St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-15
THE RECORD OF Ruin.
Fire, Storm and Flood Raise Havoc With
Property and Life at Various
Points.
Five Women Terribly Injured at Burn
ing Mattress Faotory---Searohing
for the Dead.
Meager Reports of Great Conhagra-
ton on Vancouver's Island,
British Columbia.
The City of Galveston for Time
Threatened With Destruction
by Fierce Storm.
A Chicago Fire Trap.

CHICAGO, June 14.-Payne, Perrin &
Menzie's mattress factory at Twenty-fourth
and Butler streets, was totally destroyed by
fire this afternoon, and it was reported at
the fire alarm office that three of the female
employees had lost their lives. The build
ing is a three-stOry frame structure of
tlimsy build. 1t was filled with the most
inflammable material, and the flames
spread with fearful rapidity. The blaze
originated in the machinery. When the
engines got to the scene, the employees, of
whom there were large number. had to
flee for their lives. A number of girls
were in room in one corner of the
building. Finding escape shut off,
they had to jump to save them
selves. Two were very seriously hurt.
Their names are: Mrs. Vina Chison, No.
317 West Randolph street, and Jennie
O'Hara. II years old, No. 4OS Twenty-sec-
ond street. 1t is greatly feared that large
number of employees are in the ruins. AS
soon as the fire was under CONTROL the fire
men commenced a search. The girls who
were shut off from the stairway by the
flames numbered nineteen. They rushed
panic-stricken to the windows, and before
ladders could be obtained five of the girls
Jumped or were pushed to the pavement
below. In addition to Mrs. Chilson and
Jennie O'Hara, the name OF only one other
of the five is known, but each was danger
ously and one probably fatally injured. The
latter is Kittie Hilderbrandt, who had both
arms and one leg broken, and is believed to
be hurt internally. Up to late hour no
evidence had been discovered that any of
the employees were in the ruins. The loss
upon the building and stock will not eX-
coed SIS, 900. and is insured.
FURTHER DETAILS.
Special to the Globe.
CHICAGO, June 14.-''The building is
on fire, girls what will we do?" cried pretty
fifteen-year-old Kitty Hilderbrand as she
jumped to her feet in the feather room of the
of Twenty-fourth and Butler
streets, this afternoon. There were
eight young girls working in the room with
her, which was on the third floor, and in an
instant the greatest excitement and confu-
sion prevailed. The girls were panic
stricken, and not one of them had
the slightest idea what to do. The
building was twenty-eight feet wide
and 100 feet deep, with the
front On Butler street. 1t was a three
story frame structure occupied by Payne,
Perren d Minnie as mattress factory
and owned by T. f. Wheeler. The
fire started in the shoddy room at the east
ern end of the building, and almost like a
flash the building was in blaze. The men
in the mattress room on the floor above,
discovering the fire, rushed to the front part
OF the factory and warned the
women and girls employed there that
they must get out. Instead of
doing that they began to scream and tried
to save what few things they had in the
room. Mrs. Chilson, a married woman 40
years of age, was the last one in the room.
She ran to the window facing on
Twenty-fourth street, and jumped out.
She fell on her feet and rolled over Oh her
head, which was severely bruised. Kitty
Hilderbrand and Lizzie Frawley rushed to
the window on the Twenty-fourth street
side. The Frawley girl jumped
first and was caught in the
arms of several members of Truck No. 4.
While they were placing her on her feet
Kitty Hildebrand Jumped. The firemen
were too late to catch her and she fell on
her side. She was injured about the hips
and head and very seriously internally
The doctors said last night that her recov-
cry was doubtful. The fire burned tlercely
for two hours, until the building was
burned to the ground. The dwelling
houses adjoining were Quilted. After
the fire had been eXtinguished it was
reported that several girls were missing and
search for the bodies in the ruins begun
No body, however has been found as vet