The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-10-28

fH~iL>pfLrutA. October ~
A fire broke out Al Landcnberger's mill
last nigh, which was disastrous 10 life and
property. II originated In the iinishing room
of The second iloor. and spread through the
building with amazing rapidity. About
forty -i,e hands, twelve Of whom were girls,
were az work on this floor. but the majority
were engaged In the spinning and weaving
departments on the upper floors. The
wooden staIrways a. either end Of the build
ing were soon ablaze. The bridge connecting
the building with another mill was shut on
from approach BY ire-proof doors, and in
the absence Of any Iire-e>cape . panic in
stantly cnxued among the men and women
confined within the building. They rushed
20 the windows. crying frantically
% the crowd below 70 save them.
Il was proposed by the crowd 70
form squares In the street and catch the
mel and girls ~ they lcapcd out, but be-
fore anything could be done 4 young woman
Ieaped from the nth story. IL seemed that
every bone il her body was broken, for she
never breathed after striking the pavement.
After this The imprisoned people seemed 20
have become frenzicd, and though the
crowd outside sought 70 encourage them by
shouting that help would shortly be there,
they began jumping from the windows like
sheep. A man, apparently bereft Of reason
hung himself headlong 70 the street, n
while bis body WAS still In the air others
followed. now = man, then . woman or
half-grown girl, until, Ia . few minutes,
eleven human beings, one and AL uncon.
scions with fractured skulls and broken
limbs, were being carried BY tender hands
70 . n~eighboring saloon, on the floor Of
which body after body was laid IN . row,
until vehicles were procured 70 convey them
70 the hospitals
BY this time the relatives Or the victims
began TO gather outside the building. and
the cries Of mothers outside % their children
still In the burning rooms, and their lamen-
tations over those who had jumped and been
literally dashed 70 pieces, were heartrending
70 hear. When the iremen were able 70
enter the building they found on the third
floor the bodies Of two females, burned 81.
most 70 : crisp, and : mar badly scorched
and dead, but before they could search fur
ther the fourth floor, with IL heavy ma.
chinery. csme crashing through. and they
barely escaped with their lives. The fire.
men we're compelled then, 20 desist from
their labors because the floors had gone
charred wood and what remained u the un-
fortunate operatives. ten or twelve. were
mingled together In an unacceptable
mass, which was seething and sending u
columns Of steam - the cold water was
poured upon IL.
The physicians say that the wounds OF near
" every one admitted 70 81 Mary's Hospital
will result fatally.
The total number Of deaths will probably
exceed twenty, there being ten bodies il
the ruins.
Within m hour the flames were brought
under control, leaving the walls standing.
but the inside Quilted.
Some OF The Workmen attribute the fire TO
sparks from the electric lights falling among
waste, while others ascribe me sudden
spread of The flames 70 the influence or
over heated wires. The same mill burned