The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-26
NINETEEN ARE DEAD
HORRIBLE HOLOCAUST IN PHILA-
DELPHIA YESTERDAY.
AN EIGHT STORY DEATH TRAP.
MEN AND WOMEN DIE IN SIGHT OF
THOUSANDS.

Pavements, But More Were Hem
med in by walls of Fire--BIaxe
Started in Basement and Ran Up
Elevator Shaft, Catching Scores of
Working People on Upper Floors.
Among Those Who Leaped From
the Eighth Floor and Were Killed
Were Electrical Contractor Spar
row and His Nephew.
Philadelphia, Oct. 25.-Nineteen
known dead. and property loss amount
ing to upwards of $500, 900, is the awful
result of fire which occurred to-day
in the business section of this city. The
number of injured is not known def
nitely, but fully a score of victims were
treated at various hospitals. Police and
firemen 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 1919 and
1921 Market street, occupied by Hunt,
Wilkinson & Co.. upholsterers and fur
niture dealers, and three three-story
buildings occupied by small merchants.
The big furniture building extended
back half a block to Commerce street
and was owned by Henry c. Lea. The
list of known dead is as follows: Doro-
thy Kramer, Martha Baker, Walter
Stearly, J. E. Armstrong, Martha
Banks, colored; Mary Mitchell, color
ed; Margaret Grady, Marga-
ret Hebden, Susan Gormley,
Lands: an unknown white woman, and
three unknown white men.
At 1O:S0 o'clock the blaze broke forth
in the building occupied by Hunt, Will
kinson &. Co. The origin of the fire
is unknown. 1t is said that an explo-
sion of naphtha or gasoline in the base
ment was the cause, but this is denied
by Mr.. Wilkinson, who says there nev-
er was sufficient quantity of either
explosive about the building to be re-
sponsihle for to-day'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 conf1a-
grafton.
Thousands Saw Fearful Sight.
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 We're unable to lift
hand to their assistance. The rear of
Hunt, Wilkinson & Co.'S building faces
on Commerce street, a small thorough
fare On the fire escapes at this end
of the building two men and one wo-
man were slowly roasted to death,
while the horror stricken throng on
the street below turned sick at the
sight. In the front on Market street,
a woman, driven to desperation, leap
ed from window floor and was dash
ed to death on the pavement. These
are but few of the heartrending
scenes attending the confiagration.
Firemen claim to have seen men and
women, unable to reach the windows
or fire escapes, burned to death in the
interior of the building. If this be so,
little or nothing remains Of these vic
tins. and it is doubtful t. any portion
of their bodies will be recovered.
Seventy-nine of the 100 persons in
Hunt, wilkinson & Co.'S building when
the fire started were employees and the
remainder were customers and outside
workmen, who were engaged in put
ting the finishing touches on me new
eighth floor. More than half of the
firms employees were on the upper f1ve
floors, and it was among these that
the greatest number were killed and
injured. With the possible exception
of the engineer 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 is all that saved them from
suffocation. Most of those killed were
at work on the sixth
floor. where women were en-
ggaed in sewing. They were at work
in the rear of the building close to the
fire escapes, and became confused by
the great quantity of smoke that
rushed UP through the buildings. 1t
was reported that goods were stored
against the windows which prevented
the women from getting out on the
fire escapes. but this was positively de-
MED by a member OF the firm.
Leaped to Their Death.
Several persons made the terrible
leap from the eighth floor to the side
walk and were crushed, while the 9TH
erS ran IIt EdQAANlNb Va oiAAOhS 49, 49,
down the rear fire escapes.
Among those on the eighth floor who
Jumped and were killed were H. A.
Sparrow, an expert electrical conduc-
tor, and Charles e. Sparrow. his
nephew and assistant. A colored
scrubwoman also jumped from this
floor and was crushed in the street.
BY noon the fire was under control
and at o'clock this afternoon a force
Of men organized by the department of
public safety began the work of clear
ing away the debris for the purpose Of
recovering the bodies of victims in the
ruins.
Small buildings in the rear of the
furniture buildings and also west of the
area were crushed by falling walls.
stores on the south side Of Market
street opposite the fire were all more
or less damaged by the heat. Great
tongues Of flame, swept along by the
norfhwest wind, shot across the broad
thoroughfare, and for time It looked
as II the fire would spread to those
buildings.
The loss tonight Is estimated al
$500 600 most of which viii fall on
Hunt wilkinson e. Co, whose loss u
estimated al $4,000. Henry G. Leas
loss on the building rs about 3l5OO09;
William s. Potts a. Son suffered loss
Of $50 600, while other occupants OF the
Potts building and surrounding prop
efty owners suffered losses aggregat-
ing s25 O00
Shortly before midnight another body
which was very badly burned, was TAX
en from tho ruins This makes the
otrshar ef known laad nineteen,