Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-03-27
FALLING WALLS KILL
BRAVE FIRE FIGHTERS
Four Men Perish In q Spectacular
Blaze ID New York CITY
Which Destroys Factory.
HUMAN LADDER REsCUfS WORKERS
lI,Y ASsnclnlnd Press

(I;y Associated Press1
NEW YORK. March ~. Fonr
tircirn persisted and about II score
"I liren'n ANA citizens were injured
'nla, IN II fire accompanied hy a
series nf explosions tina, demolished
q six story factory building nj Bedford
aud Downing streets in Tic Green
witch village district on ille lower
west side of HE city
That Tho damage estimated III from
S3'''i,lop 10 SiO00dO was not far
arta,cr WAS declared by CHIEF Croker
I" he due To the explosions.
One fireman was taken out Of the
building alive In, diell almost ini-
inedlatrly. The hodics of his three
comrades were recovered after the
fire WAS over. cruSh,l under th,.
wrccknsc of floors and walls that fol.
lowed The explosions.
The dead are:
Foreman JOHN WALSH.
Fireman GEORGE G. UCRISTAIAN.
Fireman THOMAS H.. HAI.PIN.
Fireman, J: -ElEAI ~. ~ -
mr. ~ Other Men Badly Burned.
Firemen Cohen ana Call were
hhrncd ana bruised, and removed Ia
The hospital The other persons in.
Jnred were employed in the factory.
dwclrrs in The adjacent tenemen.s
and passers-hy none of them seri
onsly hurt
Three hundred men ana women
we're In The factory during the lunch
-Four when slight explosion &c.
Cured on one of the upper floors
an,l almost Instantly the whole
structure was cnvcloped in names
Most Of them took refuge on the
fire escapes. where they remained,
hnddled together
Rescued by Human Wall.
Before lie fire ladders could lie
run MS. policemen. firemen and volun.
ieers formed a human pyramid against
he front wall of the factory ana in
RMS way handed down 10 safety IN
wards Of sixty girls. who were cling
iiis Ia the fire escapes on he second
floor. Others jumped into The life
saving nets or on piles of bedding
hastily gathered AMI hcnped on Inc
sidewalks.
Within len minutes all The occu.
pants of The building had been taken
oi'l in safety ana unhmrt. save for
minor Injuries. Hundreds OF olicc
men were rushed To the scene 10
control ille panic stricken crowds in
The vicinity
Tenements Vacated.
All The adjoining temements were
ordered vacated and this Task had
hren barely accomplished when i
topping wall crushed In The upper
portion Of II row OF seven tenemants
in carminc street y moment later
me names shot across the street. set
ing fire 10 row OF buildings.
Hardly had The namcs enveloped
the building which occurred within
few minutes after the outbreak
man terrific explosion occurred
followed in rapid succession by four
more. the last of such violence as TO
shake buildings for blocks around.
With The last detonation what re.
manned OF The walls fell inward
smoihering the flames which a mo
,ment before were shooting 200 feet
into the air.
Fire Soon Under Control.
Within forty mnlnes after the
blaze showed itself, all that remained
OF the huge building was glowing
heap OF shattered floors. walls and
means, beneath which were buried
he hodies of the four llremen Just
after the second explosion Foreman
Walsh and the men of his company
made gallant effort to force their
way close TO The rear Of the building
in order To get line on the hottest
part OF the fire and while so engaged