The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-12-02
LEAPING FOR LIFE.

A Fire In a Providence Building Pens In
About Forty Persons, Who Are Conn
PEELED to Jump for Their Lives-Two of
the Victims Killed, Three Others Fatally
and sixteen Seriously Injured.
PROVIDENCE. r. J., November 81.
A disaster of far more appalling nature
than this city is accustomed to happened here
This forenoon. At 1880 a fire broke out in the
four-story brick building, corner Calender and
Mason streets, in locality occupied by alarge
number of manufactures of jewelry and small
wares The third story of the building in
question was occupied by Meyin'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 II. Robinson, manufacturing jeweler,
on the fourth floor The flames rushed up
narrow stairway and imprisoned the terrified
mortals above. Those employed in shops on
safely.
There being no frc-eseapes available the
forty people in Robinson's shop could do moth
ing but wait for relief from the tiremen-relief
which was of no avail. The department re-
sponded quick enough, but their ladders would
not reach. Then followed a terrible sight, 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 was 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 have begun. Below were the fremen
labor1ng with the cumbersome contrivance;
above was the distressed humanity waiting
wanting moments that seemed as hours. What
delay tuere seemed TO bel
suddenly from the ranks fireman sprang.
Like a luirrel he went up the ladder that
rested against the building, and, standing on
Inc tOpmOSt round, he leaned over against the
b Hiding. 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.
These were the first of the girls rescued IRON
the building. by the time he got to the ground
the patent truck had not been raised foot
from It's carriage. The flames were pressing
the girls to the windows, and great volumes OF
smoke were hiding them from view. Suddenly
there was shrek and then the sound of fall
ing body, fol- lowed quickly by other bodies. The
girls. despairing of succor from the firemen,
leaped from the windows from the fourth story,
falllng upon pile OF old barrels that had been
thrown into little triangular space fenced of
with pickets. Almost the first one to Jump
was little short girl, who fell upon this picket
fence head first From thence she fell to the
ground, but no sound came from her. Her
death had been swift and terrible. One man
jun ed from the window facing Calendar
sire l. This was Thomas Mann, foreman for
Mr. Robinson. His left leg and arm were shat
tered. The skin was rolled back from his
hands and arms like. scorched parchment He
had been badly burned before he jumped, and,
though MANNED and burned, was conscious of
his terrible situation.
Only the two girls mentioned above were
rescued by the tremen. All the other hands
were compelled to leap for their lives. Some
few who were athletic enough 10 leap upon
the roof of another building near by escaped
with less injury than those who made the ter
rible fight of the four stories to the earth.
The names of the killed are Emma Garrett,
aged twenty-three, and Bessie Cobb, aged six
teen.
Mary McSorley was terribly injured and
cannot survive. Thomas s Mann died in the
evening. Eighteen others were seriously,
many of them probably fatally, injured.