Wichita eagle., 1888-03-08

SPRINGFIELD, Mass, March THE
new Office of the Evening Union at the
corner Of Main and Worthington streets
was burned out about o'clock this after
noon and the blaze was attended with the
most sickening horror ever witnessed in
this city, six of the employees meeting a
terrible death, most of them jumping
from the fifth story and being crushed into
a shapeless mass below. Six others badly
injured.
The fire was discovered in the mailing
room and clouds of smoke were pouring
out of the lower story windows before the
poor souls on the upper floor were aware
of their danger The flames shot up the
elevator in the rear cutting off escape by the
stairs and most of the employees who es-
capped found their way to the ground by
way of the roof in the rear. The unfortu-
nate men and women who crowded into
the editorial rooms met horrible fate;
some were cut off in the composing room,
and there is still terrible suspense, as
several fell back into the flames. The en-
ployes who rushed into the editorial room
were cut off from the escape in the rear,
and had to face the horrible
alternative of burning to death
or a mp to the sidewalk below and
lIlHDUlul HlutlldtiOu. Lie lire depart
ment responded promptly but it seemed
an age before it reached the windows of
the fifth story. A ladder was put up to
the fourth story and the sight of rescue so
near seemed to madden the suffering
group at the two windows, who dropped
in succession to the sidewalk below. Six
fell in this way, some of them forced of
groaned and turned their heads away as
rbey whirlad through the air
The dead are as follows:
Henry LGoulding, foreman of the Union
composing room: burned to death.
Mrs. G.. Thompson, proof reader.
Mrs Frederick f. Farley, editorial de
partment; fell from the window and
killed
Mr.. Lamson, of Quebec, jumped and was
W. f. Hovey, of Boston, fell to the side
walk.
Mr.. Brown, compositor.
The injured are as follows:
Thomas Donahue, compositor: badly cut
on the head and left leg broken at the
knee.
Timothy Dunn, compositor; arm and leg
Joseph w. Witty, compositor; hand
neck and ears badly burned. He chung to
the window until the fire forced him to
drop, but he fell on a ladder and was
saved.
C. f. Ellsworth, compositor; compound
fracture Of the leg.
Thomas Donohue, compositor; broken
thigh, fatally injured.
1t is thought that the fire started among
the lumber in a closet on the ground floor
The only available article for quenching
the flames in the office was an old water
ing can. There were no force pumps OF
fire buckets of any sort A large canvas
cfra bod tha Ell IL
Three men jumped on this, but broke
through and fell out on the pavement. A
woman also fell through the canvas and
landed on the sidewalk insensible.
George G. Ware, the Associate Press
operator, had narrow escape. He was
sitting in a room on the Worthington
street side of the block when
in front and the passage ways Were
thick with smoke as he jumped up to run.
In the same room were Mrs. Farley, Mrs.
Howard, the New England editor, Mr..
Warren, the news editor, and Mr.. HILL the
managing editor. No one had suspected
the presence of fire until all way OF escape
by the elevator appeared to be cut Oft.
Mrs. Farley started for the elevator and
shouted to her." said Mr. Ware, 'to go
the other way, and took hold of her The
smoke was so dense in the paSSageway
that one could have lived there hardly a
minute. Mrs Farley struggled to free
herself and succeeded. She rushed out to
the front of the building. / followed Mr.
Hill and Mr.. Warren and Mrs. Howard
through a window to the roof on the east
side
Joseph ID. Landlord was standing on the
sidewalk at the end of the building fur
therest from one corner when Mrs. Farley
fell. He stood his ground and reached out
his arms to catch her. She fell on his neck.
throwing him to the ground senseless.
Mrs. Farley was killed instantly. Mr..
Landlord wSs soon restored to conscious
ness and is not seriously hurt
Mr. Hill, the managing editor. was in
the news room when he heard the first cry
of fire" The forms had just been sent
down and the men were ENJOYING
the customary relaxation after the
hurry of the afternoons work
-Four or five of them We're in the room
smoking, chatting and Joking. 1t seemed
less than minute before the smoke burst
up into the composing room and the com
posltors took the alarm. Mr. Hill ran oul
and told the men and women to start fol
the roof in the rear: many of them did so
He felt perfectly safe for few minutes as
he saw the men climbing over the roo
near the old quarters of the office About
fifteen OF the thirty-five employees, how
ever, rushed to the front. Several of these
were saved with the greatest difficulty.