Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-08
APPALLING. FIRE
In a Hosiery Mill at Read
ing, Pennsylvania.
CROWDED WITH GIRLS
Who Became Panic Stricken and
Jumped From the WindOWS-One
Person Was Killed and Fifty Seven
Injured, Some Seriously.

Reading, Pa. Dec. 7.-One of the most
appalling fires that ever visited this city
occurred today, when the extensive
hosiery mill of the Nellie & Horst COM
pany took fire, destroying the plant, caus-
ing the death of n person and injuring
81 other employees of the 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 As years. who
was the only person killed. All the other
employees have been accounted for. OF
the 81 persons who We're injured, 81 are
badly hurt. The following are among the
seriously injured:
Hester MoWbery, shoulder dislocated:
Mamie Ritter, ankle fractured: Sallie
C~hristrnan, arm broken. emma Lance,
nose broken, hip dislocated: Ann Bear.
ankle broken, seriously injured Internal
~; Winnie Baer. leg broken: Annie Brun-
nei. ankle broken: Sallie Bausher. leg
broken; s'allie Clay, nee fractured: Miss
lbaci, ankle broken: Miss Lachnnan, leg
broken; Emma Lorah. both legs broken;
Annie Mahoney, leg broken: Bessie
Schaefer. thigh broken: Gertrude Seifert,
leg broken: Jennie Warner, both legs
broken; Sallie Sherman, internally in
jured: catharine Luppold. internally in
.jured; Maggie Whitmcyer. leg broken;
Leila Hendershaw. both thighs fractured.
Mary Yeich. compound fractures Of arms.
T'h remainder Of the 81 had hands or
ankles burned, limbs bruised or other
wise injured.
THE hosiery building was a large four
story structure and nearly 500 persons
We're employed. most Of them being
women and girls. TIL fire was discOv-
cred about II o'clock. and in a few mo-
ments the girls We're panic-stricken.
They made a lash 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 appealed to those
in the street to save them. Ladders We're
brought into use and many girls We're
taken from the burning building safely.
Most Of them. however, jumped and were
seriously injured. For a few minutes
from windows 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 We're
picked up and rapidly removed to hos
pitfalls or their houses. Many of the girls
who escaped by the stairWays and fire
escapes We're badly burned, but none 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 trav-
eled With great rapidity. owing to the in
tlalnmable stock in the building. BY
those Who saw the progress Of the fire it
is considered miraculous that there was
such a small loss Of life.
There is much criticism among the en-
ployes 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
/ lao n, To No opnl1n1 nm nf tho am =