Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-10
HOLOCAUST AT ROCHESTER.
Fire in a Factory Results in a Panic and
Great Loss of Life.

urtat Less OF Lie.
ROCHESTER, N. Y, Nov. l0.-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 $50 o'c.ock on
fire being discovered in the packing room of
the Rochester Steam Gauge and Lantern
works, factory employing large number
of men. So busy has the factory been
lately that the men have been working night
and day to catch up on orders The locality
where the fire occurred is regarded as some
what dangerous, and when the report got
abroad that the lantern works and the
cotton factory in its vicinity were on fire
there was intense excitement all over the
city, which was increased when at 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 in three upper floors. and as
soon as they found there was fire underneath
them they began to leap from the windows,
ignoring the fire escapes with balconies that
were ready for them on the south side of the
building. In these leaps quite a number of
men were injured, many of them so seri-
ously that they will probably die. By 9
o'clock the building was entirely destroyed,
and five men had been taken out dead. six
teen seriously injured, fourteen were en-
tirsly safe, and the rest unaccounted for, of
whom gu. To a NUMBER are UNKNOWN by
name.
The scenes at the fire were heartrending,
and prominent among those who were pres
ent were three priests in their sur
plices, who administered spiritual comfort to
those who were III dying condition. The
factory was built on the high bank, on the
side of the Genessee river, and was difficult
| one for the iremen to get at, owing to one
west side being entirely closed to them. Two
| buildings that were in great danger long
| time were the Rochester Cotton factory and
| Williams & Hoyt's 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 up to midnight: Killed-John
Gall, foreman; Joseph Dancer, jumped from
sixth floor and picked up dead; Henry
Snyder, burned internally; Frank A Ochs
and Joseph Weber.
The njured are-Frank Siddons, both legs
and back broken will probably die; Jacob
Diehl, night watchman, burned internally
and Frustrated by shock: John Devlin, left
leg and wrist injured and these more or less
burned and bruised; Richard Pierce, John
Greensuer, William Devlin, Frank Froedlin,
s. Burkhard. Oscar Knots, Joseph Burk
hard, Charles Diehl. G. Kippert, Stephen
Forbes, John Greenauer Second by thai
nance, Con Holleran, John Ball.
Those known to be missing are-Thomas
Matthias, S. Robbins, Charles Weber. John
Miller, Patrick Cosgrove, Richard Conner,
G. Waters, Charles Smith, Robert Poole
Frank Revnish and Alfred Cannon Thes
are known by name to be missing, but until
the books are examined it will not be posi-
Bile to tell who were actually at work.
Among those saved were John Plstts, VIII
escaped by sliding from the sixth floor. He
says there were thirty persons at work Oh
that floor, and three were saved-Rober
and Horatio Hall, and Joseph Smith. Plat
thinks that about ten others escaped wit
him.
The Lantern works, with stock and ma
chinery is total loss, estimated at abou
SOS, 600 The insurance is $l79,000.
The cause Of the fire is mystery. tn
men went to work after supper, and al
seemed TO be right then. Soon after war
Jacob Diehl, the Waterman, while maxim
his usual rounds, discovered flames maxim
, their way up through the floor. He ha
$ barely time to give the alarm when he we
: surrounded by the flames, but he succeede
in making the danger known to the men o
the fourth, fifth and sixth floors There VIZ
Y not the slightest chance of escape by the u
: ual doors of exit, and the windows were {
: once utilized for the purpose. The majorit
: of the workmen lost their heads and b
q gan to jump instead of taking tt
nre ladders that were attached
the building 1t is believed that
number Of men are buried in the ruins, b
a at present it is impossible to be sure Of th
Il All may have escaped, but the probabiliti
t, are decidedly against it. As soon as {
ruins are sufficiently cool work will be beg,
IT Of searching for bodies
r The streets were crowded with people du
:, ing the progress of the fire anxious for the
;, friends rnd acqaintances. They sto
through the heavy rain which fell constant
, during the evening and watched the oper
= tions of the firemen, who did excellent wo
} In saving The adjoining factories, but we
too late to be Of use in the lantern works.