The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-02-19
In A FIERY TOMB.
Awful Fats of Factory Girls at
Troy, N, Y.
Fire Breaks Out in Building Occupied by
Hundreds OF Women and 1t Is Be-
lieved that Doz N or More We're
Cremated Iherein-Prop-
erty Loss About
100000.

Troy, NY, Feb. 1S.--There is mourn
ing in the homes of the Troy collar
girls. An untimely and fearful death
overlook many of them late Monday
afternoon. Working girls whose days
labor was almost over were cut down
almost without warning, by fire. Three
girls jumped to their death from a
burning building.
The fire started in j. Stetheimer &
Co. IS shirt waist factory and Van Zandt
& Jacobs collar factory, situated in the
same building, at $3.50 o'clock There
were 800 girls in the establishments.
The flames spread SO rapidly that the
narrow stairway which was the only
exit outside of the fire escapes i'll the
rear, was almost cut off and during the
panic that followed five employees
Jumped from the windows, three of
them to their death, and many others
were injured. The dead:
Mrs. Herbert, Mrs. Kane and Mrs. Foley.
Missing Miss Mamie DankS, Miss Kittie
O'Counor, Miss Kane, Miss Foley.
Injured Miss Mamie Day injured and
bruised.
Miss Lille Kreiger, badly bruised and burned.
Miss Mamie Rourke, driven insane by shock.
Miss Mamie Downs. almost suifocated.
Miss Annette Harrington face and hands
burned.
Miss Lille outhout, badly burned
Miss Clementine Lloyd.
Miss Gertrude Floyd.
Miss Johnson; the last three of LadcnSburg,
all badly injured and burned.
James Ross crushed by falling walls, leg
broken ard seriously injured.
Offlcer Burke crushed by falling walls; con-
dition serious
Offccr Guy, badly bruised,
Onicer Watson, scalp wound and bruised.
Alfred Casey, fireman, spine lnluIcc.
Jonn Orinsby, fireman, knee hurt.
John Boand, fireman, scalp wound and leg
broken
1t is believed that about 20 girls were
overcome before they reached the
street and were burned upin the build
ing. People who We're familiar with
the interior of the building and knew
how limited were tine means o. escape,
place the total loss at -. The scene of
the catastrophe was at the corner of
Broadway and River street portion
of the city characterized by its big
buildings. The structure is known Us
Che Burlett building, is six stories in
height, and was occupied by J. Stel-
heimer a. Co.'S factory on the fifth
floor Van Xandt G. Jacobs, manufac-
turers OF collars and cuffs. occupied the
three floors below, and Il restaurant
and saloon were on the ground floor.
The fire which ended SO disastrously
started in the fifth story il the part oc-
cupied by Stetheimer q Co, About 5:?j
o'cloci; a boy attempted to light the
Gas in the shirt waist cutting depart
ment. lie climbed on the cutting table
and lighted the gas. Then he threw
the match to the floor and it ignited a
pile of scrap cambric. In an instant
there was u cracking of flames and
the room was filed with smoke. Miss
Lille Kreiger rushed through the
building and warned the employees of
the danger Nothing but the bravery
of volunteer fireman saved her from
death.
When the employees in the fifth stoty
realized that the fire was beyond con
troll a scene of panic ensued. The girls
rushed about the room, some of then
found their way down the stairway
others succumbed to the dense smoke
and sank to the floor, and some jumped
from the windows to the pavement be
low. About half of the girls who were
employed on the top floor thought o,
the fire escape and found their way tC
the ground in safety. For 90 minutes
after the fire started the scene was The
most exciting ever witnessed in Troy
The spread of the flames was remark
able. There was strong wind blow
ing and in minute the building wa!
afire from top to bottom. Twenty
streams of water seemed to have nj
effect. The fire extended into the bis
structure north and gutted it and tht
Western Union building. 1t was no
until about four hours after the fire
started that it was under control. TIL,
loss will reach 100000. The thre
women who were killed by jumping
from the window were almost unrecog
nizable when picked up, so fearful.
were their heads crushed,
Many ofth injured were caught un
der falling walls. While the fire wa
raging in the Kenmore restauran
Thomas Risso, an Italian peanut ven
der, who kept a stand in front of tn,
place, bad u narrow escape from death
A timber fell on him and he was i'm
prisoned in the ruins with fire on ever,
side. Officers Burke, Watson, Guy an
James Quinn, boy, went to his aid
More Of the wall fell and the policemen
were each badly bruised. Quinn wa
struck by flying timbers and quite sci
.iously injured. The Italian was res
cued and taken to a hospital Super
intsndent of Police Willard report
that it is almost certain that 19 girl
were burned in the building.
RetalIatory Law Now in Force.
ALBANY, N. Y, Feb. 1s.-Gov Mo-