Evening star., 1899-02-09
PANIC AMONG GIRLS
Employees of New York Bag Factory
Flee From Fire.
NEARLY A WHOLE BLOCK BURNED
Fremen Greatly Hindered by the
Extreme Cod Weather.
Loss Is VERY HEAVY

NEW YORK. February "a fire, which
threatened to destroy an entire block.
started in the bag factory of Walter &
Bell. at Nos. 1 and Front street, five
story brick building. early today. The fire
soon spread 10 No. and then to 2S Moore
street. the rear of which was close to the
Front street buildings rear.
When the flames were first discovered a
large number of girls, who are employed in
the building. rushed down the stairways in
a panic, shriekng for help. A fireman who
happened to he passing and several citizens
| succeeded in Gaining the girls and getting
them out to the street safely.
There were $50 girls in the bag factory
but all had escaped in safety. one of the
girls. who had run out with the rest. fear
ing that some were left behind. returned
to the building which was filled with
smoke. and searched the second and third
floors but found girls. She then made
her escape.
Narrow Escape of Three Girls.
Three of the girls ran out by the rear of
the building as they saw their danger in
stead of following their companions. They
were caught in the alley separating the
building from Peter Hartman's hotel. at IS
Whitehall street. An employe of the hotel
saw the smoke from the fire and rushed to
the back to see what was ab.aZe. He saw
the three girls in the alley crouching in ter
ror from the black smoke that filled the
alley. One of them had tainted. He seized
them one by one and lifted them into the
hotel through he window. They were not
injured
Not long after the fire started sparks
| blown by the wind ignited Nos. and 3
South street. a four-story building occu-
pied as a storage warehouse by J. h.
Meyer & Co. TIE rear began to blaze and
the high wind threatened the entire block
bounded by South Front. Moore and White
hall streets. No. = Front street, occupied
by Auarguinbau & Rance, dealers in for
eign fruits, burned rapidly.
Firemen Greatly Handicapped.
The tiremen worked under great difficult
ties. owing to the intense cod. The wind
blew fercely tanning the flames and be
numbng the faces and hands of the fire
| men. The smoke was ove1powering and
filled all the buildings in which the firemen
had to GO
Bernard c. air a fireman. of the fire
boat Robert \. Van Wyck was at work on
the third floor of the storage warehouses
at and :: South street soCn after the fire
began. The smoke was so thick there that
he wa. overcome.
Fireman SU,nneIhar went up ladder
to get b ar down. He found hlm lying on
the fOo.' and Carried him to d window.
| Blair partially recovered and tried to help
himself down the ladder The rungs of
the ladder were coated with ice and Blair
slipped. falling on his head in the street.
His skull was fractured.
Other fremen were cut by fragments Of
glass ard portions of the iron shutters
| which were broken from the windows of
stOrehOuSgs- IL the rear OF the Jag fac
| tory were rows Of small, old buildings filed
| with hay. grain, feed, cotton jute and bag
/ ging. All were ablaze in an instant it
| seemed, and the flames gathered headway
| as they leaped 10 the larger structures in
| the block.
Two Hotels Burned.
Peter Hartman's hotel was attacked from
the rear and the flames ate their way
| through the entire structure. Next the
blaze attacked the roof of the Eastern Ho-
| tel, and licked its way downward with
great rapidity. Fortunately few of the
! dodgers. who are working people, were in
| the hotels at the time.
The Whitehall Hotel was soon emptied
and without panic. But it was not cleared
| of guests before it was included in the
J sweep of the flames, which seemed to pro-
| ceed from every portion of the building
| simultaneously.
The loss from the fire is variously esti-
! mated at from 5000 900 to 81 .UJu.O0o
The fourstory storage warehouse at No
| Is Moore street which was one of the first
| to catch fire, was used chiefly for storage
| of lumber, 1t is occupied by Beghue &,
| Wilson.
! The fire stopped traffic on the I'd avenue
| and 81 avenue railway lines.
Big Blaze at Saratoga
SARATOGA, n. Y, February 9-The
Delaware and Hudson depot, Sweeney S
/ Hotel. the Saratoga Company's annex and
| Schaeffer's cafe We're burned today Dwy-
! ei saloon, the Sheridan House the Spen-
! cf~ House and Rourke's alley We're dam
| ed.
J James Y. Snyder, a night watchman en-
/ pioyed by the Delaware and Hudson rail-
way, was burned to death
/ The loss is $4,000, partly covered by in
/ suIaAce.
| whole Town Nearly DESTROYED.
| UTICA, \. Y, February 9-The village
! of Forestport. in this county, was nearly
/ destroyed by fire this morning. The tele-
| graph and telephone offices We're burned
The fire broke out at am. and the busi-
ness part of the village was DESTROYED.
| The Getm&n Eotei was burned. as were
| also Whittier : furniture store, Helmer's dry
| goods store, ByrOn's saloon, the Charles
| . Connor Hotel and barn, Marshalrs Hotel
! and barn and two dwelling houses
! fearful gale was blowing at the time
/ ana the limited ire apparatus was of small
! use. The damage is easily SE,Q unl