Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-05-05
FALSE ALARM OF FIRE CAUSES
GREAT RUSH.
AND SEVERAL ARE KILLED
Injury of Janitor in Elevator Starts
Alarm Which Leads to Fatal Re-
sults-Frightened Girls Caught IN
Narrow Stairs and Tramped to
Death.

Philadelphia, May Am unfortu-
nate accident to a deaf and DUMB boy,
Isador Baccus, was yesterday directly
responsible for the death OF eight girls
and young women, the fatal INJURY OF
three others and the serious injury OIL
more than two score girls employed IN
the cigar factory of Hamburger, Holman
&, Co. a branch of the American To
bacco company.
The building in which the disaster
occurred is a five-stOry brick and COW
ers the entire block. Twelve hundred
persons were at work at the time OF
the accident, 80 per cent. OF Wnom
were girls of ages ranging from II
years upward. Baccus, who was a
ianitor, pulled the elevator rope to
bright to the fourth floor from the
top. The elevator caught him as he
leaned forward, pinioning his head
between the floor and the elevator.
The employees heard his cries for help
and panic resulted. The girls rushed
down the narrow stairway until they
reached the bend in the exit between
the second and third floors. The
frightened leaders fell. Others imme-
dtately following tripped over the
struggling mass and in less than a
minute there were hundreds of chill
dren and young women struggling in
the passageWay. The shrieks and
screams of the terror-stricken. girls
could be heard for blocks. During the
excitement an alarm of fire was turn
e. in, but before the engines could
reach the scene several occupants OF
the building had rushed to the win
dows and had jumped to the stree
over SO feet Helen TOlini, one of
those to Jump was almost instantly
killed. When the firemen and police
men arrived every effort was made to
quiet the terTorized girls, but the sight
OF the firemen seemed only to"add fuef
to the fame. While efforts were be-
inc made to quiet the girls on the
stairway, ladders were being run up
on the outside of the building and
employees who had climbed onto the
fire escapes and window lodges were
taken to the street After a few min
utes the men were enabled to check
the awful crush on the stairway anu
then began the work of rescuing those
trampled and crushed between the sec
end and third floors. The dead and IN
jured were hurried to the hospitals
The scene about the structure was
heartrending. The building is located
in a section largely inhabited by He
brews, many of whom were caught IN
the terrible crush. Parents and rela-
tjyes of the unfortunate girls were
screaming and rushing about the
streets like mad and it was almost I'M
| possible for the police officials to re-
strain the mothers and relatives Of the
supposed victims from entering the
building. At nearly every window OF
the huge structure were girls scream
ing and crying for help. Many were
SO excited that it was with the great
est difficulty they we're prevented from
jumping from ,ne building, notwith-
standing there was not sign of fire
and their rescue seemed the work OF
only few moments.
The panic was over in less than half
an hour, but in this brief space thou
sands of persons had been attracted
to the scene by the wild screams OF
relatives of the victims and shreks OF
girls at the windows.