Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-02-21
FATAL FLAMES.
Terrible Scenes During Factory
Fire in Troy, N. Y.
Women Jump from Windows and
Are kiIed-Many Others
Are Injured.


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. It 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.
The 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 fremen
worked with the thermometer down be-
low zero. and suffered very much.
Following is the list Of unfortunates
so far as obtainable:
DEAD-Mrs. Horbort, Mrs Kane and
Mrs Foley
M1ss1Na-Mamie Danks Kitty o'con-
nor, Miss Kane and Miss Foley.
INJuRED-Miss Mamie Day, injured and
bruised; Miss Lille Krcigcr, badly bruised
and burned: Miss Mamie Ro,lrfe, 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 I.adensburg,
badly injured and burned; James Ross.
crushed by falling walls, leg broken and
seriously injured; officer Burke, crushed
by falling walls, condition serious; oficer
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.
Jumped From the Top Stories.
From the outside of the high build
ing the first notice of impending dis
aster was the sight of body of girls
MS they rushed out upon the fire es-
capes from the windows. The fifth ana
sixth stories of the building were occu
pied by the collar factory of Vanzant
& jacobs and j. Stetthermer & Co.'s
shirt-waist factory. Flames burs.
through the window almost instantly
and the mass of frenzied humanity,
finding the egresses too small for in
slant escape, began climbing over the
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 storA
and at least dozen burned and MANNED
girls and women taken to the hospital
or to their homes.
Fell Into the Flames.
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
stiye that score of girls persisted. The
girls who did escape live in various
suburban places and hurried away, SO
that until the roll is called this morn
ing the exact number of missing will
not be known.
How It Started.
The fire which ended so disastrously.
started in the fifth story, in the part
occupied by Stetheimer & Co. About
Fe:25 o'clock in the afternoon a littl.
boy attempted to light the gas in what
is known as the cutting department..
He climbed on the cutting table anJ
lighted the gas. Then he threw the
match, which was still burning, to the
floor, and it ignited pile of scrap
cambria. In an instant there was n
cracking OF fierce and uncomfortable
flames, and the room was filled with
smoke.
An Awful Scene.
For 20 minutes after the fire started
the scene WIS the most exciting ever
witnessed in Troy. During this time
there was continuous panic, and in
the rush for place of safety many
were injured. The crush on tho stair
way 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 We're in front were
knocked from their feet and thrown to
the landing and some are said to have
been left unconscious on the stairway,
Spread of the Flames.
The Spread of the flames was remark
able. There was strong wind blowing
at the time, and in less time than II
taxes 10 tell 1t, the building was atire
from top to bottom. Twenty strean.s
of water seemed to have no effect and
there was every indication early in tie
evening that the entire block would be
consumed The fire extended into the
big, structure north, Quilted it ana tho
Western Union building. 1t was nor
until about four hours after the fire
started that it was under control. The
loss will probably reach 100000.
Rescue Work Difficult,
Troy, n. y, Feb. 1s.-Thc intensel,
cold weather now prevailing renders
rescue work in the ruins of the factory
fire extremely difficult. No addition
al bodies have been found, but it IS
feared many of the missing girls arc in
the runins, dead.
...l1
Banker Fatally Shot.