Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-18
PANIC N A Factory
Five Hundred Boys and Girls Caught
In . Burning Box Factory at
Chicago.
Wild Scramble for Exits Ensues and
Many Are 7rampled Un.
der Foot.
Superintendent Of the Works Lost
in the Flames Many Acts
of Heroism.

Chicago, Oct. 1S.-The w. G. Richie
Paper Box Companys immense plant
burned last evening. Five hundred
girls and boys employed in the factory
had narrow escape. One is thought
to have persisted in the flames. Four
have been victims of the fire.
The paper box factory occupied six
story building at the southwest corner
of Green and Van Bmen streets, hav
ing frontage of almost 300 feet on the
two thoroughfares. Only a small part
of the structure was utilized by two
other tenants and in the various de-
partments of the Richie plant 900 boys
ana girls were employed. Last night
about one-half of the employees We're to
work overtime and at $50 o'clock these
prepared to eat their lunches at their
various working places. Just as they
We're comfortably seated thin column
of smoke crept out of the room used for
making pill boxes on the fifth floor and
before it was noticed had reached into
the long hall running east and west
through the big building. James
Swenie, son of the fire chief. was pass
ing on a car and his attention was
allied to the blaze by another passen
ger. Swenie ran to Halsted street and
sounded an alarm and when he turned
from the signal box the fire was break
ing through the roof of the building at
the extreme corner of Green and Van
l5uren streets.
Four young girls We're in the pillbo&
room, and their frantic cries of fire
schoed through the lofts and corridors
of the structure until not an inmate of
the place remained in ignorance of the
Danger that threatened. There was a
united rush for the stairways leading
10 the street. In the halls black smoke
abscured the way and stifed the
women and boys. The way to the steps
was lost and Wild struggle began, all
lighting madly and without knowing
what could be the gain. The younger,
ones in the crowd We're pushed from
their feet and tramp,ed on again ana
again. The heat cracked the windows
ON the fifth floor and the draft created
lifted the pail of smoke and showed the
itaircases to the frantic ones. Once
more there was unitsd dash for safe
". and a struggling, pushing, crowding
mass of humanity want tunbling and
crushing down and poured out into
Green and Van Buren, streets.
But the stream OF fleeing girls and
boys left many HELPLESS ones in It's
wake. Some reached the stairs to find
The smoke and fia3tsa cutting them of
entirely, and they turned TO the Win
iows Josephine Fonda and two COM
Danions clanbered out on the fire es-
cape, and With their faces turned up
Ward began the perilous descent to the
Sidewalk Thousands watched them in
their journey, and there was scarcely a
sound but the cries of the tiremen un-
til they reached the bottom rounds of
the ladders. Then there went up a
mighty cheer. which was hushed al
most at its beginning, for the strain
had been loo great for the Fonda girl,
ind she toppled over in faint.
| When the first alarm went through
| the building Superintendent McMasters
and Secretary II. Lyel Smedes. the lat
tier cousin to the Ritchies. ran TOWARD
the freight elevator. They found the
| cage gone and turned to the stars. By
which route they reached the
SIKH floor There they called to The
girls and boys to keep order and treo
to direct the frightened crowds to the
steps.
{. When the last of the throng had gon,
they Went TO scour the various room.
for any who might be left behind in thu
lpanic All this time the flames hat
been spreading through every part o
The big manufacturing establishment
i Truck No was the first engine to ar
riveo on the scene and the firemen foun'
4 plenty TO busy them in picking the hal
fainting girls from the fire escapes. Sec
Il rotary smedes, moved by the sound O
the engines Gathering into Green street
II went to a window and looked out. II
saw fire and smoke pouring from ever,
Il window on the Green street side and h
turned to the stairs in alarm. Then h
|realized his danger, for 1T was impossi
Bile any longer 10 brave the heat an
suffocating fumes there.
He ran back and called to McMasters
who had descended to the fifth floor b
an unused stairway. The superintend
ant answered and Smedes shouted tina
the stairs were impossible and that h
was going to try TO escape by the win
dow.
Smedes swung himself out on tn
ledge and lifted his voice in might
cry. Capt Smith of truck No. hear
him and saw the figure clinging to tn
, side of the building. An extension lad
der MAS run up anc the firemen clam
bered TO the aid of Smedes, but the fir
roaring from the lower windows droN
the rescuers back again and again. =
last Truckman George Thompson thre
: his coat over his head and ran up III
I. rounds until he reached the secretar.
/ He placed his arm around Snede
waist and guided him down the laddf
e until the perilous trip was ended In II
! road.
e Superintendent McMasters beir
: missed a search was started, but
trace of him could be found and it
: practically certain he was overcome !
the smoke and failed to reach the VII
dow through which Secretary Smed'
:. made his escape. The loss is abo'
$4,000.
MEMORY OF NAME RESTORED
9 Surgical Operation Apparently Coz
= firms Theory of Austrian Savant.