The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-02-19
Fatalities at a Fire.
Thirty Young Women Be-
lieved to be Dead.
SEVERAL OTHERS SERIOUSLY
INJURED.

Troy, N. Y, FEB. 17.-Fire broke
out in the collar factory Of j. Stethei-
mer & Co., River street, this city this
afternoon. The greatest CONSERVATION
prevailed among the 800 girlemployees.
Five Of the girls jumped from the
fourth story windows. One was caught
in a net by the fremen The other
four were killed by the fall. 1t is be-
lieved there are several other girls in
the building. The fire at $50 O'Clock
assumed enormous proportions and was
beyond the control of the fremen. The
furniture warehouse of W. H. Rey-
nolds and the Western Union building
will be destroyed and the whole block
from Broadway to Fulton street, which
includes aElarge number of immense
warehouses and stores is probably
doomed to be destroyed. The weather
is extremely cold and the dremen are
laboripg under the greatest Difficult
ties.
FURTHER ACCOUNT.
The fire started in j. Stetheimer &
Co.'S shirt waist factory and Van ZaDt
& Jacobs collar factory, situated in the
same building, at $50 o'clock this
afternoon. There were 500 girls at
work 10 the Establishments. :. The
flames spread so rapidly that the mar
ro7 stairway, which was the only exit
outside Of the fire escapes in the rear,
was almost Immediately cut off, and
during the panic that followed five girls
jumped from the windows, three Of
them to their death, and many others
were inj ured. -Four girls are known
to be missing, but it is believed by
everybody, aud the proprietors and
employees 10 the shops, that about 20
girls were overcome before they reached
the streets and were burned up in the
building. People who are familiar
with the interior OF the building, and
know how limited were the means Of
escape, place the total loss at 80 at
least. 10 addition to these, nine girls,
three 6remen, three policemen and one
citizen were more or less seriously TO-
jured by the fire or by falling walls.
% girl was driven insane.
The scene of the catastrophe was at
the corner Of Broadway and River
street, portion of the city noted for
its immense buildings The structure
is known as the Burdette building, is
six stories in height and was occupied
by J. Stetheimer & Co., manufacturers
of ladies shirt waists, whose factory
was situated on the fifth floor Van
Zandt & Jacobs, manufacturers of COL
lars and cuffs, who occupied the three
floors below the restaurant and saloon
on the ground floor. There were also
minor enterprises carried on in the
building. The fire which ended SO
disastrously started in the fifth story
in the part occupied by Stetheimer &
TO.
About 5. 25 O'Clock this afternoon a
little boy lighted the gas 10 the cutting g
department. Then he threw the match, !,
Which was still burning, to the floor,
and it iguited pile of scrap cambric
In an instant there was cracking Of
fierce and uncomfortable flames, ard the
room was filed with smoke. Miss
Lille Krieger, girl, reaized the
immipence of the peril, aud at the risk
Of her OWE life rushed through the diff
ferent departments Of the building and
warned the employees Of the danger.
Nothing but the bravery of volunteer
fireman saved her from death.
When the employees in the fifth story
realized that the fire was beyond control
aud was likely to prove disastrous, a
scene of great panic Immediately en-
sued. The girls rushed about the
room some of chem found their way
down the stairway, others succumbed to
the dense smoke and sank in the floor,
aod some jumped from the hei ight of
the River street windows to the pave.
ment below. About half of the girls
who were employed on the top floor
thought of the fire escape and found
their way to the ground in safety.
The crush on the stairway was some
thing frightful. About 200 men and
girls attempted to make their escape by
this exit at the came time. Many we're
tramped under foot. the ones who were
10 front were knocked from their feet
and thrown to the landings, and some
are said to have been left unconscious
on the stairway.
The spread Of the flames was re-
markable. There was a strong wind
blowing, and 10 less time than it takes
to tell it the building was a6re from top
to bottom Twenty streams of water
seemed to have no effect, and there was
every indication early in the evening