Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-02-18
/ SICKENING
Was the Sight Of the
Dead and Dying
HUMAN BEINGS ROASTED ALIVE IN
A BURNING BUILDING AT
Troy, ~. Y.
FROM HIGH WINDOWS
THE FRENzyEp INMATES LEApED
TO CERTAIN DEATH.
over s:bo,ooo Destroyed and over
400 People Thrown ont OF
Employment.
THE FRENzyEp INMATES LEApED
TO CERTAIN DEATH.

Troy, N Y, Feb. IA small boy
careiessly throwing Il match into a
pile of oily waste, a blazing mass OF
names, three hundred girls and women
iienzled with fright lighting for life as
the flames chased them with hungry
tongues, was the beginning Of a tire
tonight that consumed thousands OF
dollars worth of property and caused
the destruction OF many l.yes. From me
outside OF the high building the first
notice OF impending disaster was the
sight of body of girls as they rushed
out upon the fire escapes from the
windows, those who were more fortu-
nate erowding 10 the entrance, Follow
ing them was a mass OF smoke with
flashes of hot fame In lurid streaks.
Then the mass of frenzie1 humanity
finding the egresscs too small for in
slant escape. began climbing over the
sides OF the escapes, and bundles Of
clothing filled with writing humanity
dropped at the fet OF Mortified pHssen-
| by. Within twenty minutes after the
fire started there were three dead wU-
men laid upon the floor OF nm adjoin-
Ing store, and at least a dozen burned
| and manned girls and women taken
to the hospital or TO their homes.
OF the $50 girls and women In the
building II is presumed that at least
half dozen are In the ruins. for II ~
half dozen are in the ruins, for II
at late writing, as twenty may ba
exaggerated.
1t was just thirty minutes before the
closing hour In Strehoms 6 Co, = shirt
waist factory on River street, and the
$50 girls and women We're working
rapidly to finish up. In the cutting
room on the fifth floor the $50 girls
were closing up their assignments and
preparing to leave when the whistle
blew, Lille Krelger. who was working
near machine called to small boy
to light the gas ovsr her work. The
boy struck match and threw the
burning stub to the floor. 1t struck
pile of oily rags, and IN an instant the
girl was envelopei In flames With her
clothes and hair burning she rushed to
the window, and In an instant the
room became n struggling, shrleking
mass OF humanity. filling the windows
the fire escapes and the only exit way.
Jamming and pushing, tearing each 9TH
ers' clothes from their backs, turning
In narrow corridors to find sister or
mother, the number In the exits aug
mented every minute by those from
the other fl',ors these girls and women
fought for their lives to get away
from the fiery flames that seemed to
grow to monstrous size. With rare
presence OF mind Policeman Farrell,
who was on the street, seeing that In
the panic number were liable to
jump, let down the awning over the
entrance. Barely was II down when
two or three forms came flying down
from the NTH and sixth stories, and
bouncing from the awning. fell to the
sidewalk
Lille lirciger over whose machine
the fire started. was one OF these She
struck the awning. fell on her back and
bounced TO her hands and knees on
the walk She got UP and staggered
-. hi Ant-lNs In.
dow had u female form dangling from
Il. md when the iiremen arrived
there was u hustle to get the ladders
up At the center window on the sixth
floor n woman was hanging by her
hands, forced out by the flames licking
her face with last shrek she let 10
and came tumblng over until she
struck the pavement. When picked up
II was found that she was Mrs. Mar
earet Carroll. Her spinal column was
forced through her brain. Just below
her in another window hung another
woman casting plteous glances to the
crowd. The black smoke was pouring
fiom the window. but as yet no flames
were visible, and the crowd yelled en-
couragingly to her to hold on. but
red flame reached out and licked her
face, and in an instant her body was
rebounding from the pavement. She
was Mrs. Foley. widow. and when
picked up she was dead on the same
floor, hanging from another window,
was another woman, and salvation in
tire shape Of ladder was almost with
In her grasp when her strength failed,
and she went twirling down to death.
Lottie and Nellie Hull. sisters.
prasped each other tightly by the
hands and started down the stairs
from the sixth story. At the landing of
the fifth floor they encountered wall
az flame and smoke. Nellie had on only
her corset and skirt. having been max
ing her toilet Lottie who also partially
undressed, threw her dress over Nell
lies face, and together they went
through the flames. Lottie's hair was
burned completely Off when she reach
ed the sidewalk, but Nellie was burned
only about her bare arms, They were
taken home.
The loss by the ERE IL from $3.50 900 TO
5000. oN0. with about 100000 insurance.
Al least 400 people are thrown out OF
employment. The firemen worked to-
night with the Thermometer down be-
Low. zero and suffered very much.
The roll call in the morning VIII evil
evidently show that between twenty
and thirty people are underneath the
ruins. Up TO o'clock no other bodies
had been recovered.
Superintendent OF Police willard
/ said:
clncts show that there are at least
| fifteen people missing, and with the
| lve alroady known TO be missing that
WIN make twenty lost In the ruins, ]
| nlneaglne there are many more for II
seemsc 10 me Impossible that all the
people In that building should es-
| On,