The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-02-18
TWENTY DEAD WOMEN
Death 5 Awful Harvest in Troy,
New York.
VICTIMS OF THE FIRE FlEND
Dashed to Death on the Pave
ment Below.
A DOZEN NOW IN THE RUINS
The Conflagration Was Caused by a
Lighted Match Carelessly Thrown
Into a Pile of Oily Rags
by a Boy

Into a Pile of Oily Rags
by Boy
Troy,N. ", Feb 17.-A small boy
carelessly throwing a match into pile
of oily waste, a blasting mass Of
flames, $50 girls and women, frenzfed
with fright, fighting for life, as the
hot flames chased them with hungry
tongues, was the beginning Of fire to-
night that consumed thousands Of dol
lars worth of property and caused the
destruction of many lives.
From the outside of the high build
ing the first notice of impending dis
aster was the sight of a body of girls,
as they rushed out upon the fire es-
capes from the windows. those who
were more fortunate crowding out the
entrance. Following them was a mass
of smoke with flashes of hot flame in
lurid streaks, then the mass of fren-
zied humanity finding the egresses
too small for instant escape, began
climbing 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 adjoining
store, and at least dozen burned and
manned girls and women taken 10 the
hospital or to their homes.
OF the $50 girls and women in the
building, it is presumed that at least a
half dozen are in the ruins, for it is
impossible to locate all, and the num-
ber fixed at a late writing as twenty,
may be exaggerated.
1t was just thirty minutes before
closing hours IN Gteithcimer Il Co.'S
shirt-waist factory, on River street,
and the $50 girls and women were
working rapidly 10 finish up. In the
cutting room on the. fifth floor, the $50
girls were closing up their days as
signment and preparing TO leave when
the whistle blew. Lille Kreiger, who
was working near a machine, called to
q small boy to light the gas over her
work The boy struck a 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 room became a
struggling, shrieking mass Of hui
manity, filing the windows, the fire.
escapes and the only stairway. jam
ing and pushing, tearing each others
clothes from their backs, these girls
and women fought for their lives to
get away from the fiery flames that
seemed to grow to monstrous size.
With rare presence of mind, policeman
FarralI, who was on the street, seeing
that in the panic a number we're liable
to jump, let down the awning 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 awning, fell to the
sidewalk
Lille Kreiger, over whose machine
the fire started, was one of these. She
struck the awning, fell on her back
and bounced to her hands and knees
on the sidewalk She got up and stag
gered about until the people helped her
TO her feet again. BY this time nearly
every window had a female form dang
ling from it, and when the tiremen ar
rived, there was a 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 a last shrek, she let
90 and came tumbling over and over
until she struck the pavement. When
picked up it was found that she was
Mrs. CARROLL Her spinal coulmn
was forced through into her brain
just below her i'm another window
hung woman turning appearing
glances to the crowd. The black smoke
vet no flames were visible, and the
crowd yelled encouragingly to her to
hold on, but a high red fame reached
out Just 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,
she was dead.
On the same floor, hanging from an
other window, was a woman, and sal
walton in the shape of a ladder was
most within her grasp when her
strength failed, and she went tumbling
down to death. She was Mrs Kane.
The fremen and police worked like
heroes, and to their energy was due
a great saving of lives. At least a
dozen women and girls were carried
down the ladders, and dragged out of
the horrors. The fire burned so fierce
ly by this time thatno detailed search of
the building could be made, and 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. 1t was this fact
that led to the rumors that there were
at least twenty women dead, and the
story even at this writing does pQtSaaa
improbable. -