The San Francisco call., 1896-02-18
Panic Settles the Employees Dur.
ing the Rush to Escape
the Flames.
SOME SPRING FROM WINDOWS
While Others Are Crushed Under Foot
by the Stronger in the Stair.
way Stampede.

the equal OF which never was experienced
IN this town of collars and cuffs, this
evening blotted out the lives of probably
twenty or thirty women and girls.
The hre started at $50 o'clock in J.
Stetheimer IL Co.'s shirtwaist factory and
Van Zant 81 Jacobs collar factory STU
ated in the same building. There were
300 girls at work in the establishments.
The flames spread so rapidly that the
narrow stairway, which was the only
exit outside of the fire escapes in the rear,
was almost cut off, and during the panic
that followed five employees jumped from
the windows, three of them to their death,
and many others were injured.
The known dead: Mrs. Horbort, Mrs.
Kane and Mrs. Foley.
The missing: Miss Mamie Danks, Miss
Kittie O'Connor, Miss Kane and Miss
Foley.
The injured: Miss Mamie Day, injured
internally and bruised; Miss Lille
Kreiger, badly bruised and burned; Miss
Mamie Rourke, driven insane by shock;
Miss Mamie Downs, almost suffocated;
Miss Annette Harrington, face and hands
burned; Miss Lille Outnout, badly
burned; Miss Clementine Lloyd, Miss
Gertrude LLOYD, Miss Johnson, badly in
jured and burned; James Rosso, 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
Ormsby, fireman Osgood Company. knee
hurt; John Boland, fireman Eddy Com
pany, scalp wound and leg broken.
1t is believed by everybody even the
proprietors and employees in the shops,
that about twenty girls were overcome be-
fore they reached the street and were
burned up in the building People who
were familiar with the interior of the
building and knew how limited were the
means of escape place the total loss of life
at thirty.
The scene of the catastrophe was at the
corner of Broadway and River street a
portion of the city characterized for its
immense buildings. The structure is
known as the Burdette building, is six
stories in height and was owned by J.
Stetheitner & Co., whose factory was sit
uated on the fifth floor Van Zandt &
Jacobs, manufacturers OF collars and
cuffs, occupied the three floors below. and
ground floor. There were also several
other minor enterprises carried on in the
building
The fire started in the fifth story in the
part occupied by Stetheimer & Co. About
5:25 o'clock this afternoon little bov at
tempted to light the gas in what is known
as the cutting department. This is the
shirtwaist cutting department. He
climbed on the cutting table and lighted
the gas. Then he threw the match, which
was still burning, to the floor and it ig-
nited a pile of scrap cambria. In an in
slant there was cracking OF fierce and
uncomfortable flames and the room was
filed with smoke.
Miss Lille Kreiger. realizing the immi-
nence of the peril and at the risk of her
own life. rushed through the different de-
partments of the building and warned the
employees of the danger. Nothing but the
bravery of a volunteer fireman saved her
from death.
When the employees in the fifth story
realized that the fire was beyond control
and was likely to prove disastrous, great
panic ensued. The girls rushed about the
room, some of them found their way down
the stairway, others succumbed to the
dense smoke and sank to the floor, and
some jumped from the dizzy height of the
River-street windows to the pavement be-
low. About half of the girls who were
on the top floor thought of the fire-escape
and found their way to the ground in
safety. For twenty minutes after the fire
started the scene was the most exciting
ever witnessed in Troy.
During this time there was a continuous
panic, and in the rush for place OF safety
many were injured. The crush on the
stairway was something frightful. About
200 men and girls attempted to make their
escape by this exit at the same time.
Many were trampled under foot, the ones
who were in front were knocked from their
feet and thrown to the landings below and
some are said to have been left unconscious
on the stairway. The majority of the en-
ployes finally reached the street, but they
were so overcome with excitement that it
was impossible to learn from them how
many had been left in the building Quite
mum Der found their way out by means OF
the fire escapes. The girls fairly threw
themselves down the ladders to reach the
ground quickly, and the firemen had their
hands full in carrying the young women
down the ladders from the terminus of the
escape.
Probably the most heartrending scenes
were those witnessed on the streets. The
mothers and other relatives she girls
who were at work in the fa,Sor< soon
learned of the disastrous fire ans Su rried
to the scene. They gathered around the
burning building, distracted with grief
and fear, making anxious inquiries for the
loved ones. Some of them attempted to