The evening world., 1904-03-19
Furniture Warehouse Of R. ].
i Horner, in West Path Street,
y Destroyed, Inmates Jumping
from Windows. 49,.
TWENTY YOUNG GIRLS
ESCAPE BY THE ROOF.
Blaze Started from Explosion Of
Benzine Barrel and Two Men|
Working on Floor Were Seri.
ousIy Injured.

." " az o thot coHpletcly DdTleU lOur-
Teen engine companies for an hour and
compelled the summoning Of reserves
from five police stations the biz seven.
story warehouse Of r. ]. Horner, tho
furniture dealer, at Nos. 100 and III
West Twenty.tourth street. was de-
stroyed to-day.
Chief among a succession of exciting
Incidents was the jumping of half a
score OF men from the second-story
windows OF the burning warehouse.
flames were pouring through the win
vows when they jumped and one man
was ahlaze when he landed on the pave
ment. Another man had both legs
broken. Twenty young girls narrowly
escaped the flames by climbing to the
roof and dropping down to the roof OF
an adjoining structure
The fire started on the second floor
OF the warehouse by an explosion OF
barrel OF benzine that sprayed the great
wareroom with blazing fluid. In an In
slant the ten men working on the floor
were embraced in furnace Of fame
With their clothing afire they rushed to
the windows and leaped out. One man,
Benjamin ]. Sherwood was covered
with burning oil when he jumped and
fell unconscious to the sidewalk George
lAnden broke both legs. They were
carried to neighboring building and
then taken to the New York Hospital
The damage done to the Horner ware.
house Is estimated at $4,000.
Explosions Were Feared.
When Chief Bnn arrived to take
charge Of the fire the warehouse was a
furnace and when he learned that there
was a great quantity OF paint and alco-
hol stored In the cellar he ordered the
men to keep away from the immediate
sone Of the flames for fear Of explo-
yions.
There were twenty girls working on
The fifth floor of the building when the
dre started. They were working In the
upholstery department. the main room
Of which surrounds the elevator shaft.
When the girls discovered the smoke
they attempted to gnln the staIrways.
but before they had got down to the
~. ] nv. n"u.e' "e'e 'usnlls up
'hs elevator smart ana the stairWays
were cut off.
screaming with fright, tie girls hed
upstairs, with the rearing furnace at
their heels. They 1ainca tho roof and
managed to escane tn an adio,,,ny
building when tho blaze hurst throuyh
the tons Of the shaft behind than
The Maillard chocolate factory wa.
allied with young women when the sre
began raging next door They were nil
ordered from the building. which they
left In a panic Of fright,
Up to this time the tiremen had been
completely helpIess in their efforts to
check the flames and Chief Binn ordered
4 fourth alarm sent In.
Wh.r era .ngi,.. M. ~ and IS
"hs" nre ehs'" "os' = anu 20
were rushlng TO the hre AZ slx'h
avenue and Twelfth street they col.
l,a.d M the CORNER Drivsr Brann. n,
- ~ t,os ~ VIZ .ns 80" @ ,,.a,,. t., ,,u.sn II. IT,
yu".p'u .''a was paats '"'u'.o' ~
stuck 20 his post, however, and went
on to the fire. One of the horses OF
engine Is was dlsembove,,ed IN the col.
us,nn New bor,es woro nut In IN.
shafts and the engine nroceeded to the
A..
n'e
No Pressure in Hydrants.
MI. .,,,., -.
lno eh'et reason tue nremen were
unable to cope with the spread OF the
flames was the lack of pressure in the
hydror,s ,rd ~, ,,o..,,,.
-. ~, ""u Wv eoVe"'',o n'ahher III
which the pressure was obtained. This
caused the breaking OF the Ave hose.
A water tower that was NIT I'm IN
. ~ na" ~. w "
play upon INC upper stories OF the Hor-
ner warehouse caught fire and had to
b. drawn away and sprayed for i've
."''u'es WIN 'wo ncse peiore II coula
be used again. Then Il had to be with
drawn from the zone of terriso bo,t
about tho hnrr,ro hrild,v.s ''"' "'''
"Dyr Hrr,s ~ JsIwIr JITII,'s sHi,l.nSs, h,a, 81, -,
M a5s WsE West Ei9twitbIrd tsn ysars arsst o'u, ot
nrIIs, n,Vls on & uhe fnird noor o. the Horner
th thu!'u,ms @ wneh tne names purst through
way. The girls screams brought Louis
Meyer and Frank. kbpt. who were
worklns on the moor above. TO her
roof before the advancing fire.
Escaped by Human Ladder,
Mr.. A..
.so.n. wmen smet ',ho,.u ,ho me ,oot ~ me 0niV
eSan es.ap. was Az 70 'ne .ooi OF NO sso Fifth
ssarn, .nhe, urop VI we've ieet from the
70 tne TOOL ana klopf let himself down
20 Jnat hir ieet rested on Meyers
shoulders, Then the girl climbed down
the human ladder formed by the bodies