The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-02-18
The Dead Up to IL O'Clock.


dow.
Many more are thought to be in the
ruins. and the death list may reach
twenty.
The injured.
Manic Day, Jumped and badly hurt
Annette Harrington. badly burned.
Lillian oathout, burned.
Mamie Rourke, burned.
Lillian Kre!ger burned and badly
bruised,
James Quinn, under wall, will die.
Mrs. Johnston. badly burned, will die.
Frank Rossi. italian, bruised by
falling wall.
policeman Burke, bruised by falling
wall.
policeman Watson, bruised by falling
wall
wall.
LottIe Hull, severely burned.
Nellie Hull, badly bruised.
Missing and Probably Dead.
Mamie Danks.
Katie o'connor.
Miss o'NeiII.
Miss Herberscher'
TROY, n. Y, Feb. IA small boy
carelessly throwing match into a pile
OF oily waste, a blasting mass OF flames.
800 girls and women frenzied with
fright, ftghting for life as though the
flames chased them with hungry
tongues, was the beginning of n 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 building
the first notice Of impending disaster
was the sight OF body OF girls as they
rushed out on the, fire escaped fnnnt the
windows, those who were more fortu-
nate crowdlng out the entrance. Fol-
lowing them was a mass OF smoke with
flashes of hot flame In lurid streams.
Then the mass OF frezied humanity,
finding the egresses too small for In
slant escape, began climbing over the
sides OF the escapes. and bundles OF
clothing fli.ed with writhing humanity
dropped at the feet OF the horrihed
passers-by Within twenty minutes
after the fire started there were three
dead women laid upon the floor OF an
adjoining store and ut least dozen
burned and MANNED girls and women
taken to the hospital or to their homes,
or the $50 girls and women In the
building, It Is presumed that at least
q half dozen are IN the ruins, for II Is
impossible TO locate all. and the number,
fixed at n late writing as twenty, may
be exaggerated.
II was Just thirty minutes before clos
ing hours in Stetthelmers 4 Co.'S shirt
waist factory, on River street. and the
$50 girls and women were working rap
Idly to finish up. In the cutting room,
on the fifth floor. the 1b0 girls wer1
closing UP their days assignments and
preparing 10 leave when the whistle
blew. Lille KrelgGr. who was working
near a machine, called to small boy
to light the gas over her work. The
boy struck match and threw the
burning stub on the floor.
The Fire Starts.
It 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 strug-
Cling. shrieklng mass OF humanity, fiji
Ing the windows, the FIRE escapes and
the only stairway. JammInH and push
Ing, tearing each others clothes from
their backs, turning in narrow corri-
dors 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 fiery
flames that seemed to grow to mon-
strOus size.
With rare presnCc OF mind, Policeman
Farrell. who was on the street, seeing
that In the panic n number were liable
to jump. let down the awning over the
entrance. Barely was Il down when
two or three forms came flying down
from the nth and sixth stories, and
bouncing from the awning, fell to the
sidewalk.
Lille Krclger, over whose machine
the fire started. WIS 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 the people helped her to her feet
HEain. BY this time nearly every wtn-
dow had n female form dangling from
II and when the tiremcn arrived thcre
WuS rs buHttt tS fltt tttt t'httNtfo Hts
At the center window on the sixth
floor. woman hanging by her hands
was forced oGt by the flames licking her
face. with Il last shrlek, che let go and
came tumbling over and over until she
struck the pavement. When picked up,
II was found that she was Mrs Herbcrs
scher. Her spinal column wns forced
through into her brain.
More Awful Scenes.
Just below her In another window
hung woman turning appealing
glances to the crowd. The black smoke
was pouring from the window. but ns
yet no flames were visible aud the
crowd yelled enedufagiHEiy 10 her tS
hold on, but n higher red flame reached
out Just then and licked her face and In
an Instant her body was rcboundIng
from the pavement She was Mrs, FO.
10y, widow. and when picked UP, was
dead. on tho same floor. hanging from
another window was n woman and sal
walton in the shnpC OF n ladder was nj,
most within her grasp when her
strength failed ana Shc went whlFlinE
down to death. She was Mrs. Kane
Tho ilrcmen and police worked like
heroes and to their energy wnA due .
great saving Of lie, AZ lcnst a dozen
women aud girls were cnrrlcd down the
ladders or dragged out OF the corridors,
the officers and tirrmon going Into the
mIdnt of the smoke and flames.
Tho fire burned no tlercely by this