Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-11-10
NEARLY FIFTY ARE DEAD
Some Killed by Jumping, 9th
 CTS Burned.
CATASTROPHE AT ROCHESTER.

Sixty Workmen Cut or from Escape in Six Story Building-Only Fourteen
 Known to Have Escaped--List of Killed,
 Missing and Injured.
 ROCHESTER,, N. Y., Nov. 1O.-The most disastrous and fatal fire that has happened in this city for many years occurred last evening. and the loss of life is expected to reach between fifty and sixty persons. A general alarm was sounded at 1:30 o'clock, on fire being discovered in the packing room ot the Rochester steam guage and lantern works, an important factory employing a large number of men. So busy has the factory been lately, the men have been working night and day to catch up orders. The locality where the fire occurred is re garded somewhat dangerous, and when the report got abroad that the lantern works and the cotton factory in the vicinity were on fire there was intense eXcitemant all over the city, which was increased when at 9 o'clock the rumor got abroad that large number of men had been killed.
 The building to which the fire was con- fined was six stories high. About sixty men were working on the three upper floors, and as soon as they found there was fire under meath them they began to leap from the win dows, ignoring the fire escapes, with bal comics that were ready for them on the south side ot the building. In these leaps quite a number of men were injured, many of them so seriously that they will probably die. By o'clock the building was entirely destroyed Five men were taken out dead, sixteen seri- ously injured, fourteen were entirely safe, and the rest unaccounted for, of whom quite a number are unknown by name
 The scenes at the. fire were heartrending, and prominent among those who were pres ent after the fire were three priests in their surplices who administered spiritual com fort to those who were in a dying condition
 The factory was built on the high bank on the west side of the Genesee river and was difficult one for the firemen to get at, owing to one side being entirely closed to them.
 Two buildings that were in great danger for long time were the Rochester cotton factory and William & Hoyts shoe factory, but both of these buildings were saved from destruction the only damage done to them being by smoke and water.
 Following is a list of the casualties so far as learned:
 Killed: John Gall, foreman; Joseph Danger, jumped from sixth floor and picked up dead ; Henry Snyder, burned internally; Frank A. Ochs, and Joseph Webber
 The injured are: Frank Siddons, both legs and back broken, will probably die; Jacob Diehl, night watchman, burned internally and prOstrated by shock; John Devlin left leg and wrist injured. And these more or less burned and bruised: Richard Farce, John Greenauer, William Devlin, Frank FrOedlin, $. Burkhard, Oscar Knotts, Joseph Burkhard, Charles Diehl, c. Kippert, Stephen Forbes, John Greenauer (second by that name), Con. Holleran, John Ball. Those known to be missing are Thomas Matthias, S. Robbins, Charles Weber, John Miller, Patrick Cosgrove, Richard Cannon, G. Walters, Charles Smith, Robert Pool, Frank Remish and Alfred Cannon. These are known by name to be missing but until the books are examined it will not be possible | to tell who were actually at work. Among those saved was John Platte, who escaped by sliding from the sixth floor. He says there were thirty persons at work on that floor, and three were saved-Robert and Horatio Hall and Joseph Smith. Platte thinks that about ten others escaped with him.
 I The lantern works, with stock and ma chinery, is a total loss, estimated at about $225, ,00O. The insurance is $179,OOO. i The cause of the fire is mystery The men went to work after supper, and all seemed to be right then. Soon afterward Jacob Diehl, the watchman, while making his usual rounds, discovered flames making their way up through the floor. He had | barely time to give the alarm when he was surrounded by the flames, but he succeeded in making the danger known to the men or the fourth. fifth and sixth floors These a, once realized their position and made theil
 way from the building, but before they al
 got out the structure was a seething mass o1 fire.
 There was not the slightest chance of es
 cape by the usual doors of exit and the win
 dows were utilized for the purpose The ma
 jority of the workmen lost their heads anc
 began to jump, instead of using the fire lad
 ders that were attached to the building. A
 soon as the ruins sufficiently cool worl
 will be begun of searching for bodies. Tn,
 streets were crowded with people during tn,
 progress of the fire, anxious for their friend
 and acquaintances. They stood through thu heavy rain which fell constantly during thu evening, and watched the operations of thu firemen, who did excellent work in savins the adjoining factories, but were too late tc , be of use in the lantern works.