The age-herald., 1902-05-01
TERROR STRICKEN GIRLS
 LEAPEO FROM WINDOWS
Bremen and Police Pleaded With Them to Be Calm, as There Was Absolutely No Danger, But
 Advice Went Unheeded.

Pnladelphla, Aprll 39s-Al dcClueHl to a deaf and dumb boy. Isidor Baccus, was today directly responsible for the death of eight girls and young women, the fatal injury of three others and the se- rious injury of more than two score of girls employed in the cigar factory of Hamburger, Homan & Co., branch of the American Tobacco Company, located at Tenth street and Washington avenue.
 The dead;
 Mary Geneva. aged 15 years.
 Helen Tolino, aged 12
 Elizabeth Tartine, aged 12.
 Annie Rosschneider, aged IS.
 Louise Desepi aged 16.
 Ida Green, aged Is.
 Annie Ford, aged 13.
 Johanna Gily p years of age.
 Fatally injured: Mary Mesino, injured internally and skull fractured; Jose phine O'Ronco. injured internally; un- identified woman, fractured skull, un- conscious.
 The injuries of the others consist fractured limbs.
 The building in which the disaster oc- cured Is a five-story brick structure and covers an entire block. Twelve hundred persons were at work, 30 per cent of whom were girls whose ages range from 12 years upward.
 Caught by Elevator.
 While on the fourth floor Baccus. who was the janitor, 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 1t down. He op- ened the door leading to the shaft and leaned forward to see where the car riage 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. A stock boy released Baccus and cried for help. The foreman rushed from the building to call an ambulance and inn mediately there was panic among the employees. Some of the younger girls tainted, while others cried fire. Instantly there was a mad rush for the stairway leading to 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 a minute there were hundreds of children and young women struggling in the passageway. The shrieks and screams of terror-stricken girls could be heard for a block or more.
 Fire Alarm Turned In.
 During the excitement an alarm of fire was turned in but before the engines could reach the scene several of the occu- pants of the building had rushed to the windows and jumped to the street, a dis tance of over fifty feet. Helen Tolini. one of those to jump was instantly kill ed. When the flremen and policemen ar rived every effort was made to quiet the terrorized girls. The firemen rushed up the stairway and begged the girls to be calm, telling them there was ab- solutely no danger, but the sight of the fremen 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 the9 building and the employees, who had climbed out onto the fire escapes and window lodges, were quickly taken to the street After a few minutes more work the crush on the steps was stopped to some extent. Call for ambulances had been turned in and as quick as the dead and injured could be carried from the building they were hur- ried to hospitals. The number of ambu- lances were entirely inadequate and pa- trol wagons were brought into use to car " the victims away for treatment.
 Heartrending Scene.
 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 terri ble crush. Parents and relatives or the unfortunate girls were screaming and rushing about the streets like mad ana it was almost impossible for the police officials to restrain the mothers and relatives of supposed victims from enter ing the building The work of reseuing the girls from the windows was neces- sarily tedious They were so excited that they did not seen to understand the pleadings of the fireppen At nearly evry 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 pre- vented from jumping from the building notwithstanding that there was not a sign of fire and their rescue seemed only the work of a few minutes.
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