The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-12-01
PERISH I'm
FLAMES !!
Twenty-Four Girls Meet
Horrible Death in Fac
tory Fire Trap.
Plute Corporations in the
Mad Rush for Gold, Sac
rifice Human Lives---
Ignore the Fire Escape
Law of the State.


New York. Nov. 3O.-Twenty:four
Women and Young girls paid the pen.
atty for being wage earners Saturday.
They died horrible death in a
roaring fire which ate like tintler a
factory building at High and Orange
streets. Newark
Thirtyone n.or.- were hurt and
burned. twenty of them fatally.
Three are still missing. The dca tn
list may reach fifty.
For the entire building of four
floors. where 1925 human beings had
worked. there was Just one fire es-
cape.
Even the police who were present
spoke bitterly of9this criminal care.
lessness on the part of the little CAPT.
talIsts who herded these women and
girls in an old and oil soaked build
ing
Twelve girls were Instantly killed
by jumping from the fourth floor
from windows or from FIRE escape
landings.
ceived in the same way.
The other victims were burned to
death in the veritable furnace that,
within twenty minutes had doomed
the old building to destruction.
When the dread cry of fire rang out
the girls were caught in a trap
They choked the single fire escape
in an instant.
They crushed each other in despcr-
ate struggles down the narrow stair.
way
Nearly all the charred bodies arc
those of Young girls who only few
hours ago, were looking forward joy
ouslv to the freedom of Saturday aft
ernoon and night.
The bodies fell and lay on the pave
mont in heaps. Twenty-three were
counted at one time.
! The city authorities at once issued
Il proclamation "deploring" the calanl-
ity, and calling for relief funds They
rhad nothing to say about proper in,
spection beforehand.
There is also talk of "criInina! pros.
ecution-after it has all happened.
One hundred and twenty-five girls
We're employed in the building by the
five firms quartered there. On the first
1 floor was the A. A. Drake Paper Box
Company, the Newark Paper Box
I Company had the second floor. :he
Aetna Electric Company and the An,
chor Lamp Company We're on the third
! floor. and the fourth floor was occu'
| pied by the Louis Wolf Company
manufacturers of muslin undergar
The fire escape was jamme1 with
girls. from the second and third fioors
IL moment after the Cry of fire was
heard Those who were on the es
cape could not move down. a MO
ment later there was an explosion on
the third floor and burning splinters
set fire to the dresses of some of the
syifls on the escape outside.
The fire broke out about $3.50 am
and is thought to nave been caused
by the explosion of sasolene lamp
In the first rush to. escape the
girls piled one over the other an5
jumped for the street. Fireman witt
safety nets workmen with waSor
; covers and coats tried to catch tnen
as they fell and it is estimated tha
nearly thirty we're saved in this way
While some jumped others raI
: down the blazing stairway. The stron;
t knocked down and trampled the veal
/ and those who escaped told hystericai
=. " OF others who had fallen. and hat
5 been trampled. or who had succumbst
: before the fierce breath of the flame
and the overpowering smoke.