Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-18
CAUGHT IN A FIRE TRAP.
Five Victims of a Factory Blaze
 In Washington.
THEY JUMPED DOWN TO DEATH.
Employees Were Penncd In at the Top of a Five Story Building Without Fire Es- capes and Filled With Feathers and Other Inhammabic Material.


 capes and Fitted With Feathers and Other Infiammabi Material.
 tai fire of recent years in Washington was the burning of tho mattress factory of Stumph X Brothers.
 Five bodies are nt tho morguc, charred and crushed beyond recognition; four in- jured men arc at the Emergency hospital, one of whom will die, and there may be others buried under the ruins, as several of the workmen are unaccounted for.
 Two of the dead at the morgue arc known to he William H. Tennyson, an old man employed in the factory, and Willie Asho, n boy of ls years.
 Four others who arc missing are Henry Fowler, Phillip Ackorman, Robert Reit- gel and an old man who had been employ cd in the factory but a few days and whose name is not remembered by his ema ployer.
 Those at the hospital arc James E. Vaughn, n clerk, injured internally, will probably die; A. P. Haske, both legs bro ken, may die; Arthur c. Bevins, internal Injuries and fractured wrist; Harry Ba- con, internal injuries.
 No Fire Escapes.
 The factory, which Is owned by Claude N. and Edward B. Stumph, stood at the intersection of Seventh and k streets and Massachusetts avenue, a five story struc- ture, with thin brick walls. windCws only at back and front and no fro escapes. It was stored with feathers. shavings and other inflammsble material, and 25 per sons were at work in it, six of them young women.
 Fire was discovered in the picking room at tho front of the second floor. Almost before an alarm could be given to the workmen it had spread through the sec ond story and burst up the elevator well. There was delay in turning in an alarm on account of the panic.
 The escape of those on the pper floors was cut of. They stood in the windows shouting for help, while hundreds on the streets, unable to give assistance. yelled to them to wait for tho hook and ladder. Three men were seen on the roof, two of them gesticulating frantically. while the other leaned calmly against n chimney ' waiting. Policeman Phil Brown found a ladder, and with tho help of two stalwart mon dragged n mattrCss to the roof of a | blacksmith shop beneath the caves of the | factory.
 While these preparations were under way Hasko jumped from one roof, whirl. | ing over and over in the air and striking on his side Bcvins jumped to tho rooi and was caught on the mattress held by Policeman Brown and his helpors-
 Vaughn lcaped headlong, so that in the force of his fall he torc through the mat tress as though 1t had been a blanket.
 Bacon jumped from a third story win dow and landed on his stomach across q barrcl 25 feet below. Other men clung tc 1 narrow projections outside the window. until pile of mattresses had been heapcd l on the sidewalk and jumped oil, sustain ing scverc injuries.
 l Cloud of Burning Feathers. Twenty minutes after the fro had been | discovered tho east wall fell, crushing tn, blacksmith shop, Palmer's oyster hous, | and the Ho~Se and Cattle Food company, building. A cloud of burning fcnthcr | roso loo feet over tho building. and drift 1 ing down set fro to several awnings 1T ] front of Seventh street. stores, making live ly work for volunteer frrmcn with watel pails.
 shortly after the other walls tottcreI and came down, crushing the two stor, brick building of the Woodruff File Hold CT company. George J. Bennctt's marbl, shop and Hall x Cammack' furnitur, store, a frame building
 Ono fireman and several spectator were hurt by falling bricks. \ genera alarm had called out the whole depart ment and the ruins were flooded. Ther tho search for bodies was begun.
 Scenes at the morgue, where mon anC women collected to look for missing rcla tives, wero most distressing. Tho hand and feet were burned from all tho dead their features oblitcrated and clothing con stunned.
 The cause of the fire Is unknown. Tn, factory building was valued at S15, ,OO' and its contents mt S25, GOO. The djoin ing buildings which were crushed wore O small value, so that $20, OOO will probabl. cover the damage to them.