New-York tribune., 1901-12-21
FIRE PENS 100 GIRLS.
1uPERLLED BY FLAMES THAT
SWEEP HIRSCR HONE.
RESCUED AFTER SUFFERING TERROR
MANY OVERCOME BY SMOKE
CARRIED DOWN A LADDER.

uone for Working Girls. in East SiXty-third-
= last night. one hundred girls tumbled out Of
.bsir beds and fed for their lives to the top
Aoor Cro1vding in one of the rooms. they strug-
pled 10 get out the window sill to jump to the
s,reet Several climbed out on the ledge.
screaming Historically and frantic with fear
oqoon't jump. Don't jump. Wait for the fire
,nsnl" shouted the crowd in the street, it
watched the panicstricken girls trembling with
fear,
On the third floor of the institute building.
rbere the fire started. several of the girls .ay
unconscious, overcome by the dense smoke that
filed the building. The others, frightened, had
thought only of their own safety and left their
companions, with the flames licking the floor
and walls about them.
When the fire was discovered the shrieks and
cres of the girls aroused everybody in the
tuiIdtng Frantic with fear. the girls fought
their way through the smoke 10 the staircase
lsading TO the upper and lower floors. TO escape
But the staircase was not wide enough to ADMIT
them all at once, and many were thrown OF.
their feet and trampled on by their 1rehzieo
companions.
The fire started in the linen room- The Home
for Working Girls extends from No Zl9 TO 20
Fast Sixty-third-st- The training school Is d
detached building, facing on East Sixty-louIth
s- and separated from the institute bullolns oS
2 courtyard On the four upper floors OF Iile liis'
+r,e are rooms and dormitories where the girls
sleep. There is a west wing ADJOINING lile sieeP
,ng oparters where several thousand dollars
worth OF linen is stored The fire, starting from
an unknown cause, spread from this wing 10 the
halls and dornlitories-
r v-as soon after the girls had retired to their
-oor7s and the lights in the building had been
extinguished when thin column OF smoke came
OUT of a window in the linen room Suooenly
2 tongue Of fame shot through the sill anu
licked the wall Of the building linen tnefe was
: brilliant glare, illuminating the courlSdro
below Finally the automatic alarm went OIL
Immediately there was a wild cry "lIhouI
waiting 10 gather up any clothing the elrIs lieu
in their night clothing.
.-1,a1-s lump or we'n be burned TO death! oh,
lets Jump, Don't hold me! Please Don Lei
me go." screamed one of the girls at the VIII
dow.
GIRLS VAIL WITH FEAR.
Walls came from the girls as they clung to
one another, some bent on jumping and others
irving TO deter them from taking the leap
Girls who scrambled TO get out on the leoee
were dragged back. but they fought and strus-
gIed. and half a dozen white robed figures sue
caeded in standing on the Sill. where they ges-
-i,,,ys+ed wildly for some to save them
7-,az, heard the rattle of the engines and the
cries of the crowd beneath them, telling them TO
wait When they looked down into the street
the distance seemed so great and the spikes Oh
the railing surrounding the building were 50
threatening that those who had INSISTED OH
summing changed their minds.
The flames by this time had swept across the
.-u5,ns sorting fire to the training school in
the rear The sky was rs bright as day. ana 'he
girls Gagged in the small room, could see the re-
int the street Inc
,,ors v-ere filled with smoke, which swept up
stairs sitting and choking the frightened
creaturAs Through the door they could see the
glare Of red light it was quickly coming
toward them One by one many of the girls
swooned
The first alarm brought Engine Company NO
ss Seeing the girls the ledge READY 10 1uIilp'
the 6remen called for them to wait Inc Hre-
men forced their way through the front door
snd made an effort to get TO the top MOOR 10
drag the girls from the sill, but they were
driven hack when they reached the second hoor
The flames were sweeping downstairs.
Tr,ck Cou1nany No. 1S drove up, and the CRY
Ver+ from all sides to raise the ladders A
nineteen foot extension ladder was raised which
lust touched the top floor F1remen dasheo
I'D the ladder and took the white Toped 11gures
in their arms and carried them down 10 Ihe
street One after another was carried down ana
they were hurried to houses. tWhere lIIeS were
cared for The girls suffered intensely from the
cold, as they stood in their bare feet on the
an
As soon as those in sight were rescued Iney
cried ,ba+ there were others in the building.
and Immediately the firemen plunged through
the fame and smoke in quest Of the girls who
were left in the building.
POLICEMAN SAVES A GIRL
r,,to.- 17d,-.rd T,u,an of the East Sixty
seventh-st station before the f1remen arrived
ran into the building and got 20 the third noor'
He found Bertha Stein nineteen years old, in
the hail overcome by smoke. He took the girl
in mis- arms and rushed from the building TO the
street. When he attempted to return ne was
driven back by the flames.
On the arrival of Engine Company No. 81
second alarm was sent in and the fremen got to
work fighting the flames from the front and
rear. They had 10 break into the training school
on the Sixty-fourth-st side to get into the court
yard From there they fought the fire. The
whole rear of the institute building was then In
flames Lines of hose were stretched, and in
less than an hour the fire under control
The third floor was destroyed, and the costly
library on the second floor was demolished Ihe
damage from fire. smoke and water was sio.op.
Matron Bachrach said that she could assign
m cause for the fire She was asleep IN her
apartment when she heard the cries OF the girls.
She ESCAPED to the street Mislnsnki the en-
eiDeer was in the cellar when the fire was dis
covered He ran upstairs and tried TO quiet the
girls and succeeded in getting a few TO rush
downstairs ,ooe -,
The buildings were erected in 1898 The fnsti-
tuition was endowed by Baroness de Hirsch.
SuyTB COLLEGE GIRLS CASE PUT OVER.
Northamnton Mass Dec. 2O-The OF Miss
Mabel Rur1 Of Bridgeton n. J.. who indicted