The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-02

naate accident to a eaf and dumb boy,
lsador Baccus, was Today directly re-
sponsible for the death of eight girls
and young women, the fatal injury of
three others and the serious injury of
more than two score of girls employed
in the cigar factory of Hamburger, Ho-
man & Co, a branch of the American
Washington avenue.
The building in which the disaster oc-
CURED 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 range from II years up
wards.
The trouble began on the fourth floor
of the structure. Baccus, who was jan
itor of the building, started for the
fifth foo for a ball OF Irvine. 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
N leaned forward to see where the
carriage a AS he old 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 about the build
ing to call an ambulance and immedi-
ately there was a panic among the en-
ployes. Some Of the younger girl
tainted while others, not being able to
control their feelings cried fire.
Instantly there was a mad rush fol
the stairway leading into Tenth street.
Il III -,-1- 1~--.
case until they reached a bend in the
exit between the second and third floors
In the eagerness to eScape the frighten-
ed leaders fell. others immediately fol.
lowed, tripped over the struggling mass
of humanity and. in less thar a minute
there were hundreds of children anG
| young women struggling in the passage
way.
The shrieks and screams OF the terror.
stricken girls could be heard for g
block or more.
During the excitement an alarm OF
fire was turned in, but before the en-
gines could reach the scene several O
the occupants Of the building had rush.
ed to the windows and jumped to tn,
street, a distance of over fifty feet
Helen Tolini, one of those to jump wa:
almost instantly killed.
When the firemen and policemen ar
rived every effort Was made to Quie
the terrorized girls. The firemen rush
ed up the stairway and begged the girl:
to be calm, telling them that there wa!
absolutely no danger, but the sight O
the firemen seemed only to add fuel t.
the flame. While the policemen al
firemen were ~endeavoring to quiet tn
girls on the stairway, ladders were be
ing run up on the outside OF the build
ing and the employees who had climbed
out onto the fire escapes n windov
Lodges were quickly taken 10 the street
After a few minutes, the men Wer'
enable to check the awful crush Oh
the stairway and then began h Worl
Of rescuing those who had been tram
pied and crushed petween the seconc
and third floors.
A call for an ambulance had beef
turned in and as quickly as the dea:
and injured were carried from tn
building they were hurried to hospitals
The number of ambulances was entirel,
inadequate and patrol wagons wer
brought into use to carry the victim
away for treatment.
While this was going on the seen
about the structure was heartrendins
The building is located in a sectio1
largely Inhabited by Hebrews many O
whom were caught in the terribl
crush. Parents and relatives Of the un
fortunate girls were screaming an
rushing about the streets like mad an
1t was almost impossible for the polio
officials to restrain the mothers an
relatives of supposed victims from en-
tering the building.
The work of rescuing the girls fror
windows was necessarily tedious. The
were so excited that they did not seer
TO understand the pleadings of the fire
men. At nearly every windo Of tn
huge structure were girls screamin
and crying for help. Many were so ea
cited that it was with the greatest dit
nculty that they were prevented fror
jumping from the tuilding, notwith
standing that there was not a sign
fire and their rescue seemed only tn
work OF a few moments. The PAM
was over in less THAI half an houl
but in this brief space thousands c
persons mad been attracted to tn
scene by the wild screams Of the rela
tives of the victims and the shrieks
the girls at the windows.
Because Of the great excitement
was almost impossible to get an int
ligent idea OF the disaster and it wa
three hours after the accident occurre
before a single victim was identified.