The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-07-03

were making purchases from the cOun-
S took of fireworks, when suddenly there
tely the whole stock seemed to explode.
B Flaming skyrockets screamed through
4 the storeroom in all directions, their
kissing and fire spreading the panic
among the women. Bombs exploded,
scattering the stocks of other goods In
great profusion, and other explosives,
| in going off, knocked women senseless.
so that others in the crowd trampled
on them in their wild fight to get 20
| the doors.
| At the front door the jam was so
| great that for a time the women became
wedged there and could move in neither
direction.
| The women who were killed in the
| basement had no chance to escape. The
customers, hearing the explosions on the
ground floor, ran upstairs, and at the
stairway entrance the congestion be-
came as great as at the street door.
Flames and smoke spread through the
cellar, and the unfortunate women were
smothered to death.
Henry Miller, an employee of the
store, saw that it was impossible for
| the women shopping on the second floor
and the clerks there to get out by the
second floor, and he ran through the
centre of the exploding fireworks being
torn and burned by giant crackers and
bombs, and reached the second floor.
where he yelled for all of the women to
go to the rear fire escape. He was first
out the window onto the fire escape,
and from there he pulled many GUS
toners and clerks, all women, out to
safety.
But many of the women were so be-
wildered by the numerous cannonading
on the floor below and the terrifying
screams, that they did not heed Miller's
advice and rushed to the front win
dows. This was before the arrival OF
the firemen with hook and ladder trucks.
and the excited, panic-stricken women
leaped from the windows 10 the side
walk, where the crowd became panicky.
Had they waited a minute or two they
could have been taken down in safety
by the f1remen on the ladders.
Crippled for Life.
AS a result of the leaps they made.
many will be cripples for life. Nearly
every one was so seriously injured by
the contact with the street that she
had to be sent to hospital. Most of
them suffered broken legs and arms,
ones skull was fractured and all were
cut and bruised.
The explosion and fire, occurring at
about the noon hour, when the street
was filled with people, created the
widest excitement throughout the city.
A great crowd gathered about the
store until the police reserves were
called out and cleared the streets for
block around. Men in the crowd yelled
to the women in the second-story VIM
dows not to jump, but their gestures
motioning them back Were misunder-
stood, and they leaped to permanent in
jury, if not death. An hour and nan
after the fire started the police report
ed that nine young women had been
sent to hospitals with serious injuries
up to that time, and that several OF
them would die.
The fire was not controlled until the
place had been gutted. Following is
list of injured, so far as reported:
Bella Berowitz, Laura Hovack. An
nette Falsher, Goldie Mannheim.
Lizzie Babes, Bertha Grunk, Carrie
Babel. Emma Juskins, Lottie Juskins-
These girls, all clerks in the store,
Jumped from upper-story windows.
Two of the dead girls were working
at the fireworks counter on the ground
floor. This counter was situated IN tne
centre of the store and was box-snapeo.
The girls were inside the enclosure
When the explosion occurred they
could not escape. The girls dropped 10
the floor and sought safety under the
counter the flying rockets and crackers
exploding about them.
No one stopped to save the siris. Ines
burned to death in this trap. IL was not
known until nearly two hours aIter
fire that any lives had been iost
little boy is among the dead. Oh
The fire was started when
clerks was demonstrating 9sl&${Xk
pieces of fireworks. A snl
he other pieces. sss
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