The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-10
ACCUSE FIREMEN OF THEFT.
,Y THEY LOOTED DURING THE
PROGRESS or 4 FIRE.

FIRE that started at n little after noon
burned out the inside OF big manufacturing
buildng az 1919 Elm street yesterday Five OF
rho seven floors were occupied by workmen
and girls Some OF them went down the stairs
heels over head. some wero taken down on the
elevator by Greek who did not believe tho
FIRE amounted to anything until the elevator
Itself caught fire: others were swung down
the front OF the building by fremen ciinging to
.rnlinR ladders and still another badly
burned jumped from fire escape to
Ara escape from the seventh story to
the ground After the folks were all out.
tho girls and mon working In tho next
buldng which had not been touched by the
FIRE. set up cry that while they were fleeing
from danger the fremen. who had ordered
than out into the street. had gathered up the
money and small jewelry they had left strewn
about Charles Schwartz, the foreman OF
S,rauss's printing establishment at 1853 Elm
street. made the definite charge that he had
t.en thrust out OF tho shop by three flremen.
with the warning that the building wac about
10 fall and that he returned within very
few minutes The till had been robbed Of
more than $35 In reply to these accusations
the foreman OF one company that was in tho
building said that he would be sorry indeed
70 believe 'remen had done any such thing.
Tn. foreman OF another company called atten-
ton TO the fact that the underwriters fire pa
trolmen were also In the building. Strauss IL
going TO mplain to Fire Comm issoner Scan
nell.
The FIRE was started by the boiling over OF a
not OF japanning fluid in the front part OF
Charles Cooks metallic spring factory on the
tecopd floor Of 1913 Elm street In minute
that end ot the room was abaze and full OF
smoke Twenty men and three girls were at
~, fr0n thnir
lcnches with shouts ari screams. Tho door
wa. hidded from them by the outward rolling
cloud OF smoke
only four found the door. They fell through
Il upon the stairs aud rolled down together
one girl and three men, grabbing frantically at
each other and Squeezing like wild creatures
They came out OF the front hail on all tours
ihe men kept on across I'VE street f, TheH
cutched her forehsal with one hand and
tainted
The rest of those in the Surfing factory when
they saw several Of those who had Owed into
the smoke come back coughing and rubbing
made Un Their IN n,!s that the rest wers sufro:
Gated, Everybody ran t. the elevator shaft and
Iame. His Greek inner consciousness has
Difficulty n discriminating the american sense OF
to overcome the inertia Of his person. He
started up, the elevator GrumhlIns. Tie came
by human hurricane, Sadie G9!dsteln. sew
;nteepp -year.old girl. had lust discovered that
RsT a Wms 2m arms Se ' S head t%
Of the men caught her and put the FIRE, out.
Down. Killy,i Down" they shouted at Kill
20 my" said Kiiiion with placid interest.
Where is the fire lie pokel his head out
and was swept back to tho iarthest corner Of
Is this fooIishness2" he stammered as he
Somebody grabbed the elevator rope and the
car began TO 60 up The elevator man reached
the rope at two eaPs and stopped the ear
Don't you know better. hey? Too much fun
He started the car down. The elevator m owed
slowly aud beiors il reached the bottom he
grasped the idea that the building was real y
flames he was quite sure that the flre didn't
amount 70 great deal Hc,unoIaded the pas
senGers into the lower, han aud, started up to
investigate lie found the second floor full OF
smoke. Ael!s tor help rang down to him from
above, The third floor was not occupied. but
Douglas Ellis. printing rm occupied He
took them down with pad from Wohliahrt <
These people were not very much alarmed.
attention had been attracted to the fire by the
racket out in Elm street, where the fire engines
r. unpaved roadway K,ilion took 'hem down
floor there WAS a red glow in ths direction Of
the stairway landing aud tremendous crack
"kllly." the printers said to the elevator
man, you letter not 90 up again. You'll get
"Yop want to scare me-" Killton asked dis
gustedly; and started up. He went almost to
Of Morris 4 Walnut siIversmths II" let
them in at the third, floor, and started down.
racing w the stairway by them as they Went
down. When the elevator bumped at the bot
tom, The wooden signal box, on the side was
smDllHpTirV ed nt Nritb int
Interest t Est ,, ~ guess 90 up no more he said
A big piece Of the stairway tumbled down
into the shaft and kilIion retired to the street
70 walk up and down the opposite sidewalk
Two men. Charles Fischer and NJ. A. Elliot
had been caught IN the spring factory between
s re ant ,b the trent wiRd9T AVS The
maize for the windows and were on the sills.
trying 70 mako up their minds to Jump to the
poured out OF the windows in such quantities
mat they we're sometimes not visible from the
Fireman George wehber of Engine 50 had
IeHachsd the third story on scaling ladder
m III saafm ssht o% S tho 1s tTe wnda So
which The men we We're eO and then carried d' them m
Gown to the ground one after the other.
Chares HanEs. Of G"f The Arm Of WohlfaRrt /
Hanks. had been alone in room when the
ynfil tho stairway was ablaza. He opened the
nooT and was met by sheet OF ilame and
eH'Ae ne maze Tor inc IRE escapes on ths
rear OF the building md tumbled rather than
clm,ed from one to another. His right sleeve
cantGGEht fire on the way down and his arm was
slightly burned
,MeanwhiIe three alarms had been sent out.
he fire was kept from spreading. but rractic-
a.lv everything in the building in which IL
start"d was burned The damage was s-ti-
hated TO be SJO.OOO. The building was owned
by the T. W Oehr estate
soon after the fire started the people in the
next building at l'iS Elm street came ont in n
btr.am: At 3 O'Clock they began to go back.
Lhey did not stay long. Tha girls employed by
tne american Supply Company were out on
the street in two minutes looking for the
ponce, They said that while they were work.
lng without any knowledge OF tho fire three
Ittnen ran into tho shop and shouted: " Fire
IRE rr"rJboiy get out and be quick about il %
IN" Glr's slammed the roll tops OF the ir desk 8
Gown and ran, but most OF them forgot to take
the KEYS out ~ the desks When they returned
tGe deSks in which keys had been left were
.pen. FIVE pockethooks. ono gilt bracelet and
!nre" silver bracelets we're missing. While
inc girls were lamentng their losses down
zane Charles Schwartz, foreman Of the Strauss
InuinE shop.
! was in our place" he said. when two fire.
men camo in. DO you belong In hcre?' one o
mem asked me. ! said did. Then get tho
4hei out h says; tn" building is going to fail
Gown. They took me by the shoulders auC
IHShed me out into the hall.