The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-18
THREE FELL SIX STORIES
AND NET INSTANT DEATH ON THE
STONY SIDEWALK OR STREET.
Many Missing and Supposed tn Have
Perished i'm the burning building
Thirteen People Injured.


Thirteen People Injured.
TROY, y. Y, Feb. IA small boy care
lessly throwing match into a pile of oily
waste, blazing of flames, three hum
dred girls and women frenzied with fright.
fighting for life as the hot flames chased
them with hungry tongues, was the begin
ming of fire tonight that destroyed thou
sands of dollars worth of property and
caused the loss OF an unknown number of
lives. From the outside of the high build
ing the first notice of impending disaster
was the sight of a number of girls as they
rushed out upon the fire escapes from the
windows, those who were more fortunate
crowding out the entrance. Following them
was a mass of smoke with flashes of hot
flame i'm lurid streaks. Then the mass of
frenzied humanity, finding the egresses too
small for instant escape, began climbing
over the sides of the escapes, and bundles
Of clothing filled with writhing humanity
dropped AZ the feet OF Mortified passers-by
Within twenty minutes after the fire start
ed there were three dead women laid upon
tne floor of an adjoining 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 it is presumed that at least half
dozen are in the ruins, for 1t is impossible
to locate all, and the number fixed at late
writing estimated as twenty may be exag-
gerated. Following is the list of unfortu-
mates obtainable up to IL o'clock:
Dead
MRS. MARGARET CARROLL. jumped
MRS. FOLEY, jumped from window
MRS. ROBERT KANE, jumped from
window
Missing and Probably Dead
MAMIE DANKS.
KATIE O'CONNOR.
MISS O'NElIl-.
MISS HBRBERSCHER.
Injured
MAMIE DAY, jumped and badly hurt.
ANNETTE HARRINGTON, jumped and
LILLIAN OATHOUT, burned.
MAMIE ROURKE. burned.
LILLIAN KREIGER, burned and badly
bruised.
JAMES QUINN, under wall; will die.
MRS. JOHNSTON. badly burned: will die,
FRANK ROSSI, Italian, bruised by fall
ing ggoSsaarNAs %all; BURKE. bruised ov falling
wall.
POLICEMAN WALsEF, bruised by fall
''F FIREMAN INQUIRE. bruised by falling
walls
LOTTIE HULL. severely burned.
y NELLIE HULL, badly bruised
A BOYS CARELESSNESS.
1t was just thirty minutes before closing
hours in Stetthemer & Co.'S shirtwaist
factory on River street when the fire broke
out. and the $50 girls and women were
working rapidly to finish up. In the cut
ting room on the fifth floor the $50 girls
and preparing to leave. Lille Kreiger,
who was working near a machine, called
to small boy to light the gas over her
work The boy struck a match and threw
the burning stub to the floor. 1t struck a
pile of oily rags. and in an instant the girl
was enveloped in flames. With her clothes
and hair burning she rushed to the win
dow, and in an instant the building be-
came a struggling, shrieking mass of hu-
manity, covering the roof. filling the win
dows, the fire escapes and the only stair
way. Jamming and pushing, tearing each
others clothes from their backs turning
in narrow corridors to find sister or
mother or friend. the number in the exits
augmented every minute by those from
the other floors, these girls and women
fought for their lives to get away from the
size.
With rare presence of mind policeman
Farrell, who was on the street, seeing that
in the panic a number were liable to
jump, let down the awning over the en-
trance. Barely was it down when two or
three forms came flying down from the
firth and sixth stories, and, bouncing from
the awning. fell to the sidewalk. Lille
ma 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 about until people
helped her to her feet again. BY this time
nearly every window had a female form
dangling from 1t. and when the firemen
arrived there was a hustle to get the lad
ders up. At the center window on the
sixth floor a woman hanging by her hands
was forced out by the flames. With a last
shrek she let go and came tumbling over
and over until she struck the pavement
When picked up 1t was found that she
was Mrs. Margaret Carroll. Her spine was
forced through into her brain. Just below
her in another window hung a woman
turning appealing glances to the crowd.
The black smoke was pouring from the
window, but as yet no flames were visible.
and the crowd encouraged her to hold on
but higher flame reached out then and
licked her face. and in an instant her body
was rebounding from the pavement She
was Mrs. Foley, a widow, and when picked
up was dead On the same floor hanging
from another window. was a woman. and
salvation in the shape of a ladder was al
most within her grasp when her strength
failed and sne went twirling down to
death. She was Mrs. Kane
WOKED LIKE HEROES
The fremen and police worked like heroes
and TO their energy was due a great saving
OF life. At least dozen women and girls
were carried down the ladders or dragged
cut OF the corridors. the officers and Are
men going into the midst of the smoke and
flames. The fire burned so fierceiy by this
time that no detailed search of the build
ing could be made and from what can be
learned there were many girls and women