The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-12-08
Resulting In One Death and the Injury Of a
Large Number Of People.
The Six Hundred Employees, Most
ly Women and Girls, Thrown
Into a Panic When the Fire
Was Discovered, Fifty-Seven
Sustaining Injuries of a MOI e
or Less Serious Character in
Their Efforts to Escape From
the Seething Mass Of Flames.

READING Pa.), Dec. 7.-One of the
most appalling fires that has ever Wis
tied this city occurred to-day, when the
extensive hosiery mill of the Nellie
Horst Company took fire, destroying
the plant, causing the death of one
person and injuring 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 4S years
who was the only person killed. All
the other employees have been accounted
for. OF the fifty-seven persons who
were injured, thirty-one are badly hurt
The following are among the serious
ly injured: Hester Mowbray, shoulder
dislocated; Mamie Ritter, ankle frac-
tured; Sallie Christman, arm broken,
Emma Lance, nose broken, hip dislo-
Gated; Annie c. Baer, ankle broken, Sc
riously injured internally; Winnie Baer
leg broken: Annie Drummer, ankle
broken; Sallie Bausher leg broken;
Sallie Clay, knee fractured; Miss Ibach,
ankle broken: Miss Lachman, leg
brokne; Emma Lorah both legs broken
Annie Mahoney. leg broken; Bessie
Schaefer, thigh broken; Gertrude Sci
fert, leg broken; Jennie Warner, both
legs broken; Sallie Sherman, internally
injured; Catherine Luppoid, internally
injured Maggie Whitmeyer, leg broken;
Leila Hendersllaw, both thighs frac-
tured: Mary Yeich, compound fractures
of arms
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 6UO
persons We're 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 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 APP
pealed to those in the street to save
them. Ladders were brought into use,
and many girls were taken from the
burning building safely. Most of them,
however, jumped, and We're seriously
injured.
fOr a leW minutes from every WlnuOW
on the second and third floors girls
leaped 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 es-
capes were badly burned, but more OF
them, it is believed, seriously injured.
1t is not known how Miss Clay met her
fate, but it is believed 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 pro-
gress of the fire it is considered mirac-
ulous that there was such \ small loss
of life. There is much criticism among
the employees because of the fact that
the screens in the windows, except
those at the tire-escapes, were secure
ly 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 employees say that the
doors were locked, as a rule, after the
employees were in the building.
The fire was caused by an explosion
of gasoline in the smuggling The
loss is estimated at about $2I5 900. on
which there is an insurance of $lo0,0OO.