The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-11-30


PEELED TO Jump for Their Iives-TW0 of
the Victims killed. Three Others Fatally
and Sixteen Seriously Injured.
PRDv1DENcR. r. j.. NoxeIuhef 2i.
A disaster of a far more appalling nature
than this city is accustomed to happened hero
this forenoon. AT 1890 fire broke out in the
totir-story brick building. corner Calender and
Mason streets in "a locality occupied by large
number of manufactures of jewelry aud small
wares. The third story OF the building ia
question was occupied By Melvin's lie Jolly
dye-house. Here the fire originated, being
caused by ignition of vapor from ten-gallon
can of naphtha- The flames spread with al
most the rapidity OF lightning, cutting of
from escape the forty people working for
William h Robinson. fnanufac 1rina jeweler
On the fourth floor. The flames rushed up a
narrow stairway ard imprisoned the terrified
mortals aboves Those employed in shops on
he same floor with the fire and below got out
safely.
There being no fre-escapss available the
forty people ia Robinson's shop could do moth
ing but wait for relief from the firemen-relief
which was Of no avail The department re-
spOnded quick enough but their ladders would
not reach. Then followed terrible 81 ght In
the windows were screaming and shrieking
women and girls, fear being depicted on their
countenances. Before the Skinner truck
could be got into position two ladders were
thrown off, one Of which placed against
the building and one was left on the ground.
The firemen then turned their attention to the
patent truck, and there is where the trouble
seems to haye begun. Below were the fremen
laboring with the cumbersome conrivanes.
above was the distressed humanity waiting
waiting moments that seemed as hours. What
delay t.. ere seemed to bel
Suddenly from the ranks a fireman sprang.
Like q Iurrei he went up the ladder that
rested against the building, and standing on
frnl ofgaGf ffa
b ild1ng. He told the girls to slide down his
back. They did so. and, taking one under
each arm, he made his way to the ground.
hese were the first of the girls rescued from
the bullin2. by the time he got to the ground
the patent truck had not heen raised a foot
from Its carriage. The flames were pressing
the girls to the windows, and great volumes of
smoke were hiding them from view Sudden
sound of fall ng body, followed quick
" by other bodies. the girls despair
ing of succOr from the firemen, leaped
from the windows from the fourth story, fall-
ing upon pile of old barrels that had been
thrown into little triangular space fenced off
with pickets. Almost the first one to jump
fence head first From thence She fell 10 the
ground, but no sound came from her. Her
death had been swift and terrible. One man
Jun ea rrif9 from ne Mlnaow facing 1aiSnqar Jar
MIR. Robinson. His left leg and arm were shat
tered. The skin was rolled back from his
had been badly burned before he jumped. and,
though MANNED and burned, was conscious of
Only the two girls mentioned above were
rescued by the firemen. All the other hands
were com PEELED tn leap for their lives Some
few who we're athletic enough to leap upon
the roof of another building near by escaped
with less injury than those who made the ter
ribe flight Of the four stories to the earth.
The names of the killed are: Emma Garrett,
aged TWEEN y-three, and Bessie Cobb, aged six
teen.
Mary McSorley was terribly injured a=d
cannot survive. Thomas S. Mann died in the
evening. Eighteen others were seriously,
many of them probably fatally injured.