The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-27
FOUR PERISH IN THE FLAMES Score of Firemen and Citizens Are Hurt. sIx-sToRY FACTORY BURNS Human Pyramid Saves More Than
 Sixty Girls.
 Hundreds of Policemen Rushed to the Scene to Control the Panic
 stricken Crowds. Series of
 Terrific ExpIoslon..
sIx-sToRY FACTORY BURNS

New York, March 26.--Four fremen perIshed and about a score of fire men and citizens were injured today in fire accompanied by series of explosions that demolished a six story factory building at Bedford and Down ing Streets. That the damage. which Is estimated at from $30o,0e0, to s400,- 900 was not far greater, was declared by Chief Croker to be due to the ex- ploslons which shattered the building and crushed the blaze beneath tons of debris at the moment when the flames were completely beyond control and threatening to sweep the entire block.
 One fireman was taken out of the building alive. but died almost imnie- dlately. The bodies of his comrades were recovered after the fire was over, crushed under the wreckage.
 The dead: Fireman John Walsh Fireman George c. Christian. Fireman Thomas l.. Halpin, Fireman J, Healy all of Engine Company 14. Fireman. Jacob Cohen and l.. F. Call also of En. zine 14 were burned and bruised and removed to the hospital
 The other persons injured were foi the most part employees in the factory dwellers in the adjacent tenements and persons passing in the streets whc were struck by falling brick or glass None of these was seriously hurt Three hundred men and women were in the factory building during the lunch hour when A slight explosion occurred on one of the upper floors and almost in- stantly the whole structure was en- veloped In flames.
 Some had time to reach the street by the stairs, but the greater number was compelled to take refuge on the flra escapes. where they remained huddled together and implofing assistance until the fire engines arrived
 Human Pyramid.
 Before the fire ladder could be run up policemen. tiremen and volunteers formed human pyramid against the front wall of the factory and iu this way handed down to safety upwards af sixty giris who were cIinEing 10 the Ire, escapes on the second noor
 Others jlmoed into the life saving nets or on piles of bedding hastily gathered and heaped on the sidewalks. Within ten minutes. all the occupants of the building had been taken out in safely and unhurt save for minor ln- jurles.
 Four alarms were rung In rapid xuc- cession and several hundred policemen were rushed to the scene to control the panic ie-stricken crowds that thronged all the streets in the vicinity of the factory All the adjoining tenements
 
 barely been accomplished when a top- bling wall crushed in the upper portion of a row of seven tenements in Car mine Street 4 moment later the flames shot across the street. setting fire to row Of buildings.
 Hardly had the flames envelopcd the buildings, which occurred within few minutes after the outbreak, than ter rife explosion occurred, followed in rapid succession by four more. the last of such violence as to shake buildings for blocks around. With the last de- tonation what remained of the walls fell inward, smothcring the flames which moment before were shooting 200 feet Into the air. Within forty min- utes after the blaze showed itself. all that remained of the huge building was glowing heap of shattered floors. | walls and beams, beneath which were | hurled the bodies of the four firemen.
 Foreman Walsh was born In this city | in 1864 and t was he who had charge | of the New York fire brigade that aided | SO materially In stopping the great | Baltimore fire in 1904.