The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-26
GIRLS LOCKED In.
Great Tobacco Factory Burned
at Montreal.
THE WINDOWS wEsE BARRED
Nine Hundred Emplove. Canght In the
Trap Thirty Women jump From
window-One IL Dead.

Montreal, April Z.-w. c. MeDonald's
extensive tobacco factory on Ontario
street was partly destroyed By fire THIS
evening. The loss VIII reach %1..D0. on
which there is no Insurance There was
not FIRE escape on the outside, nor any
appliances On the inside OF the building
for fighting the FIRE. Even the windows
were guarded by heavy iron screens. pre-
sumA0Iy TO prevent theft The ire
started az 4 o'clock in the drying room,
and fer while smouiGerea- Then SUE
denly the flames burst through. and
most awful panic ensued- There were 20
employees IN the building. and more than
half this nBu1s were women and girls.
The sarseks OF the women as they beat
against the iron screens. praying the
crowd 10 do something TO save them, were
most hearf-rending. AS the flames burst
through four firemen were or the roof.
and for twenty minutes their lives we're
dsspaired Of. until finally ladders were
found 10 briag them down. They are
badly burned. The girls were nearly all
on the fourth floor, and were frantic with
fear. With much trouble one OF the iron
iatfices wzs Knocked out, when one OF the
girls jumped and was severely injured.
she alighted on the roof OF an adjoining
warehouse. IN a similar maner the others
followed 70 the number of thirty. The
amBuIances were kept busy carrying the
women and girls 10 the hospitals. and
some were driven TO their homes. SO far
only one Is knowa 10 be dead. but several
are believed TO be In the ruins.
The Associated Press correspondent In
terysswe1 several who escaped. They say
the scene on the fourth floor was terri
Die. When the flfgt rush was made for
the stairway. the passageway was solidly
packed and many tainted and fell under
the feet of the crowd Then a rush was
made TO the windows. But the crowd for
got about the heavy screens which guard
e1 tia windows. Frantic women tore
their hands beating against the obstruc-
tons, bgt the irons were too strong for
their feeble blows Death seemed inevi-
table uufil Mare Gagnon found a window
that yielded 10 the determined blows OF
those who could get their united efforts
10 bear. This window overlooked an ex-
tensiva onc-story warehouse. Without a
moments hesitation a woman leaped onto
the roof below. Encouraged by her dar-
ing and tmpelled by the smoke and flames
which were making rapid progress, other
women followed her example until about
thirty MANNED and bruised forms were
piled on the warehouse roof. by this
time the passageway had become suf-
dcsently cleared 20 permit more rapid
clearing OF the building. The work OF
rescue by means OF fire extension lad
ders was in progress and many almost
inanimate forms were carried out oy the
firemen.
Great Indignation is expressed against
the officials whose duty IL Is 10 see that
the law is enforced in regard to fire es-
cape appliances From inquiries at the
hospitals az late hour tonight concern
ing the conditions or the girls injured by
Jumping from the window of the burn
ing building, Il was learned that but H.
tic hope Is entertained for the recovery
Of at least five.
Following are the names OF those prob
ably fatally injured: Marie Gagnon,
Lionel BERNARD. Sarah Zeraphin. Mary
FLYNN, Maxine Concase. L. Reseile. Adele
Cagnon. Rosana Beauchamp. Ida Foster.
II. Sinnette, Joseph GagnOn. Dolphus
Charput, Napoleon Blondfn.