The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-05-27
ANOTHER HORROR.
A Five-story Building Burned at 0incin
ati--Fourteen Persons Perish
in the Flames.
Number of Persons Injured by Jumping
From windows-Death Trap With
out Means OF Escape-Death
OF Heroic Man.
FULL PARTICULARS.

FULL PARTICULARS.
CINCINNATI, May 22.-Yesterday after
noon fire broke out In five-story build
ing at the corner of Sixth and Walnut
streets, occupied by Sullivan & Company,
printers. There was also a bindery in the
building In which number of girls were
employed. The flames spread so rapidly
that It cut off their escape and several girls
jumped from the third-story windows and
were instantly killed. Thirteen girls and
one man were killed and two men injured
The building was occupied by Orth, Wis
sell & Co. as dye house; Sullivan & Co.,
printers; the Partisan Dyeing Company; the
Ledger Postal News Company; J. X. Kins-
ley, gold silver and nickel plating works.
Huge volumes of smoke burst from the fifth
story windows Of the building, followed by
the half-smothered shrieks Of frightened
women, who Immediately appeared at the
windows. Then, as they seemed to realize
that escape was cut Off, one leaped forth
into the air and fell to the pavement below.
Cries of "IIold on" from below detained
the others for moment and then another
leaped forth.
As soon as the fire had been located in
the printing office, those in the vicinity
familiar with the interior Of the place began
to realize the awful tragedy that was to be
enacted. The second-story contained the
presses and machinery, employing about ter
men and boys, the thrd-story was the com
posing room, while on the fourth and fifth
floors were the folding and binding depart
ments.
The fire originated at the hatchway on the
second-foor. A boy had just carried up a
can Of benzine and set It down at this point,
when It almost Immediately exploded. The
benZine was thrown over the already greasy
woodwork Of the elevator and in an instant
the fire reached the fifth-hoor,
Here were employed fifteen or twenty
young girls and here began the awful scene
of death. There was no possible avenue Of
escape: In the rear and front alike were but
barely two or three narrow windows There
was no means Of leaving the room save by a
narrow stairway from floor TO floor and a
clumsy elevator running through the center
OF the building. Every floor was packed
with paper, which. together with the light
pine woodwork, made rich fuel for the
flames. The fifth floor was also occupied as
were several girls. No escape was possible
and even had there been an avenue Of re-
treat the fire spread 80 fast that the victims
would still have been obliged TO give uT
their lives almost without struggle.
Among the killed Is John Sullivan, a
nephew Of the proprietor WHO was on the
second floor wnen the fire started. He al
once rushed up TO the fifth floor TO save the
women there, and finding his own escape
cut off at the steps set to work to save the
women through the windows. Some one
got upon the roof from an adjoining build
ing anf threw large rope down, and thl;
the hero clutched standing on the window
sill surrounded by binding smoke ant
flames He aided two OF the women Il
grasp the rope and let themselves down
and then seeing that no more pressed for
ward to be saved he lnmself reached out anC
caught the line and began TO descend. Bu
he was not TO live to reap the reward OF hi
bravery. The treacherous flames haC
scorched the rope and before he had de
seended two yards II broke above his heat
and he fell TO the sidewalk to be mashed
into shapless mass He never breathet
again. Josie Herks, the last girl who came
down the rope, Is severely burned and wa
taken home
Chief Of the Fire Department Wisbe!
said: ''When was able TO get into th,
fourth-story had no suspicion Of what
should find there. The house was not gutte'
in fact, the fire was chiefly on the fifth
story, and the burning In the fourth Is no
considerable, so / didn't expect to NEE
such sight as / saw. In the smoke tina
still filed the fourth-foor counted ten girl
lying upon benches, tables and other things
stretched upon the floor, with not a hal
singed. don't wonder at II, however, a
excepting hatchway, was unable TO fnt
any way up or down from that floor, al
though suppose there must be stairway
It was terrible sight; the worst ever saw
They lay In all conceivable positions Al
they had fallen while wildly cropping abou
in dlspalr."
The following are the killed thus far re
ported: Fillie Winn; Fannie Jones, aged 30
Lizzie Meyer, IS; Kate Lowry; Della, Katt
and Mary Leaban, %, IA and 10 years, re
spectively; Kate and Mary Punton, 22 ant
10; Lille and Dollie Hardd, 20, twins
Annie McIntlre; Annie Bell, As, married
John Sullivan, 90, nephew Of the proprleto
of the printing works. The injured are
Annie Plchback, Of Covington, KY, severel.
. burned; Josie Herks, William p. Bishop, |
printer, frghtfully burned and crushed, vii
die; Mamie Sbepperd, head badly cut.
Dastardly Attempt to Wreck an Ex
press Train.