The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-17
S|NCLA|R'S
 HOME IS BURNED
Grace McGowan, Cooke and
 Sister Badly Injured
THE COOPERATIVE COLONY
Well Known Writers Jump From Win doWs Into Net-Woman Climbs Rope to Sound Alarm.
 Carpenter Killed.

Englewood, N. J., March 16.-By the burning of Helieon hall, the home of the Upton Sinclair cooperative colony today, one man. Lester Briggs, a carpenter of Providence R. l., was killed and eight os the colonists were injured in jumping from windows Mrs. Grace McGowan Cooke a well known writer of short stories, Miss Alice McGowan, also q writer and Miss Leone Fechtenberg are badly injured
 The financial loss is estimated at s35,- GOO. Fifty members of the colony and workers employed by them occupied the building, which was three-story struc- ture located on a hill top and former ly used as a school for boys.
 An explosion of gas which occurred on the main floor started the fire about dawn today As there were no fire es- capes, and exit by the stairways was cut off by fire, the eolonists, including men, women and children jumped from the windows.
 The men who were first to go attempted to catch the women and children in blankets used fire nets, but Mrs. Cooke, Miss McGowan and some of the others were badly injured by striking against coping in their fall. A num- Der of the colonists escaped by ropes or by jumping only a short distance from the roof of porch. Those most serious ly injured were taken to Englewood hos pital. The building was totally destroyed.
 Carpenter Killed.
 Lester Briggs. Providence. R. l.. com munity carpenter, cut off by smoke and burned to death on the third floor. Briggs, who occupied a room on the top floor, was awakened by Miss Margaret Hoag a writer. Miss Hoag jumped from a win dow, but it is believed that Briggs was blinded by smoke and was unable to find his way out.
 Five persons were injured by jumping from windows and were taken to the hospital. They are:
 Miss Helen Knowles, assistant house. keeper. burned about the face and in- jured internally
 Miss Alice MeGowan, back injured and suffering from shock.
 James McNiff burned about face and neck
 Miss Leoni Fitchenberg, burned on the face and body and suffering from shock.
 Mrs. Grace McGowan Cooke, writer of short stories, bruised and perhaps in- jured internally.
 Mrs. Henrietta D. Kimban. illustator, suffering from shock, taken to hospital.
 Miss Edith Summers private secretary to MT Sinclair, suffering from shock: 1t Englewood hospital
 William Montague, professor of phil ology at Columbia university, face and back injured by jumping. at Englewood hospital
 Jumped Into Blankets.
 Professor Montague and Miss Alice Nc. l tIOWHn were inlure1 bV SfrilSinp a pni in e. | coping in their jump from the window Miss McGowan's condition is critical and Miss Fichtenbergs injuries are serious Both are in the hospital. MT Sinclair suffered cuts from broken glass but as- sisted in holding the blankets as fire nets white the others jumped into them. l Mrs. A. C. Moves, who was the house manager, and who had apartments or l the first floor, was the first to dis cover the danger The fire had come st l near her door that she had no time {, 1 dress herself. Clad only in her nigh robe, she went to the latticed tower, no far from the main building, seeking tn, bell rope. 1t was gone. She climbed III hand over hand fifty feet to the top where she seized the rope and rang tn, | alarm.
 Some of the members of the colony, II | anticipation of fire had provided them | selves with fmprovised fire escapes O l rope. which were used to good advantage l Those who were not injured walked bare foot through the snow to nearby cot tages, where they were cared for. On investigation 1t apepars that the ex plosion was the result of leaking gas.
 The Sinclair cooperative colony wa established last October and included 1 number of educators and men and womei | engaged in literary pursuits.