. j. Case, of Racine, Wis, has just
paid s27 500 for the trotting-horse Governor
"prague; aged five Years.
Aorritz Meyer, merchant from Selma,
Ala, was robbed OF $4,000 in o New York
s'feet-car On Wednesday.