The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-12-02

streets and prayed and lamented
pitiably. Priests and clergymen
worked their way through the press
to give the last consultations to those
of their different faiths. Ambulances
and automobiles, Communicated for
| emergency service, were hurrying in
opposite streams to the hospitals and
back again.
Floor Soaked With Oils.
The building was a four-story brick
structure occupied on the two lower
floors by the Newark Paper Box Com
pany and the A. A. Drake Paper Box
Company; on the third floor. where
the fire started, by the Anchor Lamp
Company and the Etna Electric Com
pany, and on the top floor. where the
death list ran heaviest. by the Wolf
Manufacturing Company, makers of
underwear
The wooden floors we're soaked
| with oil drippings from the machin-
cry 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 basement in a horrible tan
gle of hot iron and mangled human
! ity.
Sadie Benson. an employe of the
/ .Ftna Electric Company. was clean
ing an electric light fixture in gaso-
line bath.
Gasoline Can Explodes.
| The gasoline took fre-she does
not know how-and trickled in lit
| tie rivulet OF fame on the floor.
where stood full can of gasoline.
| The can exploded and the burning
I LIQUID few far and wide.
Lewis Cox. an employe of the box
factory on the second floor. was
standing in the hallway at the time
of the explosion. The shock was
strong enough, he says. to hurl him
against the wall. but the girls up
stairs at their whirring sewing ma
chimes heard nothing.
Fireman Brown. who turned in the
alarm. was at work directly opposite
the building. cleaning the windows of
the engine house where he is sta
toned. He saw girl rush out of
the factory into the street, scream
ing and wringing her hands.
There's fire in there" she cried.
pointing back to the hallway she had
left.
Brown did not wait to ask any
questions. He turned in an alarm
and then dashed up the fire-escape.
Already he found 40 girls at the
fourth-story windows. some of them
so dazed with terror that they hadn't
the wit to pull down the sashes and
climb out. Brown smashed in the
window and began pulling girls out
upon the fre-escape. He counted 40
that filed past him.
Face ScOrched BY Heat.
The floor was far from cleared, but
the heat had then grown so intense
that the skin was beginning to
scorch on his face. He pulled him.
self up to the window for a last look
In, but at that moment gush of red
streaked smoke blinded and almost
smothered him, and he was forced to
drop into the lee of the wall.
1T was the most horrible thing
I've ever seen," he said afterward.
THE girls were dropping from every
window | never saw a fire spread
so fast once it got started. Before
we could get the girls through the
windows on the fire-escapes the
flames we're licking the wooden
sashes."
Fire Chief Ashley laid the RESPONSE
bility for loss of life on delay in turn
ing in an alarm. He says that five
minutes were lost in trying to fight
the blazing gasoline with sand in
barrel. "If those precious minutes
had not been wasted" he almost
sobbed. 1--WE would not have lost one
single life"
Owners In Tears.
David Levy, president of the Wolf
Manufacturing Company, and Alfred
NJ. Wolf, secretary and treasurer.
broke into tears when they were ask
ed for an estimate of the loss.
What is loss in the face of this
disaster?" said Mr.. Wolf. What is
any investment against the life of
one of those poor girls? When we
can talk coherently we'll give out
statement"
Frederick Weimer. chief inspector
of the public prosecutors office. is
making an investigation to determine
the responsibility of the tenants and
owners.