Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-26
BARRED IN A FIRE TRAP
Twenty Women Hurt by Jump ing From a Burning Factory.
ONE DEAD AND FIVE OTHERS DYING

There Were Nine Hundred Operatives In the Building, Which Lacked Fire Escapes but Was Furnished With Iron Window | Screens-Three Firemen Badly Burned. MONTREAL April 26-W. c. McDon, dds extensive tobacco factory on Ontario street, east, was partially destroyed by fire. The loss will reach $500. 900, on which there is no insurance. Mcdonald is a millionaire and has given hundreds ol thoHsanuS Of dollars to McGill university. Thoro was not fro escape on tho out side of the tobacco factory nor any appli- ances on the inside for tho fighting of fro. Even the windows werc guarded by heavy Iron sCTeuns, presumably to prevent theft. The fro started in tho drying room, and Tor awhile smoldered. Then suddenly the flames burst out and a most awful panic ensuod. There were 300 employees in the building. and moEe than half of this mum Der wcro women and girls.
 Tho shrieks of the women as they bent against tho irGn window screens, praying tho crowd to do something to save them, were most heartronding.
 As the flames burst out three flremen were on the roof and for fully go min utes their lives wcro despaired of till final ly ladders wero found to bring them down. They wero badly burned.
 Crushed In the Mad Rush,
 The girls were nearly all on tho fourth floor and frantic with fear With much trouble one of the iron latticcs was knock cd of. when ono O! tho girls jumped and was almost shattered to pieces when she reachod tho roof of an ad joining warehouse
 In similar manner tho others followed to tho number of 30
 Tho ambulanCCs woIe kept busy carry ing tho women and girls to the hospitals. and sunIe woro driven in cabs to their homes. So lar one is known to be dead, and several others arc believed to bc in tho ruins
 From t-Iuirics at the hospitals Cnnccrn- ini; the condition of the girls injured by Jumping nom tho windows of the burn ing; building it was learned that little hopes are entertained for tho recovery of aG least five.
 70 lar as tho lremen wcro ablo to pros ocuto the svarch in tho ruins no bodies havc been discovered. It was nearly mid night heforo the place could re ontorcd with safety, and owing to the darkness effective work could not ! done until daylight
 Your correspondent intt iewed several Of the women who escaped with slight in- Jurles. They say tho scene on the fourth floor was beyond description When the first wild rush for the stairway occurred the passageway was so solidly packed that many fainted and fell under the feet of the frenzied crowd. Then a mad rush was madc to the windows. But the crowd for got about the heavy iron screens which guarded that means of egress.
 Frantic women tOro their hands beating n hn ,l,- were too strong for their feeble blows. Death seemed inevitable until Marie Gag non found a window that yielded to tho determined blows of those who could get their united efforts to bear This window overlooked an extensive one story ware house.
 Thirty Made the Lean,
 Without moments hesitation the un. fortunate woman leaped into the air and landed on the roof below. Encouraged by her daring and impelled by the smoke and flames which wero making rapid progress in that part of the building, other women followed her example until about 20 maimed and bruised forms were piled upon the warehouse roof
 By this time the passageway had become sufficiently cleared to permit a more rapid clearing of the building. The work of res cue by means of fire extension ladders was by this time in progress and many inan- innate forms were carried out by the brave firemen.
 On the third floor, where the fire start cd, the scenes were almost as heartrend- ing. but being warned sooner the opera. tives were able to escape quicker by the Many were terribly crushed in the mad rush. but the most serious cas- ualties were confined to those on tho top floor.
 Great indignation is expressed against the officials whose duty it was to see that tho law was enforced in regard to fro es- capos and appliances. The building was a workable death trap, but it is stated that W, c. Mcdonald. tho owner, believed the place was tireproof. which accounts for the fact that ho had no insurance on his property.
 Following are the names of those prob ably fatally injured: Mary Cagne HI Duferen street; Lionel Rerard, 204 Iher- vile street; Sarah Seraphin, SOB Fronte- mac: Mary Flynn, Fortier street; Maxine Conkase. Mathieu street; L. Roscelle, FrontcnaC street; Adele Gagnon, Fronte- mac street; ROsanna Beauchamp Cham plain street; Ida Foster. Frontenac street; Il. Sinnettc. La Fcntaine street: Joseph Gagnon. fireman from Station No. II;
  poleon Blondin. Maisonneuve street.
 Rig Fire In Charlotte, N. c.
 CHARLOTTE, N. C., April 26-Fire was discovered in the third story of the big brick warehouse of Sanders & Blackwood, on College street, in the section occupied by the wholesale department of Brown, x Co. The wareroom was stored with wagons and wooden goods Howell. Orr X Co. occupy two thirds of the upper floor as a cotton storage room The building is a very tall one, and the lines that run in front of it lampered the firemen so that there was delay in running up the ex- tension ladders and getting the hose to 'he windows
 By that time the smoke was pouring 'orth in great volumes the upper part of the building being at times entirely hid len from view. Thus starred ono of the heaviest fires in Charlotte's history. In one hours time the great warehouse was a mass of ruins Wall after wall fell. crushing in tho rear 'nds of the brick block facing Trade street, | hO hisK l.,