The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-03-31
TWELVE PEOPLE DEAD
IN FURNITURE FIRE RUINS
Girls at Factory Windows Fall
Back Into Flames.
ONE WOMAN LEAPS TO THE GROUND.
Hero Loses Life in Attempt at
RescueS.


Benzine Explosion Spreads Flames
Through Fish Furniture Co. Fac
tory. In Chicago, Trapping En-
ployes On Upper Floors-Rescuers
Unable To Ascend The Stairways
- Tottering Walls Halt The
Search For The Lost-Find Dead
! Clasped In Each Others Arm.
Chicago Especially Search of the
wreckage for the remaining bodies
of those who lost their lives in the
Fish Furniture Company fire here
was discontinued, owing to danger
| from tottering wall, but not until
after IL of the dead had been re-
covered and IL of these identified.
While earlier estimates placed
the number of victims trapped on
the fourth and fifth floors of the
building as high as 20, later and
more thorough investigation indi-
Gates that there were but 16. Two
of these escaped, which leaves but
two more to be accounted for.
Leo Stoeckel, a clerk of the Fish
Company, who, by accident, is said
to have started the fire, told his
story to Fire Attorney Frank Hogan
this afternoon. Although Stoeckel
is admittedly more unfortunate than
culpable, Attorney Hogan says he
will bring some charge against the
young man to insure his attendance
at the inquest.
Stoeckel was brought before the
fire attorney with his hand, which
had been burned, swathed in band
ages. He appeard heart-broken.
About S.45 o'clock A. NJ"
Stoeckel said, "Mr. MITCHELL who is
member of the firm, gave me
three pocket cigar lighters and told
me to go to the finishing room, on
the fourth floor, and fill them with
benzine. / had filled two of the
lighters out of the five-gallon can
and was working on the third when
there was an explosion.
"A sheet of flame almost blinded
me. / did not fully regain my
senses until had reached the street.
The lighters contained a contrivance
to make a spark, but whether | ig-
nited one of thin or not / don t
know. / either dropped the can of
benZine when the flame shot up in
front of me or it was blown out of
my hand"
Ten women and girls, it is said,
were at work on the sixth floor when
the explosion occurred. The spread
of the flames was almost instantan-
eous, and when the girls rushed to
the stairways they found escape cut
off. They next turned to the front
of the building, smashing in the
windows. Horrified spectators in the
street saw one of the girls step to
the window ledge and heard her
scream for help. Then she jumped
Falling on the awning over the front
entrance of the store, she lay un-
conscious until DR.. VIM. /. Kinsley
crawling out on the canopy, lifted
her up. She was taken at once to
st. Luke's Hospital, only a few
blocks away, but died soon after
ward. DR.. Kinsley suffered slight
burns.
Later 1t was learned the girls
name was Emma Lichtenstein. She
was 20 years old and was employed
as a filing clerk. Death was due
to internal injuries received in hel
fall.
= Soon after Miss Lichtenstein's des.
ptIdle reap d CIdSn dS Vi LHe HOOIs
falling was heard and the faces a.
the window disappeared.
DR.. Kinsley graphically described
his experience, as follows:
Il was nearby when the fire start
ed, and when / reached the scene
the sight fairly made my hair stand
on end. The floors of the buildine
were a mass of flames. Smoke il
great clouds was rolling out of the
windows. cried Something mus
be done Something must be done!
But, like many others, there | was
so stricken by the sight of the face:
half revealed in the sixth-story win
dows that / could scarcely move
The girls were shouting For God!
sake, send us help! and others wer,
crying for the firemen to raise the
ladders. | tried TO get up the from
stairways, but at the third floor 6
gust of flame burnt me about the
face and hands, and the next thins
knew was back in the street again
Again the cries OF the poor girl
trapped in the upper story came t.
my ears, and ! saw one of the girls
throw up her hands and plunge ou
of the window.
Her body crashed against tn,
canopy over the front end of tn,
store Scarcely knowing what / did
! ran up the stairway to the frs
floor, crawled out of the window ant
then carried her down a ladder
which a fireman had raised"