The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-18
PANIC Alta SHIRT WAIST FACTORY
Women Fleeing From Fire Leap
to Death.
Terrible Scenes at Burning Building In
Troy. N. Y.-The OareIoss ACT of a
Boy Causes Conflsgration That Costs
Many Lives and Thousands of Dollars
Worth OF Property.

Troy, N. Y, Feb. ia small boy,
osrelessly throwing match into pile
OF oily waste, caused q blasting mass OF
flames, and 300 girls and women, fren-
lied with fright, fighting for life as the
hot flames chased shem with hungry
tongues, was the beginning OF fire to-
night that consumed thousands Of doll
lars worth of property snd caused tho
destruction OF many lives.
From the outside of the high building
the first notice Of the impending dis
aster was the sight of a body OF girls as
they rushed out upon the fire escapes
from the windows, those who were more
fortunate providing out the entrance,
Following them was mass OF smoke
with flashes of hot flame in lurid
streaks.
Then the mass of frenzied humanity
finding the expresses too small for in
slant escape began olim bling over the
sides OF the escapes and bundles of
clothing filed with writhing humanity
dropped at the feet of Mortified passers-
by. Within twenty minutes after the
fire started there were three dead
women laid upon the floor of an adjoin-
ing store and at least dozsn burned
and MANNED girls and women taken to
the hospital or to their homes.
OF the $50 girls and women in the
building 1t is presumed that at least a
half dozen are in the ruins, for 1t Is i'm
possible to locate all, and the number
fixed at late writing as twenty may be
exaggerated.
1t WAS just thirty minutes before
closing hours in Stetheimer s. Co.'s
shirt waist factory, on River street, and
the $50 girls and women were working
rapidly to finish up. In the cutting
room on the ffth floor $50 girls were
closing up their days assignments and
preparing to leave when the whistle
blew. Lille Kreiger, who was working
near machine, called to O small boy to
light the gas over her work. The bow
struck match and threw the burning
stub to the floor.
1t struck pile OF oily rags and in an
instant the girl WAS enveloped in flames.
With her clothes and hair burning she
rushed to the window and in an instant
the ruom became struggling, Shrek
ing mass of humanity, filling the win
dows, the fire escapes and the only
stairway, iamming and pushing, tear.
ing each others clothes from their
backa.
These girls and women fought for
their lives to get away from the fiery
flames that seemed to grow to mon
strous size. With rare presence Of mind
Policeman Farrell, who was on the
street, seeing that in the panic a mum.
Der were liable to jump, let down the
awning over the entrance. Barely WAS
1t down when two or three forms came
flying down from the fifth and sixth
stories and bouncing from the awning
fell to the sidewalk.
Lille Kreiger, over whose machine
the IRE started, was one Of these. She
struck the awning, fell on her back and
bounced on her hands and knees to the
sidewalk. She got up and staggered
about until people helped her to her
feet again. BY this time nearly every
window had 8 female form dangling
from 1t and when the f1remen arrived
there was hustle to get the ladders up.
At the center window on the sixth
floor woman hanging by her hands
was forced out by the flames licking
her face. With last shrek she let 90
and came tumbling over and over until
she struck the pavement. When picked
up 1t was found that ehe was Mrs. Mar
garet Carroll. Her spinal column was
forced through into her brain.
just below her in another window
hung woman turning appealing
glsnoes to the crowd. The black smoke
WAS pouring firm the window, but as
yet no flames were visible and the
crowd yelled encouragingly 20 her to
hold on, but high red flame reached
out just then and licked her face, and in
an instant her body WAS rebounding
from the pavement She WAS Mrs
Foley, widow, and when picked up
was dead.
On the came foor, hanging from
another window WAS 8 woman, and SAL
walton in the shape of 8 ladder was
almost within her grasp when her
strength failed and she went tumbling
down to death. She WAS Mrs. Kane.
The 6remen 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 and dragged out of the corri-
doris.
The fire burned 80 fercely by thi q
time that no detailed search of the build
ing could be made ard from what can be
learned there were many girls and
women on the three upper stories either
lying in fainting fits or overcome by
smoke. II wab this fact that led to tho
rumors that there were at least twenty
women dead and the story even at this
writing does not seem improbable.
The flames ate down through three
floors 80 quickly that the Western
Union Telegraph Company. Jessup &
Oooppner Crockery Company, and Van
Zandt &C Jacobs collar mandatory,
had not time to save anything. One
house after the fire started, caught from
- r. a. IN.