The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-01

NC q .EEatE5 Il SE.sss 4
cronco, injured internally; unidentified
woman. fractured skun. unconscious.
The injuries OF the others consist main 4
ly OF bruises about the body and frac-s
tLred limbs.
CRY OF FIRE
The building in which the disaster oc-
CURED is a five-story brick structure and
reaches an entire block. Twelve hun
dred persons were at work at the time.
ninety per cent. of Wnom were girls.
whose ages range from twelve 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 ele-
vator 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 forward to see where the
carriage was. AS he did SO the elevator,
which was descending slowly. struck
him across the back OF the neck pinion-
ing his head between the elevator and
the floor. A stock boy released Baccus
and cried for help. The foreman rushed
from the building to call an ambulance
and Immediately there was a panic
younger girls tainted while others. not
being able to control their feelings, cried
fire.
MAD RUSH
Instantly there was mad rush for the
stairway leading into Tenth Street. The
girls rushed down the narrow staircase
until they reached a bend tr- the exit
between the second and third floors. In
their eagerness to escape the frightened
leaders fell. Others Immediately follow
ing tripped over the struggling mass of
humanity, and in less than minute
there were hundreds of children and
young women struggling in the passage
.s11~- Of .
terror-stricken girls could be heard for
a block or more.
During the excitement an alarm of fire
was turned in. but before the engines
could reach the scene several of the
occupants of the building had rushed to
the windows and jumped to the street. a
distance Of ever fifty feet. Helen Tolint,
one of those to jump was almost in
stantly, killed.
INCREASED THEIR TERROR.
When the firemen and policemen ar
rived every effort was made to quiet the
terrorized girls The fremen rushed up
the stairway and begged the girls TO De
calm, telling them that there was ap-
solutely no danger. but the sight Of the
tiremen seemed only TO add fuel to the
flame. While the policemen and fire
men were endeavoring to quiet the girls
on the stairway. ladders were being run
up on the outside of the building, and
z the employees who had climbed out on
the fire-escapes and window ledses, were
quickly taken to the street
After a few minutes the men were en-
abled to check the awful crush on the
stairway. and then began the work of res
cuing those who had been trampled ana
crushed between the second ana thlrd
floors. call for an ambulance had been
turned in, and as quickly as ale dead and
injured were carried from the building
.tlev were hurried tc hospitals. The num-
her of ambuiances was entirely MADE
orate and patrol wagons were orougnt
10 use to carry. the victims away Tor
treatment.
HEART-RENDING SCENES.
While this was going on the scene about
the structure was heart-rend1ng. Inc
building is located in section largely
Inhabited by Hebrews, many OF whom
were caught in the terrible crush. ParGG'
ents and relatives of the unfortunate
girls were screaming and rushing about
the streets like mad and twas almost
impossible for the police officials to re-
strain the amothers and relatives OF sup
Encsed victims from entering 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 pleauings OF the
firtmen. At nearly every window 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
f, ON the building, Notwithstanding that
there was not a sign of fire and that their
rescue seemed the work of a few minutes
The panic was over in less than half an
hour, but in this brief space thousands 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.
Because of the great excitement it
was almost impossible to get an intelli-
gent idea of the disaster, and 1t was three
hcrrs after the accident occurred before
a Single victim was identified.