Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-12-08
|CAUGHI IN A BIG FIRE TRAP.
-Four Story Hosiery Mill, at Reading,
Pennsylvania,

pennsylvania,
IN WHICH NEARLY SIX HUNDRED
GIRLS AND WOMEN WE'RE EN-
PLOYED, BURNED TO THE
GROUND-A CAN OF GASOLINE
EXPLODED, AND ALMOST LIKE
A FLASH OF POWDER THE BIG
STRUCTURE, WITH ITS STRUG-
CLING HUMAN PRISONERS,
WAS A MASS OF FLAMES.
THREE KNOWN TO BE DEAD
AND OVER SIXTY OTHERS IN
JURED.
READING, Pa, December 7.-One Of
the most appalling fires that has ever
visited this city occurred to-day when
the extensive hosiery mill of Nolde &
Horst Company took fire, destroying
the plant, causing the death of two
and possibly three persons, and injur-
ing about sixty other employees of the
company. The badly burned corpses
were recovered from the ruins this af-
ternoon and could not be identified. 1t
is believed that one other body is in
the debris, while the firemen and police
authorities are inclined to think that
more than one is in the ruins. One
known to be dead is Miss Louisa Clay,
48 years old. Of the ffty-seven per-
sons who were injured, the following
thirty are the most seriously hurt:
ESTHER MoWBRY, shoulder ~dtslocated.
MAMIE RITTER, ankle fractured and
otherwise badly hurt.
SALLlE CHRISTMAN, arm broken.
EMMA LANCE nose broken, hip dislo-
ANNIE BAER, ankle broken. serious in
juries internally.
WINNIE BAER. leg broken.
erwlse badly injured.
SALLIE BAUSHER, leg broken.
KATIE BOYER, face dfsfigured, arms and
Louisa BARRON, severely injured legs.
ANNIE BOWMAN, Internally injured.
SALLIE CLAY, knee fractured.
K ( D sAIPI internally injured.
MISS IBACH, ankle broken.
MAMIB KRAEMER, internally injured.
CATHERINE KELLY, internally injured.
MAMlE IASf1LMAIN, leg broken.
FRANCES LUDEN, back severely injured.
EMMA LORAH, both legs broken
CATHERINE LUPPOLD, internally in
jured.
ANNIE MAHERNY. leg broken.
BESSIE SCHAEENFER, thigh dislocated.
MINNIE SCHWARTZ, leg broken.
sAHhIE SnHEsETM F]AHiRT Internally rp byyok Injured
JENNIE WARMER, both legs reported
broker.
MAGGIE wHITMEYER, leg broken.
T.EJIA HENnEyPEE1A w n h thio1hkS fra r.
tured.
MARY YIECH. compound fracture of arm,
otherwise seriously injured.
The remainder of the fifty-seven had
hands or faces burned, limbs bruised
or otherwise injured.
The hosiery building was a large four
story structure, and nearly six hun
dred persons were employed, most Of
them being women and girls. The fire
was discovered about IL o'clock and in
a few moments the girls were panic
stricken. They made a dash for the
fire escape and the stairs, but found
that the latter means of escape could
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
b6SlAs ttQdOl WIN OOSh iAIO .
and many girls were 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 leaped n after the other. Some
lodged in the arms of those below, but
many struck the ground. They were
picked up and rapidly removed to hos
pitfalls Oh their homes. Many of the
girls who escaped by the stairways and
fire escapes were badly burned, but
none OF them was, it is believed, seri-
ously injured. 1t is not known how the
dead met their fate, but it is believed
that they tainted and were burned to
death. The fire travelled with great
rapidity owing to the inflammable
stock in the building. By those who
saw the progress of the fire, it is con-
Sidered miraculous that there was such
a small loss of life.
Edward c. HUM, of Philadelphia,
who was in the Office of the hosiery
mill, said:
During the time it took me to walk
from the Office to the corner of Moss
and Douglass streets, the place appear
ed to fill with smoke. I noticed girls
on the fourth floor trying to raise win
dows to get out. One girl kicked the
window out and she and many others
made for the fire escape and many CT
them fell over each other in getting
out. In half a minute there was a
background of flames which appeared
to drive the girls out through the viii
dows. While they were climbing, crawl
ing and tumbling down the fire escapes
flames in big sheets burst out through
all the windows of the fourth floor,
while smoke in clouds was coming
from all the windows. I heard what
| took to be four distinct EXPLOSIONS.
1t may have been twenty minutes after
the fire that / heard the first explosion.
After the fire department got to work
they did noble service. The cries of
mothers who had daughters in the
building were pitiful to hear"
There is much criticism among the
employees because Of the fact that the
screens in the windows, except those
at the fire escapes. were securely nailed
to the window sills. The girls had to
break the screens before they could get
out to leap to the ground. Some Of the
employees say that the doors were
locked. as a rule. after the employees
were in the building.
There fire was caused by the e1plo-
sion of gasoline in the singing room.
Tho I0cc iS estimated Of about 2o-S-