Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-02-22
COST MANY LIVES.
Fire Destroys a Big Collar Fac
tory at Troy, N. Y.
The Building Crowded with Employees
Who Become Panic-Stricken--It Is
Almost Certain That Twenty
or More Are Dead.

Carthy building on Franklin square to
their death shortly after five o'clock
Monday night. Three hundred others
fought with furious flames, and many
were frightfully burned and otherwise
injured in the frantic efforts to gain
places of safety. 1t is feared the list of
dead may count as high as 20 when the
full truth is known. 1t is believed many
were overcome by the heat and smoke
and were consumed by the flames.
Th total loss by the fire is from $780,
600 to 100000, with about 100000 in
surance. AT least 500 people are thrown
out of employment. The firemen
worked with the thermometer down be-
low zero, and suffered very much.
Following is the list of unfortunates
obtainable up TO IL o'clock:
DEAD-Mrs. Horbort, Mrs. Kane and
Mrs. Foley.
| MIssING-Mamie Danks, Kitty O'Con-
nor, Miss Kane and Miss Foley.
INJURED-Miss Mamie Day, injured and
bruised Miss Lille Kreiger badly bruised
and burned Miss Mamie RourEe, driven
| insane by shock; Miss Mamie Downs, al
most suffocated; Miss Annette Harrington,
| face and hands burned; Miss Lille Out
hout, West Troy, badly burned Miss
| Clementine Lloyd; Miss Gertrude Lloyd:
| Miss johnson, last three of Ladensburg,
| badly injured and burned James Ross,
| crushed by falling walls, leg broken and
! seriously injured; Officer Burke, crushed
| by falling walls. condition serious; officer
| Guy, badly bruised; officer Watson, scalp
wound and bruised; Alfred Casey, fireman,
! Osgood company, spine injured; John
| Crmsby, fireman, Osgood company, knee
| hurt: John Boland fireman, Eddy COM
pany, scalp wound and leg broken.
From the outside of the high build
! ing the first notice of impending dis
aster was the sight of body of girls
as they rushed out upon the fire es-
capes from the windows. The fifth and
sixth stories of the building were occu
pied by the collar factory of Vanzant
& Jacobs and j. Stetthermer & Co.'S
shirt-waist factory. Flames burst
through tine window almost instantly
and the mass of trenzied humanity,
finding the egresses too small for in
slant escape, began climbing over tho
sides of the fire escapes, and bundles of
clothing filled with writhing humanity
dropped at the feet of Mortified passers-
by. Within 20 minutes after the fire
started there were three dead women
laid upon the floor OF an adjoining store
and at least dozen burned and manned
girls and women taken to the hospital
or to their homes.
Superintendent Willard, of the police
force, says that he saw number of girls
at windows who never came out, but
fell back into the flames. One fireman
who was working from the rear saw
three girls with their arms wound
tightly about each other turn and
Jump back into the flames. Some OF
the women who escaped tell of STUN
bling over PROSTATE bodies and are pos
tive that n score of girls perished. The
girls who did escape live in various
suburban places and hurried away, sc
that until the roll is called this morn
ing the exact number of missing will
not be known.
The fire which ended so di5astrously,
started in the fifth story, in the part
occupied By Stetheimer SJ Co. About
5:25 o'clock in the afternoon little
boy attempted to light the gas in what
is known as the cutting department
He climbed on the cutting table and
lighted the gas. Then he threw tbs
match, which was still burning, to the
floor, and it ignited a pile of SCRAP
cambric. In an instant there was 4
cracking of fierce and uncomfortable
: flames, and the room was filled with
smoke.
Miss Lille krciger, a girl, realizing
1 the immincnce OF the peril, and at the
risk of her own life, rushed through the
, different departments of tee building
Df Z 1,n, dor or.
, Nothing but the bravery of volunteel
, fireman saved her from death.
$ When the employees in the fifth stor.
2 realized that the fire was beyond con
D troll and was likely to prove disastrous
ii scene of great panic Immediately en-
sued. The girls rushed about the room
!. some of them found their way down th'
g stairway, others succumbed to th
n dense smoke and sank to the floor ant
r some jumped from the dizzy height o
the Rive street windows 10 the pave
:, ments below. About half OF the girl
!. who were employed OH the top foo
thought OF the fire escape and foun'
their way 10 The ground i'll safety.
Il For 20 minutes after The fire starte
J the scene Was the most exciting eve
witnessed IN Troy. DURING thls tln
Il there was continuous panic, and il
y the rush for place of safety man
II were injured. The crush on the stail
: way was something frightful. Abou
, 200 men and girls attempted t
% make their escape by this exit at tn
IS same time. Many were trampled unde
foot, the ones who were in front wer
10 knoclled from their feet and thrown [
y the landing and some are said 20 hav
e been left unconscious on the stairway
j. The majority of the employees tinall
9 reached the street, but they We're S
st overcome with excitement that it wa
E. impossible TO learn from them ho
If many had been left in the building
y Quite n number found their way OF
is by means of the fire escapes. I'll
scene was almost exciting one. I'll
A. girls fairly threw themselves down tt