The Springdale news., 1888-11-16
A TERRIBLE FIRE.


 steam Guage and Lantern works at Rochester, N. Y.-The Death List May Reach Upward. of Fifty.
 ROCHESTER, N. r., Nov. 10.-The most disastrous and fatal fire that has hap pened in this city for many years oc- cured last evening, and the loss of life is expected to reach between fifty and sixty persons. A general alarm was sounded at half-past seven o'clock on fire being discovered ln the packing room of the Rochester Steam Gauge & Lantern Works, an important factory employing a large number of mon. So busy has the factory been lately that the mon hava been working night and day to itch up on orders. The locality where the fire occurred is regarded as somewhat dan- gerous, and when the report got abroad that the lantern works and the cotton factory in it's vicinity were on firs there was intense excitement all over the city, which was increased, when at nine o'clock the rumor got abroad that a large number of men had been killed. The building to which the fire was confined was SIX stories high. About sixty men were working in the three upper floors, and as soon as they found there was fire underneath them they began to leap from the windows, ignoring the fire capes with balconies that were ready for them on the south side of the building. In these leaps quite number of men were injured, many of them so seriously that they will probably die By nine o'clock the building was entirely de- stroyed and five mon had been taken out dead, sixteen seriously injured, fourteen were entirely safe, and tue rest unac- counted for, of whom quite number ara unknown by name.
 The scenes at the fro were heart-rend- ing, and prominint among those who were present after the fire were three priests in their surplicss, who adminis- tered spiritual comfort to those who were ill dying condition.
 The factory was built on the high bank on the west ida of the Genesee river, and was difficult one for the fremeu to get at, owing to one side being closed to them.
 Two buildings that were in great dan- for long time were the Rochester Cot ton Factory an Williams & Hoyt's shoe factory; but both of these buildings were saved from destruction, the only damags done to them being by smoke and water. Following is list of the casualties so far as learned up to midnight.
 The killed are:
 John Gall. foreman.
 Joseph Danger; jumped from sixth floor, and pickel IT. dead
 Henry Snyder; burned internally.
 Frank A. Ochs.
 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 more or less burned and bruised.
 Richard Pierce
 John Greenauer.
 William Devlin.
 Frank Froedlin.
 $. Burkhard.
 Oscar Knotts.
 Joseph Burkhard.
 Charles Diehl.
 G. Kippert.
 Stephen Forbes.
 John Greenauer, No. 2
 Con. Hollerau.
 John Ball.
 Those known to be missing are:
 Thomas Matthias.
 s. Robbins.
 Charles Weber.
 John Miller.
 Patrick Cosgrove.
 Richard COnnor.
 G. Walters.
 Charles Smith.
 Robert Poole.
 Frank R. Evnish.
 Alfred Cannon.
 These are known by name to be miss. Ing. but until the books are examined it will not be possible to tell who were &C., tually at work. Among those saved were: John Platts, who escaped by slid- ing from the sixth floor. He says there were thirty persons at work on that floor, and three were saved-Rob ert and Ho- ratio Hall and Joseph Smith.
 Platt thinks that about ten others es- capped with him. The lantern works, with stock and machinery. is a total loss, es- timated at about S225,000. The insur- ance is S179 900.
 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 mak- ing the danger known to the men on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors. They at once realized their perilous position, anu made their way from tue building, but before they all got out the structure was a seething mass of fire. There was not the slightest chance of escape by the usual doors of exit, and the windows were at once utilized for the purpose. The majority of the workmen lost their heads and began to Jump instead of talk ing the fire ladders that were attached to the building.