Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-26
DEATH ROLL MAY GROW LARGER
Danger from Tottering Walls Makes
Recovery of Bodies Hazardous.
UNFORTUNATES MOSTLY WOMEN
Workers Rushed to Stairway, Only to
Find Eocape Cut Off.
CIGAR LIGHTER CAUSES BLAZE
Spark from Little COntrivance in
Hands OF Clerk Set Fire 60 Qunn-
tity of DenEine In Repair
shop.

CHICAGO, March 25.-search Of tho
WI eckage for the remaining bodies Of those
who lost their lives in the Fish Furniture
company's fire here today was discontinued
this afternoon, owing to danger from tot
tering walls, but not until after twelve
of the bodies had been recovered and
eleven Of these identified.
While earlier estimates placed tho number
Of victims trapped ON the fourth and fifth
floors Of the building as high as twenty,
later and more thorough investigation indi-
Gates that there we're but sixteen. Two
Of these escaped with their lives, which
leaves but two moro TO be accounted for
The search was abandoned for the day
on the report of Building Inspector Short,
who declared that three Of the walls wers
In dangerous condition. II these are
still standing in the morning the work OF
removing the debris will be resumed.
A coroner's jury which was empaneled
this afternoon viewed the bodies at tho
morgue, but the inquest was postponed
until April O.
Cigar Lighter starts BIaHo.
Leo Stoeckel, clerk for the Fish COM
pany, who by accident, was said to have
started the fire, told his story to Fire At
torney Hogan this afternoon. Although
Stoeckel, who is but 20 years OF age, ia
admittedly unfortunate. Attorney Hogan
says he win bring some charge against tho
young man to insure his attendance at thu
inquest
Stoeckel was brought before the fire at
torney with his hard which had becn
burned, swathed In bandages He appeared
heart-broken and told his story with diff
Guilty
about s:45 o'clock this morning"
Stoeckel said, "Mr Mitchell, who is q
member of the firm gave mo three pocket
cigar lighters and told me to go to tho
finishing room on the fourth floor and fin
them with benzine. had filled two of
the lighters out of the five-gallon can ana
was working on the tsird when there was
an explosion.
"A sheet Of flame almost blinded me. I
did not fully regain my senses until had
reached the street The lighters cohthined
a contriyance to make a spark, but whether
I ignited one of them or not do not know.
Il either dropped the can Of benzine when
the flames shot up in front of me or 1t was
blown out of my hands"
Among the Victims.
Following is a list of the identified dead:
HARRY DARLINGTON, aged 4O painter.
rapher
MINOR W. BELL, advertising manager.
ROSIE BRUNkE, aged II, stenog rapher
widow. forewoman folding depcrtment
LILLIAN SULLIVAN, aged 10, folder
WILLIAM GREEN, aged "a, clerk
ETHEL L1CTBNsTEiN, aged Is, stenog-
HARRY NJ. MITCHELL, auditor of com
pssny member OF firm and brother-in-law
VERONICA MGRATH, aged II, stenog-
rapher
GERTRUDE QUINN, aged 2O folder.
The missing are
Mary Wargo, aged 20 folder.
Bert st. Clair, aged rs, confidential clerk
Three others whose names could not be
learned are also reported among the miss
ing.
One OF the bodies was identified by Flor
ence Sullivan as that of her sister Lillian.
She said she recognized a shoe taken from
one of the bodies as one which had been
worn by her sister. Florence, who is Is
years old and switchboard operator.
might easily have shared her sisters fate.
She was to have gone to work for the Fish
company at noon, taking the place OF an
other girl.
Alexander Bush, street car conductor,
identified one of the bodies as that of Rosie
Brunke whom he was to have married
Easter Sunday. He recognized her through
the medium of a number Of trlnkets, In
cluding an engagement ring.
Victims Mostly Women.
Ten women and girls It is said weFu at
work on the sixth floor when the explo-
sion occurred. The spread Of the flames
throughout the upper floors was almost in
stantaneous, and when the girls rushed to
the stairways they found their escape cut
Off. They next turned to the front of the
building smashing the windows.
Then suddenly one of the girls stepped
out on the window ledge and screamed for
help. Then she leaped She fell on the
awning over the front entrance to the store
where she lay unconscious until a man,
crawling out on the canopy lifted her up
She was taken to St. Luke's hospital only
few blocks away, but died soon after
wards. She was identified as Emma I,vcb-
tenstein, 20 years old and was employed
as filing clerk, Death was due to in
ternal injuries received in her fall
Soon after Miss Lychtsnsteln struck a
crash as II floors falling was heard and
the people at the windows disappeared.
Isaac Fish, secretary Of the Fish Furni-
ture company, had entered the elevator
when the explosion occurred The elevator
came to stop between the third and
fourth floors.
The door OF the car was automatically
locked, but in a frenzy Mr.. Nash and tho
elevator boy which was in the cage sue
ceeded in breaking II down.
Cans OF BenEine Explode.
According to Mr.. Fish the fire started
when an employe went into the finishing
department on the fourth floor TO get some
alcohol for cigar lighter. The electric
spark OF tho lighter, according to Mr.. Fish,
started the fire, which quickly reached cans
OF benzine and explosions followed. Mr..
Fish expressed the belief that all employees
on the fourth floor escaped, but could see
no hope for those above.
The financial loss Is placed at $4,000.
equally divided between building and
stock.
The Fish Furniture company occupies two
buildings separated by an alley one build
ing fronting on Wabash avenue, where the