The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-11-29
Loss or LIRE AT A FIRE.
Girls Forced to Leap From a Fourth
Story.

PROVIDENCE, X. l., November u.
"A fire broke out at 1U:2O O'Clock
this morning in the Calandar Build
ing, brick structure on Sabin ST.,
occupied in part by jewelers. shops.
On the fourth floor of the building
was the establishment of William
IL. Robinson d Co. gold chain una
kers. The firm employed forty OPP
era'lves. and among them about ~
girls. When the flames burst up
through the floor aud stairway a
rush was made for the windows.
There WAS no fire escapes and a ter
rible panic ensued. Many of the OPP
eratlves jumped from the window
sills, and two were killed outright.
The fire originated i'll the work
shop of charles T. Melvin, dyer. in
the middle of the building on the
third floor, and was caused by the
ignition of Il ten gallon can of naph-
tina. The room was filled with light,
iiilainable clothes and the wood
work was rs dry rs tinder. The room
was next to the stairway and before
a word of warning could be given
escape by the stairway was barred
by the flames.
The panic among the operatives
In Robinson IL Cos workshop was
fearful. Ju,t across an alleyway,
,ome fifteen feet wide. ut the end OF
the Calande~ building, was a two
story wooden structure. The oper-
allves rushed for the end OF
the building fronting on this
alley. The roof OF the wooden build
ing was about twenty feet below the
window sills on which the excited
z iris were congre gated. The pres
sure OF persons III the rear crowded
and pushed those In the act OF jump
/ ng,and many fell short. Others Were
i iliured by being jumped upon after
they had reached he roof
The dead are: Emma GIssett,
aged % wears. and Bessie Cobb
Both these girls struck the groui'd
between The hui din =, aud died. III
"A few minutes.
The injured are: Mary McSArlel e,
who jumped from a window and fell
on II picket fence. She was terribly
injured and cannot live.
Mary Harry, ID lila Gissett, Em-
ma Matthewson, Mrs Johnson and
Cuddy. all young women, are prob
ably fatally injured Some were car
ried to their hnme: and q hers We're
taken to the RisoeIe Island hospital
III the police Ambulance.
Thomas Main, who lives on
Wells avenue, fell short of the two
story building, and, striking against
it, fell to the ground. He had IN
arm and leg broken.
\ man named Smith fell TO the
ground and was seriously hurt.
Mary Davis jumped from the roof
and broke her legs.
George Grant, of the firm of Jo-
seph W. Grant & Co., jewellers, on
the fourth floor, in the rear of Rob
inson's shop and Immediately over
the dye house where the fire origina-
ted, jumped from the fourth story
window to the roof of the wooden
building and sustained "a compound
fracture of biz left leg.
George Clark, employed by Joseph
w. Grant 4 CO.. endeavored to ex-
tinguish the flames, and made Il mar
row escape with his life,
One man, name unknown, an era
ploye of Grant 4 Co, hung from the
telephone wire until the fire depart
ment arrived. The ladder raised
under him proved to be five feet too
short, and fireman mounted to the
top and caught the workman in his
hands.
At the Rhode Island hospital.
Thomas Mann, foreman Of Grants
jewelry shop. has both ankles bro
ken, is burned on the head and
hands and is hurt internally. He
will die.
Mary Codding, 20 years old, has
bad scalp wound and Il fracture of
the skull, and is fatally hurt. She
lived with widowed mother
Florence Redding is burned in the
face, but not seriously injured.
Three other women at the hospital
are still unconscious, but are not IA
tally hurt.
The burned building belonged to
Amos c. Barstow. William H. Rob
inson's losses are $4,000 Every
thing in his shop was destroyed in
sured for sS,000 Joseph w. Grant
Il Co.'S loss is total, amounting to-
$4,000 Melvin's loss is also total.
The Providence Butter Company
loses 500; uninsured. The Provi-
dence Cigar works lose 500, and the
Providence Saw Works and other
occupants of the lower floors un
known amounts by water damage.
The fire did not extend below the
third floor.
Up to midnight only three victims
of the disaster had died-the two
girls before reported and Thos. Mann,
foreman of Robinson Il Co.'S jewelry
shop. rherr is no hope for Mary
McSirlty, Mrs Cudly or Della Gas
sett Sixteen other perso IS were in
iured, three of them seriously. DIR.
Palmer has summoned jury of in
quest. who will commence their la
bors Ia morrow.
Che Huntington Reformatory
ur,-.rrxrDox No,a,,har %