The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-11-23

Panfc-StriCken girls J ump loF AhoAA
Lives. Two of Whom Meet with
Death-Floors Collapse While the
F,remen Are Searching the Build
ing, and Several Meet With Hor-
rible Deaths.
CHICAGO. Nov. pa fire, disas-
irons to life and property, swept
through the Dry Goods and Wooleh
Exchange this morning. FIVE nreiileh
were carried through floor ana purIeu
under tons of wreckage from the HVe
floors above. Four of the men are deau'
but the fifth was not seriously injured.
One girl fell from window anu re-
ceiyed injuries from which she dleu.
\ dozen other men, women ana SlIlS
wore hurt or overcome by smoke, ana
1,1anv were rescued from imminent
death. The property loss to the build
ING at 215-217 Van Buren street ana
2r6-27S Franklin street and contehls Il
estimated at S4OO,OOO.
The dead are: Patrick J. ODon'
nell, Lieutenant of Engine Company
No. >. 2S40 Wallace street; Joseph
Prendergast, pipeman, 3023 Butler
street; Martin Sherrick, 2S3S Lowe ave
nue.. pipeman; John Downs, pipemanl.
1858 Wallace street; Kate Landgrat'
S02 North Halstead street, employed In
A Stein & Co.'S garter factory.
Among the injured were: Danlel
McNally, pipeman, IA Thlrty-nrsI
street, removed from floor Wrechage 10
inc
bruised; Olga Keller, 5lo North ASH
land avenue, leg and arm injured;
Harry O'Neill, 1929 Van Buren street,
arm broken and back injured; Nellie
Turner. 2O9 North Center avenue, fell
from fourth-story window and serl-
ously hurt; John Bruenenhelmer'
badly injured by falling from fourth
story While assisting girls to escape.
All the dead and injured firemen were
members of engine company NO. :.
Their CAPTAIN. Lewis Fiene, escaped
the awful plunge to death only by
hanging to the sill of the window on the
second floor until released from ms
perilous position by firemen
The owner of the burned bulldlng Is
Kuhn. Nathan & Fischer, the clothing
firm. whose factory and warehouse IS
at Van Buren and Franklin streets
The following firms were burned out:
d. H Arnold q Co., Innings and clotn-
iers: S. Rosenbaum & Co, wholesale
7rimmings; Stern q Beirs, wholesale
clothing; S. Bernheimer, samples cot
ION goods: Louis NJ. Barnett, tailor;
the Dime Lunch Company; J. Gratieldt,
sample buttons: Abe Fink, notions ana
fancy goods; Tootal, Broadhurst, Lee
= Co. wholesale cotton ana WOODEN
goods: N @. Rechman q Co., WholeSale
clothing; Arnold Wolf, fancy ana gen
tlenen' $ furnishing goods; w L. Lee
oh g.,
Pranhau Brothers q Co, samples
Z--OOIens: NJ Klein, samples clothing
Philip Klein, matches; c. >. Mahohey
* Co. samples notions; A Stem, manu-
facturers of garters; j. RothSchllu %
Co. Wholesale clothing; Stevens, san
ford & Handy, samples clothing; Klotz'
Veither & Co, samples buttons; ell
lows & Co, wholesale linen collars ana
cuffs: s. D. Stryker manufacturers
agent: Kalamazoo Pants and OVeraIl
co: A. NJ Liebenstein, handkerchleIS
T. Flanacher, wholesale cotton Soous'
Assenheim & Rich, samples clothing;
J1;dah Bros. samples cloaks and suits;
L Ru+terfield & Co, samples cloths;
\ Robinson & Co, samples Woolens'
Taavitt & Mitchell Bros, samples
cloths: CentersviIle Manufacturing Com
many. plush cloths; S. +. Instein agent;
Icuis Friedman, samples clothing; .
Woertheimer & Co, samples, Erie But
tising novelties: D. RosenkranZ, gentle-
mems furnishings; Otheman, Dyer Il
ScuthWick. samples cloths; Military
News Publishing Company, composing
room; National Thread Company; Ham
mond. Knowlton & Co, wholesale
thread: H. Hellersoe, rubber type com
many: Townsend q Son, wholesale
hosiery and underwear; S. Polinsky, fur
garment manufacturers; NJ. De Lee,
tailor. Hinch {, Ould, samples of cloths
The loss on the building is SlOO,OOO,
amply covered by insurance. The aggre-
gate loss Of the many tenants is placed
at $500 600 the heaviest individual
loser being Stern & Belrs, Sto,ooo
The fire started at 9:l0 o'clock on the
fourth floor of the seven-story building,
i'm the garter factory of Stein & Co.
where many girls were at work They
ran screaming and half fainting from
fright TO the windows on the Van
Buren street side of the building.
All was confusion for a moment, and
the rapidly increasing crowd of spec
tators stood gazing upward at what
seemed the impending doom of scores
Of working girls. Engines, hose-cartS
and ladders came in a galop, WITH
brave firemen, who in a twinkline
scrambled up the fire escapes and pu1
extension ladders in position to bring
the panic-stricken people to the
The frantic girls were determined il
their haIf-crazed mental condition tC
hurl themselves to the stone Tagging
but were partly restrained by the
shouts of the people on the streets anC
the quick work of the firemen. On'
small extension ladder was run up un
der where the girls were standing. ;
fireman mounted it. but when his fee
touched the rungs of the second sec
ton. either his weight or some defec
in the ladder caused it to slip back L
its original position. bringing its tol
three or four feet below the fourth
story window.
Either crowded from behind or fren
Zied by fear Nellie Turner. kitti
Landgraf and Harry O'Neill made {
wild attempt to lower themselves s
that they could touch the top rung o
the ladder. In doing this the foolhard'
ones slipped and fell headlong TO III
pavement Captain Hermanson trie'
tc grasp the dress of Kittie Landgra
as her body flew past him, but h
failed. and she struck the sidewall
with a sickening thud in sight of tn
thousands. a few seconds elapsed, an
the same spot where Miss Landgraf
body had struck was covered with IN
unconscious form of Nellie Turner, VIII
had taken the terrible plunge in tn
effort to save herself She was save
from death, however. by being mo
mentarily held by three firemen in he
descent, thus breaking the force of he
fall.
The other girls. who had more pres
ence of mind succeeded in reaching tn
ladder by dropping from the window
The flames had now taken possession
Of the four upper stories OF the build
ing. and at window stood Olga Kella
and Harry O'Neill. hemmed in b
flames and smoke The frightened gir