The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-09-18
LIKE TINDER.
Washington Factory Proved
to Be a Firetrap.
Workmen Roasted AIive-Bodies Sup
posed to Be Beneath Ruins.
BY The Associated Press.

WASHINGTON, Sept. iS.-The most fatal
fire OF recent years in Washington was the
burning of the mattress factory OF Stumph
Il Bros yesterday. Four bodies are at the
morgue charred and crushed beyond re-
cognition, four men were carried To tho
Emergency hospital, one of whom has
since died, and there may be others buried
under the ruins as several workmen are
unaccounted for.
The factory, which is owned by Claude
n and Edward Il. Stumph, at the intersec-
tion of Seventh and X streets, was five
story structure, with thin brick walls, win
dows only at back and front and no fire
escapes. IL was stored with feathers, shay
ings and other inhammable materials,
and % persons were at work In 1t, six OF
them young women.
Fifteen minutes before noon fire was
discovered In the picking room at the front
of the second floor. Almost before an
alarm could be given 10 the workmen it
had spread through the second story.
There was delay in turning In an alarm
on account of tho panic.
The escape of those on the upper floor
was cut of, and they stood I'm the windows
shouting for help, while hundreds on the
them to wait for the hook and ladder
Thee men were seen on the roof gesticu-
lating frantically, while ono of them
leaned against a chimney awaiting.
Policeman Brown found q ladder, and
with the help of two stalwart men dragged
"a mattress To the roof of blacksmith shop
beneath the caves Of the factory. Whilo
these preparations were under way, man
named Haske jumped from the roof,
Whiriing Over and Over
In the air and striking on his side. Another,
Bevins, jumped to the roof and was caught
on the mattress held by Policeman Brown
and his helpers. Then a man named
Vaughn leaped headlong, so that in the
force of his fall he tore through tho mat
tress as though it had been a blanket.
Mr.. Bacon jumped from third-story
window and landed on his stomach across
a barrel 20 feet below. Other men clung
TO narrow projections outside the windows
until pile Of mattresses had been heaped
on the sidewalk, and jumped of, sustain
ing severe injuries. Twenty minutes after
the fire had been discovered the east wall
fell, crushing the blacksmith shop,
Palmer's oyster house and the Cattle Food
companys building. A cloud of burning
and drifting down set fire to several avn
ings in front OF several stores, making
lively work for the flremen with water
pals.
Shortly afterward the other walls tot
tered and came down, crushing the two
story brick building of the Woodruff Fire
Holder company, George j. Benefits
marble shop and Hall q Cammack's fur
niture store. frame building. One fire
man and several spectators were hurt by
flying bricks.
A general alarm had called out tho
whole fire department, and the ruins had
been so flooded that the search for bodies
was begun at 2:30.
The First Corpse Was Brought Out
on o stretcher Mt 3 o'clock, charred beyond
the semblance Of a human being. Within
half an hour two others had been found,
and gang of negroes was set to work
digging over the ruins. At 8 o'clock
body was found in the elevator burned TO
pieces, so that the parts had TO be gathered
in a blanket and bundled into wagon
Another body was reached before o. o'clock
Scenes at the morgue, where men and
women collected To look for missing rela-
tves, were most distressing. The hands
and feet were burned from all the dead
their features obliterated and clothing
consumed. Ii was possible TO identify the
body of Willie Ashe by the size of the
body, and an old man, Tennyson, by his
teeth. Ii is doubtful whether the identity
Of the other bodies can be- distinguished
The cause of the fire is unknown The
factory building was valued at sl5, 900 and
it's contents at $4,000; $4,000 insurance
was carried in several local companies.
The adjoining buildings which were
crushed were of small value, SO that $50
600 will probably cover the damage to
them.