Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-11-28
n Terrible Factory Fire
Saturday at Newark.
Many Jump to Death--About so
in The Hospitals.
One Girl Found Dead in Chair at
Her Machine.

day morning, or crushed to death on
the pavement, in leaping from the Win
dOwS and fire escapes Of the four-story
brick factory at the corner of Orange
and High streets. The latest count on
Saturday night shows that 20 of the
25 bodies recovered have beeen identi-
fed, and that six girls are still miss
ing. They may be among the uniden-
tilted dead or they may be in the ruins
The collapse of a wall at night inter-
rupted further search.
Fifty We're taken to hospitals, of
whom two may die. Among the in
jured is Joseph f. Sloane. deputy fire
chief, who was oyertaken by the fall
ing wall and buried in bricks and rub
bish. He is badly hurt. but may re-
cover
The rush Of the flames was 50 incred-
IDLY swift and threw such unreasOn-
ing terror in the huddled working girls
on the top story. that the body of one
was found still seated on a charred
stool beside the machine at which she
had been busy when the first cry Of
fire petrifed her with fright
Horrible as must have been what
went on in the smoke of that crowded
upper room. what befell outside in the
Drlght sunlight was vet more horrible.
me huIlding was furiOuSly inllamma-
bic an,i the first guSh of flames had cut
off all possibility of escape by the
stalrways. The elevator made one trip.
but took down no passengers and nev-
or came back The only exit was by
two narrow fire escapes. the lower
platforms of which were 25 feet from
the street. onto these overcrowded and
steep lanes. scorched dancing hot by
the jet Of flames from lower windows
pressed forward = mob of women
blinded with panic driven by the fire
and the others behind them.
\ net had been spread beneath the
windows and the girls began to iumr.
Like rats out of a burning bin was
the Way fireman described that pell-
inell descent. Some of them were
dashed off the fire escape to the pave
mnt 81 feet below Others stood i'm the
windows outlined against the tlarles
and Jumpod clear: others from the
landings: still others from thu steps
where they stood. TIL" air was fun o,
t1em and they fell cvcryWllcrc-intn
The net, on the iiremcn and l. of them
| on tho stone slabs When the awful
rain Of human bodies ceased there
were eight uoad in the street. and the
cutters ran red. Seven more We're so
badly "r1shI that they died in hos
pi-dlS Fifteen are still under surgeons
care
The dead: Sadie Hauso. Sarah Cree
ran. Gertrude Denton, Mildred Walters,
Sophia Madusky, Ida Woolsey. Mary
kavanauGh. Rose Cleary, Roy Ravidson.
Theresa Tortorella. Mrs. Mary Kcarns.
Sophia Nicliwack, Matilda Otto, Kather-
inc Deln, Carrie Pebrccht
Clouds of smoke and showers of burn
ing embers spread over the city and rain
cd down on neighboring roofs AS the
| news flcw-and it lost nothing in the tell
ing-panic spread to other factories,
where many of the girls in peril had
friends and relatives. and several firms
lad to shut down for the day. Thousands
| Hooked to the fire and made the work of
the firemen and police more difficult
Italian silk workers fell in the street and
prayed and lamented pitiably. Priests
| and clergymen worked their way through
the press to give the last consolation to
''pHc VI tiicli ullltItIIl ldllflS. AmDl-
lances and automobiles, commandeered
for emergency service, were hurrying in
opposite streams to the hospitals and
back again.
Before any semblance of order could he
restored every police reserve in the CITY
had been called ont and it was not until
tonight that an estimate of the property
+ loss could be vsntured. The fire depart :
ment now guesses $l6J,0o. but no state
ment from the owners and tenants is
yet available
The building was a four-story brick
structure. occupied on the two lower
floors by the Newark Paper Box Co. on
the third floor, where the fire started. bv
the Anchor Lamp Co. and the Aetna
Electric Co. and on the top floor, where
the death list ran heaviest. by the Wolf
Manufacturing Co. makers of underwear
The wooden floors were soaked with oil
drippingS from the machines and the
flames ate through them like pasteboard
When they warped and weakened the
weight of the machinery tore them from
the walls and they fell into the base
ment in a horrible tangle of hot iron and
mangled humanity