The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-05-30
ANOTHER HORROR.
Explosion, Fire and Death In a Printing
Establishment-Flfteen Lives LesA

CINCINNATI, May H.-At half past on
this afternoon, boy In Sullivan & Co. g
Printing Establishment on Sixth street was
carrying q bucket of benzine up the third
hight OF stairs; tho benxins exploded, and
In an incredible short time the entire STAIR
way was one mass Of flames, thus cutting
Oft the escape Of the seventeen girls a,
work in the bindery ON the fifth floor and
the printers on the fourth floor. The girls
in the bindery rushed, not for the stairway
but the front windows Of the building fully
sixty feet from the ground
To jump meant to be dashed to pieces on
the pavement; to remain meant the most
horrible of fates, that of being burned to
death. They stood at the open windows
wringing their hands and imploringly call
ing on those below to assist them. But
their cries were Of no avail, as those below
had not the means at hand to assist those
Meyer was the first to appear at the
window. The crowd below greeted her
with an encouraging shout, but
was unable to lend any assist.
ance. After a moment of hesitation,
during which she was screened from view
by thick smoke, she determined to make
the leap. With difficulty she drew herself
up on the window sill and let 20. She
started down feet foremost, but in the
rapid descent lost her balance and struck
the pavement on her shoulder and head.
The crowd drew back In horror at the dis
tressing sight, and stood aghast
as . large middle-aged woman
appeared at window to make the
-Sypv, hA lad - -
wait for rope, but she was too much
frightened to understand, and in a second
she was shooting through the air, only to
be almost unrecognizably mangled on the
bricks below. This was Mrs. Ann Bell,
who expired on the way to the hospital.
Almost every bone in her body was broken.
At this juncture two men appeared on the
roof of the burning building with
rope, which they lowered to
the windows below, where young
Sullivan was endeavoring to restrain Josie
Hawks and Emma Pinchback from jump
ing. AS the rope descended it came within
easy reach of him, but he spurned to use
1t when two weak girls were at hand.
He accordingly swung the rope into
the hands of Miss Hawks, who clasped
on the roof above AS she was pass
ing the windows of the third floor, how
ever, tongue of flame shot out, and,
striking her in the face, caused her to re-
lease her hold. Her fall was broken by q
colored man, who rushed unde" the falling
girl, stretching out his arms, thus saving
her life Both rescued and rescuer were
considerably bruised, but not fatally in
jured. AS soon as the rope was freed 1t
yres swung into the hands of the brave
Sullivan, and again he gave up his chance
of life and placed the rope in the hands OF
Emma Pinchbsck, although the flames
were growing hotter about him all the
while. She descended safely. Again the rope
was drawn UP, and this time it was believ-
ed that Sullivan, whose brave acts had ex-
cited the admiration of the masses below,
would succeed in freeing himself from the
perilous position in which he had, for the
benefit Of others, placed himself. Therope
was successfully swung into his hands, and
he started on the descent amid the encour.
aging cheers of the multitude. The rope
however, which had aided in rescuing the
girls had become weak through it's contact
with the flames, and was not suf-
ficiently strong to bear the young
mans weight AS he reached the windows
of the third story the strands parted, and
his body shot downward with terrific ve-
locity. His limbs were broken in several
places, and only lived an hour. BY this
time tarpaulin was spread beneath the
fiery windows and Mamie Shepperd jump
ed to it and was saved. VIM. Bishop,
printer, hung from the window sill of the
fifth story for fully ten minutes, until the
firemen erected ladder and rescued him
His arms and face were badly
burned. He will recover. In
q short time after the arrival
of the fire department the flames were ex-
tinguished. On the fremen and police
ascending to the fifth story horrible sigh,
met their gaze. Lying ON the floor were
the remains of eleven girls who, hall
smothered, half burned, had met theiI
| deaths with scarcely a minutes warning
| The dead are John Sullivan, aged twenty
one years Della Lavan, twenty three Mary
Lavan, seventeen; Katie Lavan, fourteen
Lizzie Handle, seventeen; Dollie Handle
her twin sister; Katie Puntan, twenty two
| Mary Puntan, nineteen; Tillie VIM
| eighteen; Fannie Jones, twenty; Lizzie
| Meyers, seventeen; Annie Mcintyre, seven
teen; Katie Lowry, nineteen; Mrs. Annie
Bell, thirty live.
CINCINNATI, May 22.-Nannie Shepherd
who was injured yesterday by jumping
from the fifth story window of the burnin,
printing office on Sixth street, to tar
paulin held for her below in the street
died this morning at ten O'Clock from in
juries received. At first it was though
that her injuries would not prove fatal, bu
time proved that her injuries were of al
| inf