The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-04-01
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-R escuers
Unable To Ascend The Stairways
- lettering 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.
Stocked 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
a 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.
IA sheet of flame almost blinded
me. did not fully regain my
senses untilsI had reached the street.
The lighters contained contriyance
to make 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
of. They next turned to the front
of the building, smashing in the
windows. Mortified 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. l. 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 it was learned the girl's
name was Emma Lichtenstein. She
was 20 years old and was employed
as filing clerk. Death was due
to internal injuries received in her
fall
Soon after Miss Lichtenstein's des.
perate leap crash as of the floors
falling was heard and the faces al
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 building
were mass of flames. Smoke in
great clouds was rolling out of the
windows. l cried Something must
be done! Something must be done!'
But, like many others, there / was,
SO stricken by the sight of the faces
half revealed in the sixth-story win
dows that 1 could scarcely move.
The girls were shouting For Gods
sake, send us help!' and others were
crying for the firemen to raise the
ladders. l tried to get up the front
stairways, but at the third floor a
gust of flame burnt me about the
face and hands, and the next thing
/ knew was back in the street again.
Again the cries of the poor girls
trapped in the upper story came to
my ears, and l saw one of the girls
throw up her hands and plunge out
of the window.
Her body crashed against the
canopy over the front end of the
store. Scarcely knowing what l did.
ran up the stairway to the first
floor, crawled out of the window and
then carried her down a ladder
which fireman had raised.''