The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-10-14
A Horrible Catastrophe.

been fair in all rulings, and the resolu-
tion was unanimously adopted.
A Horrible Catastrophe.
Philadelphia, Oct. 13.-Charles H.
Landerberger's mill. owned by Joseph
Harvey, LII Randolph sereet, burned
last night. The fire broke out at 9:45.
The neighbors rushed to the buildings
and saw the operatives at the windows
on the Sd and 4th floors. They called
to the girls not to jump. as ladders
would be brought, but several of the
girls sprang from the windows. The
shrieks of the people in the building
where escape was cut OF, were heart
rending; most of them jumped to the
sidewalk and few escaped by the ele-
vator rope. 1t is believed that one-half
Of those injured will die. At least
twenty persons were injured. One girl
is reported killed outright by striking
on the steps. Some of the operatives
are thought to have been burned In the
ruins.
The fire originated in the finishing
room on the second floor, and spread
through the building with amazing
rapidity. About forty.fve hands,
twelve Of whom were girls, were at
work on this floor, but the majority
were engaged in the spinning and weav-
ing department on the upper fioors.
The wooden stairways a. either end Of
the building were soon ablaze. The
bridge connecting the building with
another mill was shut of from approach
by flre-proof doors. and in the absence
of any:fre escape, panic instantly ed
sued among the men and women con-
fined within the building. They
rushed to the windows frantically
and cried to the crowd below to save
them. 1t was proposed by the crowd
to form a square in the street and
catch the men and girls as they leaped
out, but before anything could be done
q young woman leaped from the fifth
story. 1t seemed that every bone in
her body was broken, for she never
breathed after striking the pavement.
After this the imprisoned people seemed
to become frenzied, and though the
crowd outside sought to encourage
them by shouting that help would
shortly be there, they began jumping
from the windows like sheep.
When the firemen were able to enter
the building. they found on the third
floor the bodies of two females burned
almost to crisp, and man badly
scorched and dead; but before they
could search further, the fourth floor
With its heavy machinery came crash
ing through, and they barely escaped
with their lives. The firemen were
compelled to desist from their labors
because the floors had gone through to
the ground, with the machinery. charred
wood and what remained OF the unfor-
tunate operatives; ten or twelve were
mingled together in an unrecognizable
manner in a mass of material, which
was seething and sending out columns
Of steam as the cold water was poured
upon it.
Following is list Of the victims, 80
far as can be ascertained now:
.Dead-Annie Brady. Mary Kelly,
Henry Morgan, an unknown girl who
died at the hospital, two unknown
girls eged IS and IS respectively, an
unknown man dead at the morgue.
Injured-Mary Kloss, fractured leg;
Geo. w. Dougherty, Jas. Reynolds,
both legs broken; G.. R. Hotton, broken
leg; VIM. Cooper, back broken; Joseph
F. Barnes, breast hurt, injuries fatal;
David Lapham, fractured skull; Mich'l
Larkins, fractured leg; Fred Kreher,
injured internally; Matte Conlon. spine
injured; Harry Armstrong. legs broken
and internally hurt; he jumped from
the fourth floor; Thos. A. Edwards,
shoulder blade broken; Lizzie Franks,
Mary Brady, Samuel Langham, Annie
Muller, Matilda Schultz, Kate Shaeffer,
George Lapham, David Hutton, Anna
Stoub, Mary Kelly. The victims were
carried of in all directions, some to
their homes, some to houses close by,
and others to various hospitals. The
exact number cannot yet be stated.
The physicians say the wounds Of
nearly every one admitted to st. Mary's
hospital will result fatally. The total
number Of deaths will probably exceed
twenty, there being, ten bodies in the
ruins.
Had the fire occurred in daylight
fully 400 people would have been CON-
PEELED to fight for life. Within an hour
the flames were brought under control,
leaving the walls standing and the in
side gutted.
Some OF the workmen attribute the fire
to sparks from the electric lights falling
among the waste; others ascribe the
sudden spread Of the flames to the In
fluence Of tho overheated wires.