Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-11-30
FanCied Fire Drives Them
to Escapes Twelve
Carried Down.
FIREMEN FIGHT TO PREVENT
REPETITIONOF CATASTROPHE
Steamfitter's Hammer Striking
Sparks Caused One Girl
to Yell ''Firer'

With the horror Of Saturdays dis
aster still haunting them, it took only
the flash of spark struck from a
steamfitter's hammer to send $50 girls
into wild panic on the second floor
of Nat Levy & Co.'S undergarment fac
tory this noon Before the rush could
be quelled twelve girls had been taken
down the fire-escapes to save them
from being flung off by the crush be-
hind, and firemen had literally to fight
back the crowd that streamed down
the stairways of the factory.
The Levy factory is located at the
corner of Shipman and William streets.
in the four story building there. The
girls work altogether upon the second
floor. They were just getting ready to
leave for the lunch hour when a steam
filter, working at a pipe in far side
of the room, suddenly struck y false
blow which broke the pipe and sent
several sparks flashing toward the
crowd of girls Most OF the girls did
not see the spark at ali, but one hys-
terical girl did see it and she shouted
FlTt. anu lltcH cCfcaiiCu litC lCai
some word agaan.
ono Girl Faints.
Instantly the other girls took up the
cry. They could see no fire, but fresh
In their minds was the memory of those
terrible scenes of Saturday when twen-
ty-four other shop girls lost their lives.
The panic was instant-one mad rush OF
almost every woman on the floor. One
of the girls tainted as the pushing,
screaming throng bore them toward the
windows, the fire-escapes or the stair
ways Others were badly jostled and
had clothing torn. Luckily, the firemen
We're quickly to the scene. And still
more luckily some of the men upon
the second floor kept their heads per-
fectly calm and succeeded in quietins
the more sensible of the girls.
But some had pressed out upon the
fire-escapes by the time the first fire
company arrived and its men brought
them down to the ground TO prevent
them jumping or being flung.
In the midst of the factory room
some of the girls were still half crazed
with fear and crushed against those
nearest the doors and windows. Those
on the outside knew by this time that
there was no fire, but the horror of Sat
urday was too recent to be put away.
and they cried to the men who kept
them back TO let them out.
Fireinen at last succeeded in pushing
through the throng and restored order,
and the girls were formed In line and
sent out to their meals.
Building Well Equipped to Fight Fire.
The Levy building is well equipped
for fighting blaze or for just such a
senseless panic as occurred today. 1t
has six exits and two fire-escapes, be-
sides a we'll trained corps of flremen
with a firehouse on the same floor.
1t is believed that none of the girls
was more than badly scared, and the
girl who swooned was revived inside
the shop and was able to go to dinner
with the rest.
Captain Martin, of the Salvage Corps,
narrowly escaped serious injury while
aiding in pacifying the almost frantic
girls. The captain had lifted a win
dow; il had 20 sash weight and in
falling it struck the captain, hurting
him back onto the f1re-escape.