Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-10-31

of the flames breaking through the
windows.
On tho fire escape at this end of the
building two men and one woman we're
slowly roasted to death while the horror
stricken throng on the street below
turned sick at the sight. In the front
on Market street woman, driven to
desperation, leared from window on
the top floor and was dashed to death
oh the pavement.
One woman leaped from window
and fell astride of an awning pole aud
her body was torn almost In half. The
corpse hung in the air many minutes
before the firemen could recover it.
The dense smoke was responsible for
the less OF some lives. Firemen stood
on the pavement with life nets spread
ready TO catch those who jumred but
both victims and life-savefs were SO
blinded thoy could not see each other.
These ure only few of the henrt.
rending Acenes attending the confagra-
tion. Firemen say they snw men and
women, unable to reach the windows
or fire eacapes, burned to death in the
interior of tho building. If this be so
little or nothing remains of these VIC
Tins. and it is doubtful il any portion
OF their bodies will be recovered.
Seyenty-nine OF the 100 persons in
Hunt, Wilkinson 4 Go. q building when
the fire started were employees and tho
remainder were customers and outside
workmen who were engaged In putting
the finishing touches on the new eighth
floor. More than half of the firm en-
ployes were on the upper five floors, and
it was among these that the greatest
number were killed or 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 IL oil that
saved them from suffocatiOn. Mr.. Wiki
inson said the smoke came up the stair
way and the elevator shaft in such great
volume that he aud Mr.. Hunt had
much difficulty in reaching the street.
Most Of those killed we're at work ON
the sixth floor, whore women were en-
gagged In sewing. They we're il the rear
of the building close to the fire ESCAPES
and became confused by tho great
volume Of smoke that rushed up through
the building. 1t was reported that
goods were stored against the windows,
which prevented the women from get
ting out on the fire escapes, but this
was positively denied by member Of
the firm.
On the seventh floor there were 20
uphosterers at work, and thanks to the
great presence Of mind of the foreman
OF the floor, who is connected with a
volunteer fire department at Mount
Holly, N. j., all escaped unhurt. AS
soon as he learned of the fire he mar.
shaled his men and led them through
the thick smoke down tine stairway and
into the street. There were J. employees
and 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
roof of an adjoining eight-story build
ing, but in the excitement this means
of escape was forgotten. Several made
the terrible leap to the sidewalk and
were crushed. while the otbere ran the
gauntlet of smoke and fire down the
rear fire escape
Among those on the eighth floor who
jumped and were killed were II. A.
Sparrow. an expert electrical contractor,
and Charles Il. Sparrow, his rephew
aud assistant. A colored scrub woman
also jumped from this floor and was
crushed in the street..
Howard +. Street, yourg man en-
ployed by the furniture firm, first OBJ
served flames shooting up the elevator
shaft from the basement. He was on
the second floor and gave the alarm
to the other employees He then hastened
to the street to notify policeman.
In the meantime the employs of the
Electrical Bureau at the City Hall. two
blocks away. saw smoke issuing from
the building and sent an alarm to the
fire department. When the engines ar
rived the flames had enve.oped the
building from basement to roof, and
the intense heat from this terrifying
mass of fire made it almost impossib Q
for the firemen to get within close
range.
Ignoring the flames for while the
fire fighters devoted their attention to
the work OF rescue. AS some of them
stood within the scorehing heat with
nets outspread to receive those WHO !
leaped from the burning building their
comrades played water on them. When
this work was ended many of the fire.
men were completely exhausted
Most Of the fatalities occurred lie the
rear of the building. AS if by common
impulse nearly all OF the employees at
tempted to reach places of safety by
means of the fire escape on the Com
merne street end of the structure. Many
Of them, made for the time being
practically insane by fright, leaped TO
the ground, and others, Becoming I'M
conscious from the smoke and intense
heat fell 10 this pavement. When the
fireinen arrived Commerce street con-
tanned many of these unfortunates, and
Tor the space of an hour the police and
hospital service were taxed to their
capacity.
For an hour the fam es threatened
the lives of every one who was COM
pelled to work fighting the fire or pro-
tecting the surrounding property, and
every minute of time threatened many
othar thousands of dollars' worth Of
property on all sides of the principal
building in which the blaze STARTED.
For lime it looked as If the entire
, BLOCK wnc!d become prey to the flames,
but the falling OF the walls of the burn.
ing building prevented the spread of
the fire. Adjoining the Hunt Wilkin
son \ Go. building is an eight STORY
structure nearing completion. When
the walls OF the blazing establishment
collapsed aremen were given better op-
portunity to play on the adjoining
business houses, and thus prevented
the flames from spreading.
By noon the fire was under CONTROL
and at 3 O'Clock force OF men ordered
by the Department Of Public Safety
began the work Of clearing away the
wreokaRe for the purpose of recovering
the bodies of the victims which we're
buried in the ruins.
Small buildings in the rear of the
furniturA buildinp and alsn to tho tract