The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-08
JUMPED FROM WINDOWS.
APPALLING sCnsns AT A READING.
PA, FIRE.
Hosiery MIL Takes Fire and Im-
prisons Women and Girls. Whose
Only Mems Of Escape Was
Through Windowa-One Killed.

READING, Pa, Dec. 7.--One OF the
the most appalling fires that has ever
visited this city occurred today, when
the extensive mill OF the Nellie a Horst
Company took fire, destroying the plant.
causing the death of one person and in
juring fifty-seven other employees Of the
company. What was at first supposed
to be the bodies of two persons proved
tonight to be the separated parts of one
body. 1t Is that of Miss Louisa Clay,
aged IS years, who was the only person
killed. All the other employees have been
accounted for. or the flfty-seven per-
sons who were injured. thirty-one were
badly hurt.
The following are among the seriously
injured:
Hester Mowbry, shoulder dislocated;
Mamie Rutter. ankle fractured; Sallie
Christman, arm broken; Emma Lance,
nose broken. hip dislocated; Annie Baer,
ankle broken, seriously injured internally;
Winnie Baer. leg broken; Annie Drummer.
ankle broken; SallIe Bauscher. leg
broken; Sallie Clay, knee fractured; Miss
Ibach. ankle broken: Miss Lachman, leg
broken; Emma Lorah. both legs broken:
Annie Mahoney, leg broken; Bessie
Schaeffer, thigh broken; Gertrude Seifert,
leg broken: Jennie Warner, both legs
broken; Sallie Sherman. internally In
Jured; Catherine Luppold, Internally in
jured; Maggie Whitmeyer, leg broken;
Leila Hendersbaw. both thighs fractured;
Mary Yeich, compound fractures of arms.
The remainder of the Hfty-seven had
hands or faces burned lirnhs bruised or
otherwise injured.
The hosiery building was a large four
story structure and nearly GOO persons
were employed, most of them being wo-
men and girls. The fire was discovered
about II o'clock and in few moments
ha OF RI Ii <~tr a.
a dash for the fire escape and the stairs
but found that the latter means Of escape
would not carry all of them down at the
same time. Several hundred of the girls
then made a rush for the windows and
appealed to those in the street to save
them. Ladders were brought into use
and many girls We're taken from the
burning building safely. Most of them,
however, jumped and were seriously in.
jured.
For a few minutes. from every window
on the second and third floors. girls leap
ed, one after the other. Some lodged In
the arms of those below, but many struck
the ground They were picked up and
rapidly removed to hospitals or their
houses Many of the girls who escaped by
the stairways and fire escapes were badly
burned. but none of them, 1t is believed
seriously injured. 1t is not known how
Miss Clay met her fate, but II Is be-
neved she tainted and was then burned
to death. The fire travelled with great
rapidity. owing to the infiammable stock
in the building. BY those who saw the
progress Of the fire 1t is considered mirac-
ulous that there was such a small loss
of life.
There is much criticism among the en-
ployes because of the fact that the
screens on the windows, except those Mt
the fire escapes. were securely nailed to
the window stills. The girls had to break
the screens before they could get out
to leap to the ground. Some Of the en-
ployes say that the doors were locked,
as rule, after the employees were in the
building.
The fire was caused by an explosion of
gasoline In the smuggling room. The loss
Is estimated at about SITE, 600 on which
there is an insurance OF about $15o,ooo