The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-10
in CRUSH. AND CROWD.

I'm CRUSH ANDSCROWD.
Scenes and Experiences of Those In the Great
Fire-7Miss Crunp's Escips.
In the crush and crowd which charac,
terlzeo the scenes in the streets arc ~. ~
the burning building; thrilling inc1dents
followed close upon each other, raising
excitement. to the highest pitch ana eau d.l.
ing the thousands crowding against .ne
restricting ropes to stampede, 1lrst MI MI
fear of falling walls and then, reac.i l,s'
crowd in again. almost overcoming .iie
police and standing dangerously lieeii liie
cru1nbling columns of bricks.
So strong was the oraught through lne
elevator shaft any stairway, at the base
of which the explosion occurred ina IN IN
less than three minutes after the report
was heard through the building, the pas
sageWay was q column Of flame, HrouS!i
which no one could hope@to escape. Such
were the conditions which confronted MISS
Emily Crump when she ran from ners oe s;'
in the private office of MIR. Bemlss 10 tne
stairway, hoping there g .ina ,l asI ~" cut
clear. Escape by the stairway Delns GU
off heSWas left to chose between certain
death amid the flames and: leap OF more
than thirty feet to the stone pavement.
She chose the latter.
INJURIES SERIOUS But MOI "A | ~ a.
When Miss Crunlp was lifted from ths
street the blood streamed from the "ou!i ~
in her chin over: her white silIt-~sise
and covered the hands Of those Who pore
her across the street into the Office OF the
Beaufort LithIa Water Company. Sfle
was unconscious for a time. but restora-
tives were promptly given and IN a Re"
minutes she responded i Dr. acoo MICH
aux was the first physician$to reach ier
and ascertain the extent OF heT injuries.
His examination made him hope that her.
injuries were not fatal but extremely Sc
Srious, there being a compound
Z of the jawbone several teeth. broken OUT,
a dislocation Of the lett knee ana :ooieS
broken in the left foot.
Miss Crump was removed in the city
ambulance to the Old Dominion TIC spltai. ;.
where she was placed under the#caIe u
DR.. Lewis C. Bosher During the after-
noon an operation was performed oy Its.
Bosher and Mann. reducing the fracture,
and last night she was resting as Wen as
possible, and her physicians stated that
should no internal injuries develop she
would soon recover,
{ Miss Crunip is employed as stenogra-
pher for the Richmond Traction Com
pany, and has been connected with the
company for more than a year. She IS
: the daughter OF the late DR.. Crump a
well known physician, and resides at NO.
BIG North Twenty-seventh Street.
THE ROOM NOT BURNED.
It was discovered last night, after the
fire had been gotten well under con-
troll, and the firemen. following Chief Pull
ler,9Eentered the building. to invest gate
the conditions of 1the smoulderlng ruins,
that the room in which Miss Crump vas
working. had not been reached by the
flames, ant: Had she remained, she would
probably haee escaped injury. Her purse,
hat andsumbrella,z wefe=Jrecovered, dam
aged, only by smoke ard water. These
things were found in a closet in the cf-
fee where The young lady was at wcriS.
Another section Of the building, in
which little damage was done by the fire
was the 'front.' Office of the DEVELOPMENT
Company. The vaults in the building were
foun6sin good condition. and it is believed
the books and accounts locked in them
are preserved. The correspondence II Mr.
Bemiss' office was recovered. The hooks
and papers of Tower-Binford Company
were mot reached. AS the flooring had
given away, the safe, containing these,
.tumbled into the basement.
Clifioa's Thrilling Experience.
The escape of c. C. Clifton, of No. 514
North Twenty-fourth Street. storekeeper
for the Electrical Development Company,
from the basement, by the breaking of
a n iron ventilating grating, was but little
less than a miracle. Clifton's story of his
battle for life and air through the pillows
of black smoke. which filed the base
ment, and the red glare of flames roaring
between him and his only way OF escape,
is a chapter of horrors. He was sitting
at his desk about midway the basement
when, without. q moments warning, lie
heard the sound of an explosion in the
no
it quickly followed by a burst OF flame
and a roll of black smoke over his head
extending the full length OF the room.
He started first towards the rear. ana
then heard tlN cry OF Thomas Dabney,
the negro, the only other occupant of the
store room, who. he says, is certainly
lost II saw the neSro disappear. he
said, behind the staircase, then a
draught of flame, and knew, there was no
escape for me in that direction; SO,
dropping ON my hands and knees, l
crawled towards the front, where hoped
to get air, and called for help. I reached
the grating" he continued, almost suffo-
Gated, as by this time you could not see
your hand before you. and there Sotrsl
breath OF fresh air at the lower edge, the
only crevice through which TINS plack,
heavy smoke was not pouring.
s; Here he called for help, and was heard
|
Icing Mr.. Il. R. Taylor. whose Office
is across the street. Mr.. Taylor secured
an iron crow-bar and smashed the fra me
work imprisoning the desperate man, and
with the assistance of another, lifted
Clifton to the pavement.
Clifton says there was no possible es-
cape for Dabney, and is confident that
his body viii! be found beneath the ruins,
Phones Out of Use.
Nearly three hundred phones Of the
Richmond Telephone Company were
thrown out of; Use yesterday by the lire
which destroyed the Habliston building.
/ Two telephone cables which ran along
Seventh Street beside the building which
+ was destroyed, were burned through. and
E|fel and two other ca pes running up the
|; alley behind the building were burned
through.
The destruction Of these two cables viii
necessitatc extensive repairs being made
by the Richmond company. Immediately
LATTER the flames were under control yes
tert,ay Afternoon work Of repair on the
cables began. This work will continue
steadily. night and day. and by Monda,
night it is expected al. the phones thrown
out of use will again be connected.