The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1901-10-31
Incredibly Horrible Scenes in Phil
adelphia.
Women jumped TO Their Death, flcn
Crushed by fOng Walls, Bodies
Roasted on Fire Escapes, Decd and
DUNG Heaped In the Street.

yesterday 10 the neaft OF the
business sect on of the city. The
nine-story building at 1919 and
1921 Market street, occupied by
Hunt. Wilkinson & Co., upholS-
terers and furniture dealers, and
two unoccupied buildings at 1923
and 1925 Market street were
destroyed. Many other build
ings were damaged and the loss
is estimated to be upward of
100000.
The fire IS supposed to have
been caused by an explosion of
benzine or naphtha, which, with
other materials used in the man.
ufacture of furniture, was stored
in the cellar. The flames shot
up the elevator shaft and in less
than five minutes every one of
the nine floors of the structure
was ablaze.
There were 800 employees, men
and women, at work in The differ
ent departments at the time.
Those on the second floor were
the first to see the flames. In
stantly there was a wild rush for
the fire escapes, but owing to the
highly lnaammable nature of the
material used by the firm the
blaze spread with remarkable
rapidity, bringing death to the
unfortunates as they made fran
tic but unsuccessful efforts to
escape.
One woman leaped from one
of the top floors into Market
street and was instantly killed
Another was roasted to death as
she was descending the fire es.
cape in the rear of the building
Two others either jumped or fell
from the fire escape and were
killed. Five others who leaped
from windows were picked up
living, but they died on the way
to the hospital.
While the fire escape was filled
with the panic-stricken men and
women the wall collapsed, and
eight persons are known to have
been buried in tine ruins. A few
minutes later the front wall fell
inward and it is not known
whether any bodies are under it
II such is the case the victims
were probably burned to death
before the wall collapsed.
When the fireman reached the
rear of the building, which faces
on Commerce street, a small
thoroughfare, they found the
street literally piled up with
victims who had been carried
down by the falling wall. These
were hastily conveyed to the
nearest hospitals.
Eyewitnesses say the flames
spread with remarkable rapidlty.
This, they say, is due to the fact
that much naphtha, varnish, ex-
celsior and other highly infiam-
mable material was used by the
firm.
Employees who started down
the fire escape il the rear of the
building before the flames were
visible from the street were com
PEELED to jump before they had
travelled two stories, because of
the flames breaking through the
windows. The first firemen who
arrived on the scene devoted
their energies entirely to the
work of rescue.
Nets were spread in the front
and rear of the building and
some who jumped were saved in
this way. A woman jumped
from one of the windows of the
Market street front, but the
smoke blinded her and she miss
ed the net, striking the pave
ment and dying Instantly. In
the rear young girl who jump.
ed from one of the top stories
caught on the fire escape at the
third story and the flames, burst
ing from the window. burned her
body to crisp in almost MIN
ute.
Two men, one white and one
colored, emerged from the fourth
story ard stood on tie fire escape
with the flames all around them
The white man danced up aad