The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-12-01

Fifty AOfe AHG AAAcu ~ Ho1Pfsaks
and Six Others Are Hissing-A
PinfuI and Heart-Rending Scene
building Was Oil-Soaked and
Fire Had Enyeloped the Structure
Before Ffremen Could Reach the
scene.
minutes rs girls were burned alive
this morning, or crushed TO death on
the pavement in leaping from the
windows and fire escapes of the four
story brick factory, at the corner OF
orange and High streets. The latest
account tonight shows that six Of the
~ eHty-fiye bodies recovered have
been identified and that six girls are
still missing. They may be among
the unidentified dead or they may
be in the ruins. The collapse of a
wall tonight interrupted further
search.
Fifty were taken to hospitals, OF
whom two may die. Among the in
jured is Joseph E. Sloan, deputy fire
chief, who was overtaken by the fall
ing wall and buried in brick and
rubbish. He Is badly hurt, but may
recover
The rush Of the flames was so in
credibly swift and threw such un-
reasoning terror into the huddled
working girls on the top story, that
the body of one was found still seat
ed on a charred stool beside the ma
chine at which she had been busy
when the first cry of fire" petrified
her with fright.
Horrible as must have been what
went on in the smoke of that crowd
ed upper room, what befell outside,
in the bright sunlight, was more
horrible yet. The building was fu-
riously infammable and the first
gush of flames had cut off all posi-
bility Of escape by the stairways.
The elevators made one trip, but
took down no passengers and never
came back. The only exit was by
two narrow fire escapes, the lower
platforms of which were 25 feet
from the street Onto these over
crowded and steep lanes, scorched
dancing hot by the jets from the
lower windows, passed forward a
mob Of women, blind with panic
driven by the fire and the others be-
hind them.
Jumped From Windows.
A net had been spread beneath
the windows and girls began to jump.
Like rats out of a burning bin was
the way a fireman described the pell-
nell descent. They boiled out OF
the windows like thick treacle, roll
ed up on the heads of those below
them and cascaded off the fire es-
capes to the pavement 60 feet below
Some Of them stood in the windows
outlined against the frames and
jumped clear; others from the land
ings; still others from the steps
where they stood. The air was full
OF them and they fell everywhere
into the net, On the necks of fremen
and 5 of them on the hard stone
slabs. When the awful rain ceased
there were 8 dead in the street and
the cutters ran red. Seven more
were so badly crushed that they died
in the hospitals. Fifty are still un-
der surgeons care.
Clouds of smoke and showers OF
burning embers spread over the city
and raiEed down on neighborins
roofs. AS the news f1ew-and it lost
nothing in the telling-panic spread
to other factories, where many OF
the girls in peril had friends and
relatives, and several firms had to
shut down for the day. Thousands
flocked to the scene and made the
work of the firemen and police more
difficult
Italian silk workers fell in the
street and prayed and lamented pitt
ably. Priests and clergymen worked
their way through the press to give
the last consultations to those of theil
different faiths.
The Building Burned.
The building was a four-story
structure occupied on the two lower
floors by the Newark Paper Box
Company and the A. A. Drake Pa
per Box Company: on the third
floor, where the fire started, by the
Anchor Damp Company, and on the
top floor, where the death list ran
heaviest, by the World Manufacture
Ing Company, makers of underwear
The wooden floors were soaked
With oil drippings from the machin,
cry and the flames ate through them
Ike pasteboard