The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-02-28
FIVE HUNDRED GIRLS
 HAVE NARROW ESCAPE
GET OUT OF 4 BRIDGEPORT FACTORY IN NICK OF
 TIME

Twenty Panic Stricken at Sight or
 Smoke Rush to Windows and Are
 Rescued by Firemen--Plant of the
 Star Shirt Company Gutted-Damage
 Estimated at $75,O0O-Fire Very Spec
 tacuIar--Indirect Cause of One Death.
 Bridgeport, Feb, 27.-Five minutes after about 800 factory girls had march ed in order out of the big factory of the Star Shirt company on Golden Hill this afternoon the building took the shape of a roaring furnace and in less than an hour and half it was in ruins The fire was one of the most spectacu- lar as well as one of the largest that Bridgeport has experienced in recent years, and after a gallant fight by the entire Bridgeport fire department it was quelled and confined to one building of the group owned by Hutchinson, Pierce & Co. Golden Hill is fashionable res- idence section of the city and the fire attracted a great crowd of people. It could be seen for miles around and people came to see it from stratford and Fairfield.
 The fire broke out in the basement presumably from spontaneous comibus- tion and at first was very smoky. As soon as 1t was learned that the build ing was on fire the heads of the differ ent departments walked calmly through the building and informed the 800 work ing girls that there was slight fire in the basement and instructed them to form in line and march out. When some of the girls of the upper floors reached the second story the sight of smoke frightened tglem and some twen- ty of them became panic stricken and leaned out of the windows wringing their hands They were taken from the windows to the ground by the firemen. The others also escaped.
 A few minutes later there was an ex- plosion and the entire building was a mass of flames from the basement to the fifth story. But for the composure of the working girls and the easy man. fer of their bosses many lives probably would have been lost in the rush of the factory hands to escape from the build ing.
 Soon after the fire broke out general N,alarm was rung in and the entire Bridgeport department was called to the scene. It was soon seen that the pressure was very poor, the water sup ply being inadequate. The location of the factory on top of Golden Hill made 1t impossible to play powedrful streams 5on the blaze and the firemen were at a loss to known what to do. Finally lines of hose were doubled and enough water to put the fire under contrl was pured on the flames. The wind which was strong, was blowing from the north and carried the flames away from the other Buildings in the group, but had the wind been in the opposite direction there would have been a greater loss. { As it was several houses caught fire, but 1t each case the fire was extin- guished with slight loss.
 All the officers of the company were in New York at the time of the fire and an accurate estimate on the loss could not be ascertained this afternoon. It is believed, however, that the loss will reach nearly $75,0OO. This loss is partly covered by insurance.
 About 3:15 an hour and a quarter after the fire broke out the fremen had it under control, and all there remained standing of the big five story brick building was mere she'll
 It became known this afternoon that the fire resulted in one death, although the person was five blocks away, Mrs. Jennie Heaphy of SS Highland street became so excited on seeing the factory burn from her home that she was over- come and died soon after she reached the Bridgeport hospital. She had been a sufferer from kidney trouble and the physicians state that the excitement brought on her death. She was forty two years old and leaves son and 8 daughter.