The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-29
MANY LIVES LOST IN THE BURNING OF
philadelphia FACTORY.
HEART RENDING DEATH SCENES
Men and Women Burned to Death In
sight Of People Unable to Render As
sistance Several Leap to Their
Death From Ei&hth-Story Windows.
The Property Loss Upwards or Halt q
Million Dollars-Cause of the Fire
Unknown
Unknown

Philadelphia, october 25.-Nineteen
known to be dead and property loss
amounting TO upwards of $500, 900 Is the
awful result OF a fire which occurred to-
day in the business section OF the city.
The number Of injured is not known
definitely, but fully a score OF victims
were treated at various hospitals. Po-
lice AND fremen are tonight delving into
the ruins in search of bodies supposed
to have been buried beneath the debris.
as it is feared that others besides the
known dead may have lost their lives in
the flames.
The buildings destroyed were the eight
story structure, Nos. 1919 and 1921 Mar
ket street. occupied by Hunt, Wilkinson
Go, upholsterers and furniture dealers,
and three three-story buildings occu-
pied by small merchants. The big fur
niture building extended back a half
block to Commerce street and was
owned by Henry c.. Lea The list Of
known dead is as follows: Dorothy
Kramer, Martha Bake, Marget Heb
den, Harry House H. A Sparrow,
Charles E. Sparrow. Fred Wilmington,
Charles Lands, three unknown white
m Of whom'is supposed to be
Margaret Grady: n unknown colored
woman supposed to be named Wilson,;
five unknown white men.
At 1920 o'clock the blaze broke forth
in the building occupied by Hunt, Wiki
inson & Co.. The origin of the fire is
unknown. 1t is said hat an explosion
Of naptha or gasoline in the basement
was the cause but this is denied by Mr..
Wilkinson, who says there eve was a
sufficient quantity Of either explosive
about the building to be responsible for
today's terrible disaster. Rumor has it
also, that an elevator constructor at
work In the basement permitted the
flame of his lantern to communicate
with some Of the gaseous liquids stored
in the basement and that this was the
cause Of the conf1agration.
Such a disastrous fire attended with
so great a loss of life in such a brief
period was never before known in this
CITY.
Men and women died a lingering
death in the presence Of thousands Of
spectators who were unable to lift a
hand to their assistance. The rear Of
Hunt, Wilkinson & Cos building faces
ol NOllliliOl &c SGCCl, q SiAioi tiOiooSH
fare.
On the fire escape at this end of the
building two men and me woman were
slowly roasted to death, while the hor-
ror stricken throng on the street below
turned sick at the sight.
In the front on Market street, a wo-
man, driven to desperation, leaped from
a window on the top DOR and was
dashed to death on the pavement.
Thnca nra h11f n faur of tho heart
rendering scenes attending the confia-
grafton.
Firemen claim to have seen men and
women. unable to reach the windows or
fire escapes, burned to death in the in
terror of the building. If this be so, lit
tie or nothing remains Of these victims
and it is doubtful if any portion of their
bodies will be recovered.
Seventy-nine of the 100 persons In
Hunt, Wilkinson & Cos building when
the fire started were employees and the
remainder were customers and outside
workmen who were engaged in putting
the finishing touches on the new eighth
floor.
More than half of the firms employees
were on the upper fve floors, and 1t was
among these that the greatest
were killed and injured. With the pos
sible exception of the engineer, VINO Is
MISSING, all p6ISOIlS Oh Tx IhoS SHt~>
floors got out of the building safely
The members Of the firm had their OF
fees on the third floor aid their famlll
arity with the exits is all that SaVec
them from ~suffocation.
Most Of those killed were at work or
the sixth floor, where women were en-
gagged II sewing. They were at Work
close to the fire escapes, and Decam'
confused by the great quantity OF smok'
hat rushed through the building.
1t was reported that goods were
stored against the windows, which pre-
vented the women from getting out OF
the fire ape but this was positfvel!
denied by a membsT Of the firm.
Several persons made the terrible leal
from the eighth floor to the side wall
| and were crushed, while b others RAJ
| the gauntlet Of moke and fire down IN
rear fire escapes.
Among those on the eighth moor "n'
jumped and were killed were ID. A
Sparrow. an electrical contractor anc
Charles E Sparrow, his nephew ant
assistant. a colored scrub woman ais
| jumped from this foo and was crushe'
in the street.
BY noon the fire was under contra
| and at 2 O'Clock his afternoon a foTc
of men. organized by the department Q
public safety, began the Work OF clear
ing away the QeDTlS ioI Inc Pun
recovering the bodies OF the VICTIM
buried in the ruins.
Small buildings in the rear or IN
furniture building and also to the Yves
of the burned building were crushed o
falling walls. The fronts OF the store
on the south side of Market street OF
posite the fire were all more or les
damaged by the heat. Great tongue
of flames swept along By the north":es
wind shot across the broad thorough
fare and for a time it looked as If IN
fire would spread TO these buildings.
Shortly before midnight another pod
which was very badly burned, was tai
en- from the ruins. This makes I'll
| number of Known dead nineteen.
4 G-.1aa1 InI0o Eu11nr