The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-05-07
TERRIBLE PANIC.
A Sudden Frigh: Sizes Twelve Hun
dfed Girls Who
ATTEMPT TO RUSH TO STREET.
Stairways Blocked with Screaming
Humanity. Many Killed and
I:.jured. HcartrcnGiEG
Scenes.

An unfortunate accident to deal
and dumb boy, 1sador BaccuS, in
Philadelphia Wednesday was directly
responsible for the death CT eight girls
and young women: the fatal injury
of three others and the serious injury
of more than two score girls employ
ed in the cigar factory OF Hamburger.
Homan s. Co., a branch Of the Ameri
can Tobacco company, located at
Tenth street and Washington avenue.
The dead are: Mary Geneva, aged
Is: Helen Tolini, aged y; Elizabeth
Tartine. aged II: Annie Rosschneider,
aged is: Louisa de Sept, aged i6: Ida
Green, aged IS: Annie Ford, aged i3:
Unidentified woman, about % years
of age, whose body is at the morgue.
Fatally injured: Mary Mesino, in
jured internally, skull fractured: Jose
phine O'Ronco, injured internally.
Unidentified woman, fractured skull,
unconscious. Theinjuries of the others
consist mainly of bruises about the
body and fractured limbs.
The building in which the disaster
occurred is a five story brick structure
and reaches an entire block. Twelve
hundred persons were at work at the
time. 80 per cent, Of whom were girls
whose ages ranged from y years up
ward.
The trouble began on the fourth
floor Of the structure. BaccuS, who
was janitor Of the building, started
for the fifth floor for ball Of tWIne.
The elevator was at the top OF the
shaft and Baccus pulled the rope to
bring it down. He opened the door
leading to the shaft and leaned for
ward to see where the carriage was.
AS he did so the elevator, which was
descending slowly, struck him across
the back of the neck, pinioning his
head between the elevator and the
floor. \ stock boy released Baccus
and cried for help. The foreman
rushed from the building to call an
ambulance and Immediately there was
a panic among the employees. Some
of the younger girls tainted while 9TH
ers, not being able to control their
feelings, cried fire. Instantly there was
a mad rush for the stairway leading
into Tenth street. The girls rushed
down the narrow staircase until they
reached a bend in the exit, between the
second and third floors. In their eager
ness to escape the frightened leaders
fell. Others Immediately following
tripped over the struggling mass Of
humanity and in less than minute
there were hundreds Of children and
young women struggling in the pas
sageway. The shrieks and screams of
the terror stricken girls could be
heard for block or more. During
the excitement an alarm Of fire was
turned in, but before the engines could
reach the scene several OF the oc-
cupants of the building had rushed to
the windows and jumped to the street
a distance of over so feet. Helen
Tolini, one of those to jump, was al
most instantly killed.
When the tiremen and policemen ar
rived every effort was made to quiet
the terrorized girls. The hremen
rushed up the stairway and begged the
girls to be calm, telling them that
there was absolutely no danger. but
the sight of the fireman seemed only
to add fuel to flame. While the
policemen and tiremen we're endeavor-
ing to quiet the girls on the stairway
ladders were being run upon the out
side Of the building and the employees
who had climbed out on the fire es-
capes and window ledges were quickly
taken to the street. After few min
utes the men were enabled to check
the awful crush on the stairway and
then began the work of rescuing those
who had been trampled and crushed
between the second and third floors.
A call for ambulances had been turned
in, and as quickly as the dead and in
jured were carried from the building
they we're hurried to hospitals. The
number Of ambulanceS was entirely
inadequate and patrol wagons were
brought into use to carry the victims
away for treatment.
While this was going on the scene
about the structure was heartrending.
The building is located in a section
largely inhabited by Hebrews, many
Of whom were caught in the terrible
crush. Parents and relatives Of the
unfortunate girls were screaming and
rushing about the estreetS like mad and
it was almost impossible for the police
officials to restrain the mothers and
relatives of supposed victims from en-
tering the building.
The work Of reScuing the girls from
the windows was necessarily tedious.
They were so excited that they did
not seem to understand the pleadings
Of the fremen. At nearly every win
dow Of the huge structure were girls
screaming and crying for help.
Many were so excited that it was
with the greatest difficulty that they
were prevented from jumping from the
building, Notwithstanding that there
was not sign of fire and their rescue
seemed only the work of a few mo-
mentS.
The panic was over in less than half
an hour, but in this brief space thous-
andS Of persons had been attracted to
the scene by the wild screams OF the
relatives OF the victims and the shriekS
of the girls at the windows.