The New York herald., 1879-12-24
HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES.

HOY ME OF THE employees MADE THEIR
WAY FROM THE BURNING FACTORY IN
rwENTY-sINrH srgEEr-rnE RUINS, THF
LOSSES AND THE INJURED.
The OF the factory Grc of the previous night
WAS visited all through the morning and afternoon
yesterday by curious multitude. and when night
fell the interest il excited to have way
abated Comment ran high among people with ref
erence to the supposed neglect of the factory
ers in not anticipating fires and providing against
them. This fire. it is thought. will turn attention
again to large workshops aud lead to an
official inquiry as to whether life is safe in
them not. The ruins yesterday bore ample
evidence OF the suddenness and ferceness Of the
fiery attack upon the buildings. The front walls
facing Twentyninth street completely destroyed
and leyelled the ground leaving clear view OF th
machinery and rear building on Thirtieth street.
The building No. 235 West Twenty-ninth street is
complete wreck. having been crushed by the falling
wall of the west side factory The space where the
fire made its way through the building is inn.
mense heap of charred beams. burning wood and
tin roofing. Several streams of water were
tnually pouring OH the debris. On the opposite
side of the way from the ruins were. assembled
OF young slis snsM sy sp %ac
various escapes to open mouthed companions.
MARY BucKRIDGE's ESCAPE.
avenue. OF the four who leaped from the
burning building to an adjoining roof. Speaking OF
her escape she said There were nine OF the
seventh floor when the fire broke out. AT the
moment the smoke came up the stairway in thick
volumes We rushed to the windows looking to-
ward Seventh avenue, we had previously been in-
structed i'll OF re because they the easiest
opened The blinds of all were shut. and in the
citenent We forgot about the fire escapes which
were at the windows looking toward Thirtieth
street We kept heads out OF the Seventh avenue
side until the rushing smoke nearly smothcred us.
i
jumped to tho roof OF the next house."
Susie McAlinney, another Of the girls who escaped.
floor when were told that there was ire, and at
first were not much frightened but won't for our
cloaks and hats and think all OF would have got
away safely but that when we got into the hall It
was dark and tho smoke was filling up the place.
smoke down stairs. or the fifteen on our floor kali
of them The we were kept so late
and we were working overtime. think there were
altogether some fifty or sixty girls in the building.
but don't know exactly
THE LOSERS
Part of the rear building, which suffered little by
the fire. was occupied by Messrs. Cary Moens,
makers of steel wire. The Office OF the firm is in
Twenty-ninth street. opposite the burned buildings.
Whatever losses they sustained were mostly from
water. Mr.. Cary said that, while he could not state
the precise amount of insurance various policies.
it would be safe 10 state their firm was fully in.
sured. and therefore would sustain further loss
than interruption to business The West,
Bradley Cary Manufacturing Company declined
to make any public statement Of the total amount of
their insurance. but believe 1t to be somewhere In
the neighborhood of 100000.
'.We had over q hundred hands at work, :" said
Mr.. West, of the firn "and had been running with
only part of our full force, but making
rangements to put extra force Of 200 men,"
The basement was occupied by Messrs. H. Runkie
e. Co., and used a chocolate manufactory. It
is universally admitted that the fire broke out in
their premises and the goods used by them being
OF an infammable nature, the fire made great head
way in an incredibly short space time The actual
origin OF the fire Is still unknown.
The injured girls were a at their homes yesterday.
Among them were Susan Macklin, Kate Mullany,
Mary Buckridge and Mary Casey. Miss Casey wss
bruised by striking on the railing while being low
cred from the roof to the fire escape and the others
were badly bruised by jumping from the burning
building to the one adjoining. man named Con-
rad Krsmm, OF No. 44l West FftyAfth street. called
ut the Twentieth precinct station and informed Cap
tain Washburno that his daughter who was en-
ployed in the factory. had not been since the
morning before the fire, when she left her home.
Tho Captain investigated the He called upon
Miss Malady, of No. ALL West Forty-second
street. and there told that Margaret Krumm. the
supposed lost GIRL had left the building in her
pany and safe. As tho man did not return again
to the station the Captain Of the opinion that
she went home in the meantime after having at
some friends house during the night. Every one
else has been accounted for and ore was lost.
was at first feared.