Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-10-30
WOMEN LEAP TO
ESCAPE FLAMES
FIRE PANIC CAUSES INJURIES
TO TEN GIRLS
Blaze Lasts but Half an Hour, but
the Interval Is Filled with
Dramatic Incidents and
Excitement

CINCINNATI, Ohio, Oct. "a fire
panic caused several girl employees of
offices in the eleven-story Neave build
ing, corner of Fourth and Race streets,
to leap from the windows at noon to-
day.
At least ten of them were hurt, sew
eral seriously, while one of the fire.
men was also badly hurt.
The fire started on the sixth floor, the
flames soon bursting from the win
dow. Five times the hose burst and
added to the panic of the girls, who
had appeared at the windows as high
as the eighth floor, where many of
them could be seen preparing to leap
to the ground when the firemen ar
rived
The corner is one of the busiest in
the retail section and the street was
quickly clogged with crowds so that
for time there was difficulty in fight
ing the fire.
Miss Louise Boutet, a, dressmaSer on
the tenth floor, leaped from window
on that floor to an adjoining roof on
the fifth floor level and was badly
hurt.
The fire broke out on the offices of
the Pittsburg Calcium Light company
on the fourth floor, spreading quickly
to the offices of the Pattern Makers
league.
Many Women Burned
AS the flames and smoke poured out
of the windows of the fourth, fifth and
sixth floors, many of the girls in the
building appeared at the windows ana
seemed about to jump. number
threw coats out and then crawled out
on the broad window lodges, where
they lay until the flames burst
A. h1Jr
women. At least ten suffered painful
injuries in this manner, while one fire
man was seriously hurt by fall of two
stories.
Heroic work on the part of the fire
men brought the fire under control
within a few minutes and the panicky
occupants of the building were brought
out of the building to safety. Although
the panic seemed to seize the 150 girls
In the Dunlevy Dressmaking establish
ment on the tenth floor, only one,
Louise Boutet, jumped. She was taken
to the city hospital, where her in
juries were reported very serious.
Miss Marie Brandt ran through the
flames and was seriously burned about
the head and arms
List of injured
Most of the injured suffered from
contact with the flames, although sew
eral were cut by glass. Among the
injured were:
Irene Lucas, painfully burned.
Marie Marty, burned and cut.
Charles Wieberding, tailor, burned.
Louis Purten, fireman, badly hurt by
fall from second story.
Miss Hillander, floor lady in dress
making rooms, badly burned about
head and arms.
Anna Bouldanger, badly burned.
Although the fire was brought I'M
der control within less than half an
hour after the flames were discovered
the interval of time included several
dramatic Incidents.
Peering down through the smoke and
flames at hurrying firemen more than
a score of women crouched on the
broad window lodges trying to escape
the flames bursting out in the offices
beyond them.
Use Life Nets
Below fire ladders, life nets and all
manner of other life saving apparatus
was being prepared for such as might
leap from the horror of fire to the al
most certain death on the street be-
low. One young woman, crazed by
fear, tore herself from friends and
jumped from the tenth floor to an adj
Joining roof five stories lower down,
being dangerously injured. Broken
glass injured some, scorching flames
placed it's mark on others. AS fast as
they were brought from the net the
injured were taken to hospitals or if
less seriously hurt to their homes. At
least ten went to hospitals, while more
than that number were taken home.