Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-08
WILD LEAP FROM FIRE
TWO MAY DIE; -FOUR OTHERS
BADLY HURT.

NEW YORK. February s.-Two persons
were fatally hurt and four others were
seriously injured yesterday afternoon in
a bit of a blaze that scorched three
story brick factory building at $50 Woos-
ter street. Panic followed the flames and
the operatives on the third floor of the
building plunged headforemost through
the windows to the pavement. All might
easily have been saved if they had kept
their heads.
The top floor Of the burned building
was occupied by kuppernan & Kahn.
hatmakers. 1t was shortly after 3 o'clock
yesterday afternoon when Samuel Kup-
perman of IS East 111th street started
out with bundle of caps. AS he opened
the door he was met with sitting swirl
of smoke. Slamming the door, he gave
the alarm in a wild yell and scrambled
for side window that gave exit on a
shed roof a few feet below.
kupperman was followed by a fighting
mob Of women and men operatives but
when the window was reached and the
way to safety was at hand some one rails
ed the cry, The machines! The ma
chimes" and seven of the nine who
crowded the little room turned back. The
sweatshop worker. as rule, owns his
own machine, and 1t usually forms his
entire capital.
Benjamin Prochowsky a blocker fol-
lowed Kupperman through the window
to the shed roof. From the shed 1t was
easy to slide to the street by means of a
large pipe. The two men gained the
street without trouble
Why those who had turned back for
their machines did not follow the window
and shed roof route no one knows. Per-
hapS some freak of the flames cut off
their retreat. At any rate, before the
firemen could fight their way to the res
cue through the snow the windows on
| ho Tor Of hn hr,i1d in o.
were filled with panicstricken folk. The
distance to the sidewalk wasn't so very
great but broad flight OF stairs leading
to the basement and kind of areaway
in front formed horrible trap.
Made the Jump.
After one look the frightened men and
women made the jump. Most of them
turned over once in the air, and all but
one crashed down onto the stone steps or
into the pit of the areaway. Max Kuhn a
brother of kuppermans partner, man
aged to clear the sidewalk and landed,
little hurt. in pile of snow.
Solomon Kahn of 100 Green street hung
to the window ledge a moment before he
dropped after the rest Policeman Kunz
or the Mercer street station meanwhile
had got a ladder, but it was too short
to reach the hanging man. Kunz and a
bystander hoisted the ladder to their
shoulders and then the top rungs reached
10 Witnln snort distance OF Kahn S feet
He was too scared to wait, however, and
dropped, catching at the ladder and half
sliding, half falling to the street His fall
was broken and he escaped with frac-
tured ankle and possible injury to the
skull
The wounded were taken to ST. Vim
cents Hospital. Those badly hurt were:
Abraham Schniper of Suffolk street. frac-
ture of the base of the skull; Abbit Nor
witch of Allen street, left leg broken
and skull fractured: David Draw of 40
East 9th street, left arm broken and in
ternal injuries; Bertha Weinrowitz of 81
East 9TH street, right arm broken and in
ternal injuries; Sadie Weinstein of 800
East Houston street. both legs broken
and spine hurt, and Solomon Kahn of 100
Green street, ankle broken and head cut
The two first named will die.
The engines that answered the first
alarm handled the fire without trouble.
1t was found to have started in a pile of
boxes and paper litter in the hallway of
the second floor at the foot of the stairs