The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-11-12
A,DISASTR0US FIRE
IN A PHILADELPHIA FACTORY,
Struggling Inmates of n box Factory At.
tempt to Hurl Themselves From the
WiudOws-A Number Of the Female
Employees Badly burned,

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Nov, ll,-An ex
ploslon occurred in the Cigar Box manu-
factory OF Henry q, Sheep & Co., Nos
l ,7O4 and l,7O6 Randolph street, this al
ternOon, which blew out the rear wall,
badly iniuFlng q number Of young men,
women and girls and imperiling the lives
Of over one hundred more, The manu-.
factory is q thrse,story brick structure,
with q depth Of l50 feet, back Of which
are located Q number OF sheds for storing
the lumber in the manufacture Of
cigar boxes, The first and second floors
were used as a planning mill and carpenter
shop, and on the third floor were EN-,
ployed about two hundred girls In pastlng
paper Innings In the boxes, The greatest
excitement existed among the hands sul.
ployed In the building and especially the
females, Some OF them ran for the stair.
way leading to the street, while others ran
TO tho windows and few started to climb
out, but they were prevented from lump,
ing to the ground by their companions.
During oil oil this time the flames were
spreading from one floor to another and
crowds attracted by the smoke and the
screams ot the women, blockaded the
street., but the excitement among them
was go great that they appeared powerless
for time TO assist them. Finally several
men ran into the building and succeeded
in getting them all out. The excitement
among the people was increased when the
girls and young women appeared In the
street, some bleeding and others badly
burned.
The fire burned stubbornly despite the
efforts of tho tiremsn to check the flames
and in remarkably short time, owing to
the int ammable character OF the contents,
tho two upper storles Of the factory and
the shedding In the rear were ablaze.
One girl, Carrie Bruner, aged Is, Is mlss.
ing.
Following Is the list Of the injured;
ELLA sTGcEsR, agtd q, badly burned
about face and haGda.
OAhRla MULLER, aged 1S, burned about
the body.
EIAA MuLDER, aged 10, burned about
the face,
MARY E. KNIGHT, aged 10, face and
body burned.
AMANDA Cook, aged 10, burned about
the face, back ard hands.
JOHN PoLLoOE, aged II, injured about
the head.
JOsIru REuMER, aged II, hands badly
burned.
GEORGE KIADALL, aged 10, hoad and
face cut.
DANIEL FRIEs, an old man, both head
and face burned and arm cut.
The fire was gotten under control after
having destroyed almost the entire build
ing. The livery stable Of J. M. TRULY
and A. O. Oresswell adjoining the rear Of
the Cigar Box factory, were blown out by
the force oi the explosion. In Trully's
place some fifty slelghs and carriages were
crushed to atoms and number ot
carriages were also ruined in Oress.
wells building. About two hours after
the fire had been eStinguished the body
OF Carrie Rrpner, aged so, au employe,
was found In tho third story OF the factory
buried under the steam pipes and heavy
tlmbers. Her body and clothing were
but slightly burned and her death was In
all probability caused by the heavy tim.
bers falling upon her when the explosion
occurred. Fifteen persons were more
or less injured, but tits thought that none
Of their injuriea will prove fatal with the
probable exception OF Annie Walaner,
aged %, who received severe burns about
the face and body, and slao sustained In.
iurles from flying timbsrs. The injuries
ot others were burns and bruises sustain.
ed In jumping or falling from
the upper stories. The accepted theory
Of the explosion Is that after the engineer
had banked up the fire In the engine a
back draft had blown the flames out and
that they had communicated with the
BaWduSt in the hin, and the flames shoot
ing upward through a large dust Nue,
which was air-tight, had caused the ex'
plosion. The loss ID estimated at $l7, 900;
insured,