The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-08
TERRIBLE SCENES. At A FIRE
Burning of the Fiye-Story Building Oc-
cnpied by the Springfield Union.
Fifty Employees Become Panic Stricken on
Finding Escape Cut Off, and Six Persons
Drop TO the Sidewalk and Are Killed.
special to the Indianapolis journal

attended by the most sickening horror ever wit
messed in this city. six of the employees meeting
with a terrible death, most of them jumping
from the fifth story and being crushed into
shapeless mass in the street. below Six others
were badly injured.
The fire was first discovered In the mailing
room. and clouds of smoke were pouring out of
the lower-story windows before the fifty people
on the upper floor were aware of their danger
The flames shot up an old elevator in the rear
emitting off escape By the stairway. and most of
the employees who escaped made their way TO
the ,grouud by way OF the roof in
the rear. Tbs men and women, who
crowded into the editorial rooms, found
themselves cut off from escape in the rear and
had TO face the horrible alternative of burning
to death or jumping to the sidewalk below and
taking the chances of frightfuf mutilation.
The fire department responded promptly but 1T
seemed an age before the firemen were able to
reach the windows in the ffth story ladder
was put to the fourth story, and the sight of
rescue near seemed to madden the suffering
groups at the two windows in the story above.
who dropped in succession to the sidewalk. Six
fell in this way-some of them forced off and
others madly Ieapine, causing the crowd TO
groan and their heads they whirled
through the air. Tho following is a list of the
dead:
HENRY j. GoULDINt4, foreman of the Union
composing-room, burned TO death.
MRS HA E. FARLEY. of the editorial de-
partment. fell from window and killed.
w E. HOVEY, compositor fell to the sidewalk
9. L. BROWN, a compositer.
>. IANZON, compositor. jumped and was killed.
The injured ar-:
Thomas O'Donahue compositor bad cut on
the head and left leg broken at the knee; limo
thy Dunn, cOnpositor. arm and leg broken;
Joseph w. Witty. comoos.tnr, hand, neck and
ears burned. He chung TO the window until the
FIRE forced him TO drop, when he fell on ladder
and was saved; G. f. Ellsworth, compositor,
compound fracture of the leg.
1t is thought that the FIRE started among the
lumber in a closet on the ground floor. The
flames drawn mp the elevator we'll and
spread through the composing the fifth
floor where thirty com positors. men and women,
were at work By the time the FIRE department
arrived the top windows filed with poor,
despairinR human beings, who did not at
first seem to realize their dreadful po-
sition. The crowd underneath cried to
them to have courage aud on no account to try
to jump or climb down, and they at FIRST seemed
determined to obey. There was much delay
IN raising the ladders, however. that the unfor-
tunate victims became panic stricken at their
danger and began jump or let themselves
drop from the windows Shrieks of horror is
sued from the crowd of spectators as the bodies
were seen to fall through the air, and exclama-
tions of sympathy mingled with the eroans of
the wounded, who picked up and carried
away to hospitals drug stores. A large sheet
OF canvas WAS procured as quickly possible
and stretched below the windows A humber
OF men held its edges Three n and woman
fell upon 1t. but the shock was severe that
they struck the ground with great
force though. of course. the fall
was somewhat broken. They were picked up
iusensibie There were no pumps or buckets III
the Office which could have been used in quench-
ing the flames.
George G. Ware. press correspondent who
had a narrow escape. tells the following story:
IL heard the alarm sounded Just at the same
time that noticed the room filling with smoke.
Mrs Farley, Mrs. Howard tNew England edi-
managing edtorl We're in the same room with
me. We jumped to the door and that the
passage-way was full of smoke, and escape by
the elevator cut of. Mrs. Farley started for the
elevator. / shouted to her to go the other way,
and pulled her out of the smoke. She would
have been suffocated in q moment if she had
gone further She struggled to FREQ herself
from my grasp, and succeeded She rushed out
and into the front of the building. followed
Hill. Warren and Mrs. Howard ont of window
onto roof on the east side"
Joseph FL. Landlord. who was standing on the
sidewalk where Mrs Farley fell, reached out his
arms to catch her She fell on his neck, bear
him to the ground and knocking him sense
less. Mrs Farley was Instantly killed, but Mr..
Landlord seriously injured.
Mr. Hil the managing editor, in the
news-room when the fire Occurred The forms
had just been sent down stairs. and the men
were enjoying the relaxation after the afternoon
hurry Four or five we're In the room smoking
chatting and joking. Tt seemed less than mil
ute before the smoke burst into the composing
room, and the compositors became alarmed
Hill ran out and told the men and women to
start for the roof in the rear which many
of them did. About fifteen of the thirty-fve
employees, however, rushed TO the front, six of
them going into editor Shipley's room, at the
With Mr.. Hill, in the room, were Dan
Phillips Tim Dunn, the call@y boy. Mrs. J. H.
Farley, another woman and eompositor. Hill
opened the window and shouted: For Gods
sake put up ladder The crowd below APP
peared to be dazed He then took off his coat
and threw it into the street; he picked up books
and files of the paper and hurled them out to at
tract attention. The smoke became so dense
that ne could not breathe. A crowd of com
postors and others gathered around the win
dows of the composing-roona, in which the smoke
eeemed thicker. They were trying TO get air.
Fred Ellsworth was seen trying to
break through the partition into the
editorial-Toom, where the air
better. The prisoners could see the
ladder coming, but it seemed ages before il
reached them. Mrs. Farley became too excited
to wait any longer. and jumped for the top of
the ladder She struck it, and seemed to roll
down the ladder to the street. striking the side
walk all in neAp. The copy-holder "A yonDg
woman, started 70 jump after her. Mr. Hill
caught her and pulled her back. shouting that
the ladder would soon he up and urging her
wait quietly. The flames began to burst
through the partitions in various places.
ton. Dan Phillips hogan to choke for
breath. He said to Hill: 81 guess its
all over. / don't care for myself but my poor
wife" Hill said. Il have wife. tool The
two men began to pray. hardly knowing what
they said. The girl was struggling escape
from Hills grasp and shouting Historically. The
smoke became too dense for endurance Those
hanging to the outside of the window began TO
lose strength, and dropped. The impulse to
take the plunge seemed TO spreak Ike panic
among them. The waves of flame began to roll
toward the window. and the fire singed Hills
hair and clothes. The ladder came at last and
the copy holder. who had struggled in his arms,
caught it. She erasped the rounds firmly and
went down in safety.
go ahead" Hill said, 81 can wait" and the
rest of the group went down sliding and tum-
bling over the rounds. but reaching the ground
safely. Hill finally swung hmself under the