The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-03-25
SCORE DEAD IN
CHICAGO FIRE
Flames Breaking Out in the Fish
Furniture Building Trap
Many Employees.
MANY GIRLS and WOMEN DIE
ore Man Perishes in Effort to Save
Those on Upper Floors--GirI Jumps
TO Death = Fire Horrify-
ing Spectacle.


ar more are dead in fire which
attacked the Fish Furniture companys
huiIding at 19O6-19OS Wabash avenue
here today Forty employees escaped.
Girl who jumped from a sixth story
window died at the hospital. The dead
were trapped, II is said, on the fourth,
6fh and sixth floors when an explosion
of benzne on the fourth floor wrapped
the building in flames.
one of the dead is said to have been
man who perished in n desperate en-
dcavor to rush up the stairway to aid
those imprisoned above. These, be-
Iieved TO have been killed, were all
women and girls. Ten of the latter, it
is said. were at work on the sixth floor
when the explosion occurred. The
spread of the flames cut off their es-
cane at the starways. They then turn
ed To the front of the building smash
ing the glass i'm the windows. Horri-
fed spectators i'm the street below,
looking through the haze of flames,
smoke and spray OF the water, could
see dimly the faces of the girls framed
in the windows above. Suddenly one
Of the girls stepped to the window
ledge, her face the picture of terror,
and screamed for help. The turmoil
below suddenly turned to silence as the
form poised and then sprang to the
street below She fell on an awning
over the front entrance of store
where she lay unconscious until Dr.
Kinsey. crawling out on the canopy
lifted her up. She was taken to st.
Luke's hospital, but died soon after
wards. Later II was learned the girls
name was Emma Lichtenstein Soon
after Miss Lichensteins. desperate leap
the crash of floors falling was heard
and the faces at the windows disap-
pearcd.
Isaac Fish, secretary OF the company
gays the fire started when an employe
went into the finishing department to
get some alcohol for a cigar lighter
An electric spark of the lighter, accord
irg to Fish, started a fire which quick
ly reached cans of benzine nearby and
explosions followed rapidly Fish eN-
pressed the belief that all of the en-
ployes on the fourth floor escaped. but
could see no hope for those above
There were twenty-five on the fifth and
sixth floors and it is possible all are
dead. The financial loss is 100000.
narrowing Experiences.
Dr. Kinsley graphically described
his experiences as follows;
u was near by when the fire startcu
and when reached the scene the sight
fairly made by hair stand on end. The
floors of the building were a mass OF
flames and smoke was rolling out oil
the windows like great thunder clouds
Like many others was SO stricken by
the sight of faces half revealed in th0
sixth story windows / could barely
move. | tried to get up the front slalr-
ways but at the third flooi gust oil
flames burnt me about the ace ahu
hands and the next thing | knew
was back i'm the street again. Then
again the cries of girls trapped In the
upper story came TO my ears. Fire en-
g.ncs came crashing down the street
Then / saw one of the girls throw ul
hcr hands and plunge out of the WIN
dow. Her body crashed against the
canopy over the front entrance 10 th'
store. Scarcely knowing what l ana
ran up the stairway to the first story
crawled out of the window and carried
her down the ladder which the firemer
had raised.
Isaac Fish, secretary of the Fish Fur
nturc company. had a narrowing ex
perionce in the fire. He had entere'
the elevator when the explosion oc
Cured. The elevator came to n stol
between the third and fourth floors
The door of the car was automatcail'
locked. but I'm frenzy Fish and TN
elevator boy attacked it with a stoo
which was i'm the cage and succeede
in breaking II down. Running throus
the second. third and first floors Fls
and the boy shouted a scarcely neede
elarm and finally emerged into III
street with the panic stricken crow
from these floors.
One Escape From Sixth Floor.
Julius Jescke. aged IL, was worKih
in one of the Offices on the sixth hoo
nut escaped.
II think there were six or seven Cir
IN the offices with me- said Jesck'
When the FIRE started the girls nc
gan screaming. We all ran to u
front where the fire was. Then ! nc
ticed there was no fire i'm the rear an
ran that way calling on the others
follow me but. guess some of the
didn't hear. I was weak and fair
when I reached the window. The'
was fire escape and I managed
crawl down TO that. People I'm the
ley below and the adjoining buildin1
were yelling to me probably words
encouragement but couldn't he'
what they said. My strength mu
have given out ust before I reach'