The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-03-31
MORE THAN SCORE
OF GIRLS PERISH
IN A CHICAGO FIRE
Lichtenstein Jumped
From Top Story Window
Fish Roasts Firemen.

4SA VIZ 44SA44SA4s
Chicago, Ill, March 20
Twenty or more lives, mostly
those Of girls, are believed to
have been lost in a fire which
destroyed one of the L. Fish
Furniture company's stores at
1%9O6-19O8 Wabash avenue to-
day.
One girl, Emma Lichten-
stein, was killed in jumping
from a top floor window.
The deaths occurred on the
fifth and sixth floors, the two
topmost of the building. I'm
ployes on these floors were cut
OF from escape by fire which
enveloped the building almost
instantly following the explos-
ion Of several cans of benzine.
A spark from a cigar lighter
is said to have started the fire.
THE MISSING.
Following are among those reported
VERONICA M'GRATH. age II, ste
nographer.
GERTRUDE QUINN, age 20, folder.
LILLIAN SULLIVAN, age 16, folder.
MARY WARGo, age 20, folder.
woman.
ROSIE BRUCKE. age 1t, stenogra-
pher.
ETHEL ANDERSON, age IS. ste
n%ographer.
HENRY M. MITCHELL. auditor:
brotherinlaw of sigmund Fish, one of
MINER W. BELL, advertising man
ager.
BERT ST. CLAIRE, age 2S, confden.
tial clerk.
WILLIAM GREEN, age "a. clerk.
! John Schmidt and William Peterson,
cabinet makers, who were at work in
the repair room, were among those who
escaped slightly burned. When a great
sheet Of flame shot across the floor they
were knocked down, but managed to
crawl to the front stairway whence
they made their way to the street.
The fire, they said, was preceded by an
explosion which shook the building.
Escape Cut of.
Ten women and girls, it is said, were
at work on the sixth floor when the
explosion occurred. The spread Of the
flames throughout the upper floors was
oIrNo,% f,-%ov {a ~, arl ,,,L1, ~.
girls rushed to the stairways they
found their escape cut off. They next
turned to the front of the building,
smashing the windows.
It was learned that the girl who
died in the hospital was Emma LIGHT
employed as a filing clerk. Death was
due to internal injuries received in her
fall.
Soon after Miss Lichtenstein's leap
q crash as If Of floors falling, was
heard and faces at the dindows disap-
peared.
Caught In Elevator.
Isaac Fish, secretary Of the Fish Fur
niture company, had entered the ele-
vator when the explosion occurred
h elevator came to a stop between
the third n fourth floors. The door
Of the car was automatically locked,
but in a frenzy Mr.. Fish and the .eleva-
tor boy attacked 1t with q stool, which
was in the cage. and succeeded In
breaking it down.
According to Mr.. Fish the fire start
ed when an employee went into the
finishing department on the fourth
lighter. The electric spark Of the
lighter, according to Mr.. Fish, started
the fire which quickly reached cans of
benzine n explosions followed.
MI. Fish expressed the belief that all
employees on the fourth floor escaped,
but could see no hope for those above.
Estimates Of the number or these
floors runs as high as % and the death
list may reach this number.
Loss Is 100000.
The financial loss is placed at $780,
900, equally divided between building
and stock.
The Fish Furniture company occu-
pies two buildings separated by an al
ley, one building fronting on Wabash
avenue. where the fire occurred, and
the other on State street, which is a
block west Of Wabash Those
In the State street store looking across
the alley could see girls on the fifth
and sixth stories of the burning struc.
ture rushing back and forth to the
windows screaming for assistance. At
times they chung to each other. Then
some Of them disappeared with their
hair and clothing blazing. Fire
Marshal Koran stated that an investi-
cation as to the preparedness of tho
building for fire would be made.
The building had but one fire escape,
he alleges, whereas 1t should have had
two.
Fish Scores Firemen.
Simon Fish, another member of tho
furniture company, while the blaze was
at its height, created a sensation by
making charges of negligence against
the fremen. In bitter language he de-
clared h firemen were slow in re-
spending to the alarm and tardy in
raising ladders. He protested that
nremen interfered with employees who
were attempting to make rescues, and
declared that he would prefer charges
against the fire department.