St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-26
GIRLS MAKE FRANTIC LEAPS
Only Sto Be Mangled on the
Roofs Of Adjoining
Buildings.
A SCORE OF THE MANNED
Gathered Up and Taken to
Hospitals--0ne Dead, .Thir-
teen Will Die.

uhO4N l NEAL, April Z0.-W. 4. Nc
Donald's extensive tobacco factory on
Ontario street was partially destroyed
by fire this evening. The loss will
reach 100000, on which there is no
insurance.
There was not fire escape on the
outside nor any appliances on the
inside of the building for the fighting
of the fire. Even the windows were
guarded by heavy iron screens, pre-
sumably to prevent theft.
The fire started at o'clock in the
drying room, and for while smoul-
dered. Then suddenly the flames
burst through, and a most awful
panic ensued. There were 900 en-
ployes in the building, and more than
half of this number were women and
girls. The shrieks of the women as
they beat against the iron screens
praying the crowd to do something to
save them were most heartrending.
AS the flames burst out three fire.
men were on the roof, and for fully
twenty minutes their lives were de-
SPARED of, till finally ladders were
found to bring them down. They
were badly burned. The girls were
nearly all on the fourth floor, and
frantic with fear With much trou-
BILE one of the iron lattices was
knocked off, when one of the
girls jumped and was almost shat
tered to pieces when she reached the
-roof of an adjoining warehsNse. In ii
lie number of thirty.
The ambulances were kept busy car
rying the women and girls to the hos
pitals, and some were driven in cabs
to their homes. So far one is known
to be dead and several others are be-
lieved to be in the ruins.
FIVE WILL DIE.
From inquiries at the hospitals at a
late. hour tonight concerning the con-
dition of the girls injured by jumping
from the windows of the burning
building, it was learned that but little
hope is entertained for the recovery Of
at least five. The first girl to make
the terrible leap from the fourth floor
to the warehouse roof was Marie Gag
non, who was picked up in an insensi-
BILE condition. with her back broken.
Sne cannot live many hours. So far as
the firemen have been able to prose-
cute the search in the ruins no bodies
have yet been discovered. 1t was
nearly midnight before the place
could be entered safely, and owing to
the darkness effective work cannot be
done until daylight The Associated
Press correspondent interviewed sew
eral of the women who escaped with
slight injuries. They say the scene on
the fourth floor was beyond descrip-
ton. When the
FIRST WILD RUSH
for the stairway occurred the passage
way was so.idly packed, and many
tainted and fell under the feet of the
frenzied crowd. Then mad rush was
made to the windows. But the crowd
forgot about the heavy iron screens
which guarded that means of egress.
Frantic women tore their hands beat
ing against the cruel distractions, but
they were too strong for their feeble
blows. Death seemed inevitable until
Marie Gagnon found a window that
yielded to the determined blows of
those who could get their united efforts
to bear. This window overlooked an
extensive one-story warehouse. With
out a moments hesitation the unfortu-
nate woman
LEAPED. INTO THE AIR
and landed on the roof below En-
couraged by her daring, and impelIed
by the smoke and flames which were
making rapid progress in that part of
the building other women followed her
example, until about twenty manned
and bruised forms were piled upon the
warehouse roof. By this time the pas
sageway had become sufficiently
cleared to permit more rapid clear
ing of the building. The work of res
cue by means OF fire extension ladders
was in progress, and many almost in
animate forms were carried out by the
brave firemen.
On the third floor, where the fire
started, the scenes We're almost as
heartrending, but being warned soon
er, the operatives were able to escape
quicker by the stairways. Many were
terribly crushed in the mad rush, but
the most serious casualties were con-
fined to those on the top floor.
Great indignation is expressed
against the officials whose duty it was
to see that the law was enforced in
regard to fire escapes and appliances.
THIRTEEN WILL DIE.
Following are the names of those
probably fatally injured:
MARY GAGNON.
LIONEL BERARD
SARAH SERAPHIN.
MARY FLYNN.
MAXIMO CONCASE.
L. ROSCELLELLE.
ADELE GAGNON.
ROSANNA BEAUCHAMP.
IDA FOSTER
II. SINNETTE
JOSEPH GAGNoN. fireman from
station to No II.
DOLPH1S CHARPUT.