Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-08
Burning of a Printing Ofice-A GI
Harr s.-1.

Burning of Printing Ofice-A Great
Many Lives Lost.
SPRINGFIELD (Mass). March 7th-3:3O
M.-The Daily Union office is now burning.
Six or eight people are burned to death
The fire threatens to be big one
The Union is the leading Republican pa
per of this city, and had just moved into
fine new building, which has been erected
at great cost.
AWFUL LOSS OF LIFE.
SPRINGFIELD (Mass), March 7th.-The
flames in the Union office spread so rapidly
that only few of those in the upper
stories escaped. Mrs. Farley, the society
editor, was instantly killed by jumping
from the window. The composing groom
was on the fifth floor, and the inmates were
shnt of from escape.
A dozen men ran to the windows and
hung suspended by their hands until their
strength gave out, when they dropped to
the sidewalk and were either killed or ia
tally injured. There were forty persons in
the editorialroom. and twenty are missing,
but it is hoped they escaped.
LATER-sIx LIVES LOST.
SPRINGFIELD, March 7th.-The new Office
of the EUening Union was burned out this
afternoon, and the blaze was attended with
the most sickening horror ever witnessed
IN this city. Six of the employees met with
horrible deaths, most of them jumping
from the fifth story and being crushed into
shapeless masses below. Six others were
badly injured.
The fire was first discovered in the mail
ing-r oom, and clouds of smoke were pour
ing out of the lower story windows before
the fifty souls on the upper floor were
aware OF their danger. The flames shot up
an old elevator in the rear,
CUTTING OFF ESCAPE
By the stairway, and most of the employees
who escaped found their way to the ground
by way of the roof in the rear The unfor-
tunate men and women who crowded into
the edltorlal-room met a horrible fate.
The employees who rushed into the editorial
room were cut Oft from escape in the rear
and had to face
THE HORRIBLE ALTERNATIVE
OF burning to death or jumping to the side
walk below, and suffer frightful mutilation.
The ire department responded promptly,
but 1t seemed an age before ii reached the
windows of the fifth story
ladder was put up to the fourth story,
and the sight of rescue so near seemed to
madden the suffering group at two win
dows, who dropped in succession to the
sidewalk below. Six fell in this way, some
of them forced off, and some madly leap
ing. the crowd groaned and turned their
heads away as the poor creatures came
whirling downward through the air.
LIST OF THE VICTIMS
Killed-Henry J. Goulding, foreman
Union composing-room, burned to death.
Miss 6. Thompson, proofreader, and
Mrs. Frederick E. Early, of the editorial
department, fell from window.
Mr.. Lamson, of Quebec, jumped from
window
W. E. Harvey, of Boston, fell to side
walk
MIR. Brown, compositor.
The injured are: Thomas Donahue, TIM
othy Dunn, Joseph Witty, G. F. Ellsworth
and Thomas Donahue, all compositors.
Their injuries are very serious, and they
may die.
HOW THE FIRE STARTED.
1t is thought the fire started among some
lumber in a closet on the ground floor.
The only available article for quenching
flames in the offices was an old water-can
There were no force pumps nor fire. buckets
OF any sort.
SCENES IN THE STREET.
A large canvas sheet was stretched over
the sidewalk. Three men jumped on this.
but broke through and fell on the pave
ment.
woman also fell through the canvas
and landed on the sidewalk insenslble.
James Landlord was standing on the
sidewalk at the end of the building farthest
from the corner when Mrs. Farley fell. He
stood his ground and reached out his arms
to catch her. She fell on his neck. throw
ing him to the ground senseless. Mrs. Far
ley was killed instantly. Landlord was
soon restored to consciousness, and is not
seriously hurt