The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-19

arrcfRf.E S(ENt IN
vuLgp Rr JUMPING PROM tue WINDOWS
rwrxTy Bors SUPPOSED TO RAYS. BEEN
eolsrrp AiIye--Loss OF SRARLY TWO Hun
npsn avp FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
p,r,,to. December IA most disas-
,.ans cooflacra,iou occurred here this eve-
,',nv The sad sud deplorable feature OF
srs,ch il that &c was attended by great loss
Ise The building In which the fire
- ont was brick structure OF five sto-
80 600 feet in depth aud so feet wide,
wred by George w. Tilt, and occupied
III II. Birge x Sons, manufacturers OF
s..u-naner. About $3.50 clock one Of the
,n"n employed in The third story reported
:" The foreman. Thomss Henry, who wss
y, the floor below, thst one NJ the printing
nschpcs was on nre. He speedily made
his way up stairs. and saw the press az the
resr II tue room developed IN flames, which
had hy this time spread 10 adjacent wood
work, while the place was TILED Win dense
,moke.
e,niinu,lly throughout the factory 10 assis.
,he driving process, aud as tins had render
ed everything as dry n iiDder. Mr. Henry
,resI.ed that The spread OF the flames would
ie terribly rapid. and 1t was folly TO think
that ANYTHING could be done TO avert IT.
lie turned and ordered the employees TO
TO FLY FOR THEIR LIVES
immediately. warning as best he could
,bosc who were IN the fourth and nth sto-
rcS, they being principally boys. In the
mean time an alarm had been sounded, to
which portion Of ihe department respond
cd. and a second and general alarm brought
The remainder The scene now presented
was one that would touch The sioutest
bcslt, The building was wrapped IN Seeth-
inc flames. Elnp0yes jumped from the
highest windows, while MANY boys I'm
the two upper stories. who had been I'M
<ucce ssful in tneir effoIis to escape, or
became too bewiideIe1 TO follow the exam
pie Of their companions, appeared az the
windows, with white and terrified faces.
and franieally shouted for help. But their
torture was Of brief duration. Almost
simultaneously with their cry for aid they
ssDk back. overcome by sutfocation from
tlre smoke, and within twenty minutes from
the time the alarm was sounded the walls
crumbled and fell with crash. One small
boy, whose name could not be ascertaincd,
cOurageousiv
JUMPED FROM TIE FIFTH STORY,
and catching the telegraph wires, which
then gave way, slid down one OF them aud
e,caped with badly-cut hands. John Ma
lone, fifteen years old, jumped from the
fifth story, struck the sidewalk, and was
aImos: instantly killed. John Fields, EN-
ployed as overseer among the boys, Jumped
from The fourth story and was picked up
dead. John T. Berry jumped from one
of the upper stories and sustained a
fracture OF the spine and OF both
arms: he will probably die. With the
falling Of the waits the firemen were re-
quired 10 give their attention to the Union
Mali-house, an extensive brick structure,
also owned by George W. Tiff, and occu-
med by John +. Manning. Ii was already
in fair way for destruction. and though
every effort was maze the attempt was I'M
successful, and the best that could be done
was in preventing the further spread OF the
fire.
Wild rumors were sfoat 10 regard TO the
loss OF life, and snxious parents crowded
around with blancbed countenances aud
weeping bitterly while they inquired for
their
MISSING BOYS.
When the excitement bad subsidized some
what an effort was made TO get some know
ledge OF the wounded. The list, so far as
can be ascertaiued, in addition 10 those
before mentioned, is n follows: John Grill
flo, Jumped from the fourth story; arm
broken and injured internally. Moses Ma
lone. jumped from fifth story leg broken.
Patrick O'Brien, arm broken and badly
burned about toe head and back. Edward
Mccormick, jumpsd from the fifth story; cut
about the head. Michael OBrien, leg frac-
tured.
The following boys are missing stephen
Hackett, Martin McGee, Peter Schwander,
John and james Stout, Jay Noultz, Thomas
McCue, Charles Chapman, Thomas Qninlan.
II Is tbougbt that these nine Boys perlsned
in The flames. Without doubt there were
many more who met the same fate, and 1t is
confidently believed that twenty boys, if not
more, were roasted alive in the tire. The
employes numbered between $50 and 100.
james Ryan and John Kennedy jumped out
Of a window, but sustained no material in
jury.
The estimated
LOSSES AND THE INSURANCE
are as follows Birge Sons, on stock and
machinery, Sl50.O00; insured for about
$4,000. George b. Manning. $4,000;
fully insured. George w. Tiff, so, 900 |;
fully insured. A city eneine-nouse, adioin-
ing the building of the Messrs. Birge, was
wrecked by toe falling walls.
The disaster is one from which the Messrs.
Birge Will suffer great embarrassment. The
factory was being run on overtime. and
they had received orders which would keep
them busy 10 their full extent until next
March.
The cause OF the fire is mystery, and no
one Is able TO account satisfactorily fol- It's
origin. No fire Of any description or smo-
king Yves allowed 10 the building, and the
engine and boiler-rooms were In an ada
cent building. A eoroner's jury Is to be
empanneiled from among prominent clti-
zens, and a strict investigation will be
made.
LATER.
IBy Associated Press.l
Further details In regard to last nights
lire are as follows: OF the employees Of
MCssrs. Blrge all have been accounted for
with the exception Of eight previously re-
ported missing. and seven since reported
killed. The tolal number OF lives now
known TO be lost is tifieeu- Two bodies
were recovered from the ruins this MORN