Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-02-20

waste, a mass of flames, $50 girls and
women frenzied with fright, fighting
for life as hot flames chased them with
hungry tongues, was the beginning of
a fire last night that consumed thous-
ands of dollars worth of property and
caused the destruction of many lives.
From outside of high building the
first notice of the impending disaster
was the sight of body of girls as
they rushed out upon the frescapes
from the windows. Following them
was mass of smoke and flames. Then
a mass of frenzied humanity, finding
the egresses too small for instant es-
cape, jumped to the ground. Within
twenty minutes after the fire started
there were three dead women laid upon
the floor of an adjoining store and
dozen burned or manned girls and Wo-
men taken to hospital Of the 800
girls and women in the building it is
presumed at least half a dozen are in
the ruins 1t was about thirty minutes
before the closing hour in Stethimers &
Co.'s shirt waist factory on River
working rapidly to finish up. In the
cutting room on the fifth floor, $50
were closing up the days assignments
and preparing to leave when the
whistle blew Tillie Kreiger, who was
working near a machine, called small
boy to light the gas over her work. The
boy struck a match and threw he
burning stub to the floor. 1t struck
pile of rags and in an instant the girl
was enveloped in flames. With clothes
and hair burning she rushed to win
dow and i'll an instant the room be-
came a struggling, shrieking mass
of humanity, filling the windows,
fire escapes and only stairway. jam
ming and pushing, tearing each 9TH
ers clothes, girls and women fought for
their lives to get away from the fiery
flames With rare presence of mind
Policeman Farrell, who was on the
street, seeing that in panic number
were liable to jump, let down an avn
ing over the entrance. Barely was it
down when two or three forms came
flying down from the fifth and sixth
stories and, bouncing from the avn
ing, fell to the sidewalk. Lilly Krie-
ger, over whose machine the fire start
ed, was one of these. BY this time
nearly every window had q female
form dangling from it and when the
firemen arrived there was hustle to
get ladders up. At a center window
on the sixth floor, a woman, hanging
by her hands, was forced cut by the
flames licking her face. With a last
Shrek she let go, and came tumbling
over and over until she struck the
pavement below. When picked up it
was found she was Mrs Margaret Car
roll Her spinal column was forced
through into her brain. Just below her
at another window hung woman
turning appealing Slances to the
crowd. The black smoke pouring from
the window, but as yet no flames were
visible, and the crowd yelled encour-
agingly to her to hold on, but the high
red flames reached out just then and
licked her face and in an instant her
body was rebounding from the pave
ment. She was Mrs. Foley, a widow,
and when picked up was dead
On the same floor hanging from
another window, was salvation in the
shape of a ladder almost within her
grasp when her strength gave way and
she then went hurting down. At least
dozen women and girls were carried
down on ladders or dragged out of the
corridors. The fire burned so fiercely
that no detailed search of the building
could be made and from what can be
learned, there are many girls and
women in the upper stories, either ly-
ing in fainting fits or overcome by
smoke. 1t was this fnCt that lead to
rumors that at least twenty women
were dead, and the story even at this
writing does not seem improbable The
flames ate down through three floors
so quickly that the Western Union
Telegraph company, the Jessup &
Gooppner Crockery company and Van
Zandt & James. collar makers, had
no time to save anything. One house
after another started. Fireman heard
shrieks coming from a two-story build
ing on the south. They discovered an
Italian peddler, named Joseph Rossi,
who kept stand in front of the
building, pinioned by the legs under a
heavy beam. Three policemen started
to assist him, and with a fireman
worked over an hour They had just
about gotten him loose when. with a
roar the great south wall came crash
ing down and the Mortified
spectators saw the brave little group
buried from view. When the smoke
and dust cleared, there was a rush of
willing workers and in a little while
the men were taken out. All were in
jured and had to be removed to a hos
pital. The Italian will probably die,
but the policemen may recover. The
girls who did escape went to their
homes so that until the roll is called this
morning the exact number of missing
will not be known. The total loss is
estimated at $500, 900, with 100000 in
surance. At least 500 people are thrown
cut of employment. Firemen worked
last night with the thermometer down
below zero and suffered very much.
Following is list of the unfortunates
obtainable up 20 8 o'clock a. M.
Dead-Mrs. Margaret Carroll Mrs.
Folev, Mrs. Robert Kane.
Injured-Mamie Day, jumped and
badly hurt; Annette Harrington badly
burned; Lillian Oathout, burned; Mamie