The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-08
SIX HORRORS AT A FIRE.
PRINTING HOUSE HANDS BURNED
AND CRUSHED.

AND CRUSHED.
Shrieks From the Shudde derine Crowd
on the Street-An Elevator Shaft
Led the Fire to All Parts of the
Building Before Escape Was Pos
sible.
SPRINGFIELD, MASS, March 7.-The new
Office of the Euening Union was burned out
about 4 o'clock this afternoon, and the blaze
was attended with the most sickening hor-
ror ever witnessed in this city, six of the
employees meeting terrible death, most Of
them jumping from the fifth story and
being crushed into shapeless mass below.
Six Others were badly injured
THE SPREAD OF THE FLAMES.
The fire was first discovered in the mail
ing room and clouds of smoke were pour
ing out of the lower story windows before
the fifty souls on the upper floors were
aware of their danger. The flames shot up
an old elevator in the rear, cutting off es-
cape by the stairway, and most of the en-
ployes who escaped found their way to the
ground by way of roof in the rear Some
were cut off in the composing room, and
there is still terrible suspense, as several
fell back into the flames.
HORRIBLE ALTERNATIVES
The employees who rushed into the ediso-
rial room were cut off from the escape in
the rear and had to face the horrible alter
native of burning TO death or jumping TO
the sidewalk below. The fire department
responded promptly. A ladder was put to
the fourth story and the sight of rescue so
near seemed to madden the suffering groups
at two windows, who dropped in succession
10 the sidewalk below; six fell in this way,
some of them forced off and some madlv
leaping. The crowd groaned and turned
their heads away as they whirled through
tie air.
BAD FRACTURES.
Four composltOrs suffered bad fractures
of the bones and serious burns. Two of
these, named Donohue and Ellsworth, are
probably fatally hurt. 1t is thought that
the fire started among lumber in a closet on
the ground floor The flames were drawn
up tho elevator well and spread through the
composing room. There were more than
thirty compositors, men and women, on the
fifth floor. There was no fire escape.
ON THE BRINK OF DEATH
Dense black smoke issued from the win.
dows in clouds, and by the time the fire de-
partment arrived the top windows were
filled with poor, despairing human beings,
who did not seem at first to realize their
dreadful position. The crowd underneath
cried to them TO have courage, and on no
account to try to jump or climb down. and
they at first seemed disposed to obey, but so
slow We're the ladders in being erected that
panic seized the victims. The scene as
they began to drop or fall from the blazing
windows was horrible
sHRIEKs FROM THE CROWD
A shrielr broke from the crowd as each of
the victims fell into tho ctt.pat balovv Thara
was a great clapping Of hands when
woman was seen slowly descending ladder.
The noise of the crowd was husLed as the
wounded were carried through to an ambu-
lance. The only available article in the
office for quenching the flames was an old
watering can. There were no force pumps
or fire buckets of any sort A large canvas
sheet was stretched over the side walk.
Three men jumped on this, but broke
through and fell on the pavement. A
woman also fell through the canvas and
landed on the sidewalk insensible.
MRS. FARLEY's DEATH.
Mrs. Farley you'd have been saved if she
had not become excited and broke away
from those who were endeavoring to induce
her to try an avenue of escape which saved
several. Joseph II. Landlord was standing
on the sidewalk at the end of the building
furthest from the corner of the building
and reached out his arms to catch her. She
fell on his neck, bearing him TO the ground
and knocking him senseless. Mrs. Farley
was killed instantly. Landlord was not
seriously hurt.
THE KILLED AND INJURED.
Following is a list Of the killed and In
jured. The dead are
II. j. GOulding, aged 81, married, foreman
Of the composing room, burned TO death.
Mrs. Hattie Il Farley, aged %, society
editor.
Miss Gertie Thompson, aged 1s, proof
reader, burned to death.
G. l.. Brown, aged 30 compositor.
w. Il. Hovey, OF Boston, aged ., fell,
striking on his head, and died at the hos
pital.
j. Lanzor, aged 35, compositor, lately
came TO this city from Canada.
The injured are:
f. G. Ellsworth, about 18 years old, clerk
in the counting-room, compound fracture
OF the left leg, right hand and wrist burned;
possibly fatally injured.
Thomas Doninghue, aged 32, compositor,
left thigh fractured and face frightfully
burned probably fatally hurt.
II. h. Myrick, employed in r. II. Smiths
rubber stamp works on fourth floor, jumped
and struck on a barrel; badly injured.
FINANCIAL LOSERS.
The building belonged TO Emerson Wright.
The Union editorial and composing rooms
occupied the entire fifth floor. The count
ing-room was on the first floor. The press
rooms and mailing rooms were in the base
ment. The third floor wos occupied by r.
IL. Smiths Rubber Stamp Company. On
the third floor were also the Diamond
Safety Razor Company and II. Appleton's
nickel plating works. G. w. Atwood, a
printer, occupied the second. The entire
loss is $4,000.
A MIXED SCHOOL BURNED.
New ORLEANS, March IA special from
Holly Springs, Miss, to the Ficdyune says:
"Rush University for colored students
of both sexes, was burned to-day. The
building cost S25 900. 1t was insured. The
fine library, however, and other school