Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-02-16
GIRas IN A GREAT PAN re.
Sent shrtckinE TO the street by Fire in a
New York Factory on Thursday.


sent shrick,nE TO the strestby Fire In
New York Factory on Thursday.
Now York, Feb. "a fire which
threatened to destroy an entire block,
started in the bag factory of Walter X
Bell, Nos. l and 3 Front street, five.
story brick building, early today. The
fire soon spread to No. and to No. %
Moore, the rear of which was close to
the Front street buildings rear.
When the flames were first discovered
large number Of girls, who are EN-
ployed in the building, rushed down
the stairways in q panic, shrieking for
help. A fireman who happened to be
passing and several companions sue
ceeded in calming the girls and getting
them out to the street safely.
Three of the girls employed in the
factory ran out by the rear of the build
ing as they saw their danger, instead
of following their companions. They
| were caught in the alley separating the
building from Peter Hartman's hotel
at No. So Whitehall street. An employe
| of the hotel saw the smoke from the
| fire and rushed to the back to SEQ what
was ablaze. He saw the three girls in
/ the alley crouchipg in terror from the
\ black smoke that filled the alley. One
| of the girls had tainted. He seized
them one by one and lifted them into
the hotel through the window. They
were not injured.
Not long after the fire started sparks
blown by the wind ignited Nos. 2 and
8 South street, four-story building
occupied as a storage warehouse by j.
III. Meyer a. Co. The rear began tc
blaze and the high wind threatened the
entire block bounded by South, Front,
Moore and Whitehall streets. No.
Front street, occupied by Auaruginbar
& Rance, dealers in foreign fruits
burned rapidly.
The firemen worked under great diff
culties, owing to the intense cold. TIT
wind blew fercely, tanning the flame
and numbing the faces and hands o
the firemen. The smoke was over
towering and it filled all the building
/ in which the firemen had to go.
| The four-story storage warehouse a
No. % Moore street, which was one o
/ the first to catch fire, was used chief
, for storage of lumber. 1t is occupie,
by Beghue & Wilson.
II The fire stopped traffic on the Secon
, Avenue and Third Avenue elevate
railway lines.
: Bernard G. Blair,ra fireman of tn
! fireboat Robert A. Van Wyck, was a
work on the third floor Of the storeag
warehouse at No. 2 and 8 South stree
i soon after the fire began. The smok
was SO thick there that he was ovei
: come.
4 Fireman Summerhar went up ladde
a TO get Blair down. He found hi
/ lying ON the floor and carried him to
9 window. Blair partially recovered an
q tried to help himself down the ladder
The rnngs Of tho ladder were coate
= with ice and Blair slipped, falling Q
2 his head in the street. His skull WI
q fractured.
/. Other firemen were cut by fragmen
of glass and portions of the iron shu
/. tiers which were broken from the vii
" dows of storebouses
|; Peter Hartman's hotel was attackt
+. from the rear and the flames ate the
i. way through the entire structure. Ne,
a. the blaze attacked the roof of Il
"A Eastern Hotel, and licked its W;
a downward with great rapidity. Flo
"a tunately few of the dodgers, who we
IA working people, were in the hotels
n the time. The Whitehall Hotel W
\ soon emptied and without panic. b
A. it was not cleared of guests before
1 was included in the sweep of the fame
n which seemed to proceed from eve
/. portion of the building simultaneous
y The loss from the fire is various
estimated at fiom $500, 600 to Sl,CO
600.