Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-10-26
AWFUL RESULTS OF
A PHILADELPHIA FIRE.
Nineteen Lives Known To Be Lost. and Score
Injured
The Conflagration Endangered the Great CONNER
cial Houses of the Quaker City.


Nineteen known dead and a property
loss amounting to upwards of 100000
is the awful result of fire which oc-
CURED to-day In the business section
of the city. The number of injured is
not known definitely but fully score
OF victims were treated at various hos
pitfalls. Police and fremen are tonight
| delving Into the ruins in search OF
! bodies supposed to have been buried
beneath the debris. and II is feared that
others besides the known dead may
have lost their lives in the flames. The
buildings destroyed were the eight
story structure, 1919 and 122t Market
street. occupied by Hunt. Williamson 4
! Co., uphosterers and furniture dealers.
and threa three-story buildings occu-
| pied by small merchants. The big fur
niture building extended back halt
block to Commerce street and was
owned by Henry G. Lea. The list OF
known dead Is as follows:
Dorothy Kramar. Martha Baker,
Margaret Iebden, Susan Gormlcy, Har-
| by House, II. A, Sparrow. Charles +.
| Sparrow. Fred Wilmington. Charles
Lands Three unknown white women.
one of whom is supposed to be Mar
| garet Grady. One unknown colored
woman supposed to be named Wilson.
Five unknown white men. Never In its
history has Philadelphia experienced
a lire which spread
| with Such Great Rapidfty.
At 1920 o'clock this morning the
blaze broke forth In the building occu-
pied by Hunt, Wilkinson 4 Co.. and
one hour later the horrible sacrifice OF
| life had been made aud the immense
loss Of property had been accomplish
ed. The origin of the death dealing
confagration Is unknown. It Is said
that an explosion of naphtha or gaso-
| line in the basement was the cause,
but this Is denied by Mr.. Wilkinson.
who says there never WAS a sufficient
| quantity OF either explosive about tho
building to be responsible for to-day's
| terrible disaster. Rumor has Ii 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 conflagration.
Such a disastrous fire, attended with
] SO great loss OF life in such a brief
/ period was never before known in this
| city. Men and women died lingering.
agonizing death In the presence of
] thousands of spectatores who we're UNI
| able to lift hand to their assistance.
| The rear of Hunt. Wilkinson & Cos
| building faces on Commerce street.
small thoroughfare. On the fire es-
! capes at this end of the building two
men and one woman were slowly roast
| ed to death. while the horror-stricken
| throng on the street below turned sick
| at the sight. In the front ON Market
| street, q woman driven to desperation.
J leapti from a window on the top floor
| and was
| Dashed 10 Death
on the pavement. These are but few
J OF the heartrending scenes attending
! the conflagration. Firemen claim to
| have seen men and women. unable to
reach the windows or fire escapes,
| burned to death In the interior OF the
! buiiung. II this be SO, little or moth
| ing remains of these victims and it Is
| doubtful IL any portion OF their bodies
| will be recovered.
| Seventy-nine OF the one hundred per-
sons in Hunt. Wilkinson & Co.'S build
| ing when the fire started were em-
| ployes and the remainder were GUS
| toners, and outside workmen who were
! engaged in putting the finishing
| touches on the new eighth floor. More
| than half of the firms employees we're
| on the upper five floors. and It was
! among these that the greatest number
| we're
Killed and Injured.
with the possible exception OF the en-
| gineer, who is missing. all persons on
| the first three floors got out OF the
building safely. The members OF the
| firm had their offices on the third floor
and their familiarity with the exits are
all that saved them from suffocation-
| Mr.. wilkinson said the smoke came up
| the stairway and the elevator shaft In
such great volume that ne and Mr..
| Hunt had much difficulty in reaching
the street Most of those killed were
at work on the sixth floor, where wo-
men we're engaged in sewing. Tney
were at work in the rear OF the build
| ing close to the fire escapes, and be-
came confused by the great quantity OF
smoke that rushed up through tho
y.
were stored against the windows which
prevented the women from getting out
on the fire escapes, but this was posi-
lively denied by a member of the firm.
On the seventh floor there were
twenty upholsters at work. and thanks
to the great presence of mind OF the
foreman of the floor, who is an official
OF the volunteer fire department at
Mount Holly N. j.. all escaped unhurt.
AS soon as he learned of the fire he
marshalled his men and led them
through the thick smoke down the
stairway and safely into the street.
There were eleven employees and a
number of outside workmen on the
eighth floor. A ladder reached from
this floor to the roof. which would
have enabled those on that floor to
reach the foor of an adjoining eight
story building, but in the excitement
this means of escape was forgotten.
Several made the terrible leap to the
sidewalk and we're crushed, while the
Consi.1sd On TAira Pas~