South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-07-23

scared their bodies.
Then from windows and fire es-
capes, bodies began dropping. They
fell thick and fast The building
was but four stories high. and many
who jumped even from the topmost
floor, escaped with their lives, al
though most of them were badly
MANNED. 1t was on the fourth floor
that most Of the women operators
were working, and il was among
these that the loss OF life and injury
was greatest
AS soon as the first of the fire
victims were brought to the hospital
cOnvalescentS among the regular pa
tients were set TO work tearing up
bandages; physicians sawed up every
available board for splints 10 bind
up the broken limbs, and Fathers Ell
lis, Walsh and Mclaughlin, together
with the Rev. Francis. came TO offer
spiritual consolation to the desper-
ately injured
one of the most pathetic scenes at
the hospital, is that of Miss Ruth
Crotty, who is slowly dying with a
broken spine. She has been in Bing-
hampton but one week, having come
here from Port Jervis to work with
her two sisters, neither of whom, so
far as can be learned, escaped from
the fire.
When I first heard the alarm of
fire" said Miss Crotty, Il jumped
from my chair and started for the
stairs, but when / reached them they
were so crowded with the other Op-
orators that l could not get down
and in another instant the whole
story was ablaze."
Miss Crotty jumped from a win
dow.
Tells of Her Escape.
Mary McDOnOugh, an employe, told
a simple story of escape. She was
on the fourth floor when the fire
broke out. The employees on that
floor thought it was a fire drill at
that time and marshaled in line
slowly. When the flames burst upon
them many tainted and a panic en-
sued.
1T was all over in a fash" she
said. The fire burst upon us. There
was period of great confusion. 1
do not know how / got to the street,
but think I tainted and was carried
out by some one unknown to me-"
Vernon Wilbur, superintendent of
service in the burned shop, said:
Lynn Dibble and l ran TO the fire
escape and climbed up our ladder.
We dropped two girls to the men
below. They were standing five or
six deep in each window with the
flames waving directly behind them.
They were mad with pain and the
sound of their cries was as If the
wind were bowling in our ears"
Esther Raskin, 10 years old. jump
ed from the second story, sustaining
a compound fracture of the leg. She
also was badly SCARED by the flames,
which burst upon her in the stair
way. In broker English she told her
story.
Did IL Two Weeks Ago.
when the fire alarm was sent in
everybody thought they were fool
ing us because they did it two weeks
ago But when / heard everybody
shouting fire and saw them run
ming ! ran down stairs When L
reached the third floor l found the
stairs afire. but ran quickly down
them TO the second floor. Here a
dozen or more girls had gathered
driven back by the fire into the stair
way. Everything was on fire about
me and ! could not breathe. I man.
aged to get TO window and jumped
How long / lay 1 don't rememb Der.
The next thing | knew il seemed as
though the ground all abound me was
on fire and / would roast TO death L
tried TO get up. but fell back when a
dozen or more men rushed over
picked me up and put me in an am
bulance. That was the first time in
my life | had SO many fellows" and
she smiled braVely.
Mrs Ida Prentice did her best to
get the other women employees to flee
when the alarm first sounded, be-
lieving the danger reat. She stayed
in the burning bull, ~ directing the
girls until the last >. mute. Then,
wrapping a large sheet Of awning ma
terial about her, she jumped from
the fourth story.
The Girls Hesitated.
when the fire alarm sounded, the
girls hesitated." said Mrs. Prentice.
Il turned and called to the oper-
ators that the alarm had rung and
all must get out as soon as possible
Then the flames burst upon US. L
was nearly smothered, and hanging to
the steam pipe was barely able TO
make my way to the window Here
1 wrapped an awning about me and
jumped.
Before / jumped l looked back
and saw scores of girls. There must
have been many left TO burn alive"
Much difficulty was encountered in |
compiling even partial list of the |
dead and injured Tuesday night be- |
cause the list of employees was kept |
in the safe which is buried beneath |
the ruins.
Some features of the catastrophe
were brought out in statement by |
Reed &. Freeman, president of the |
company, which operated the burned !!
factory.
Due to a Cigaret
4 was in the offices when Mrs |
Freeman called TO me that there was |
fire" said Mr.. Freeman. L ran
out on the main floor and saw flames |
coming out from under the open |
stairway. Some Of our employees are
so addicted TO cigarets that smoking |
being forbidden in the building. they |
went out into the alley every hour or |
so for a puff. l believe one Of these, |
on returning To work. threw his
cigaret under the stairway.
Soon the flames had begun TO
sweep throughout the ground floor
like a flash.
Mrs. Freeman, in the Office. had
the telephone receiver down trying
TO cali the central fire station. So
swift was the rush OF flames that she
had 10 drop IL.
AS we ran out the bodies of girls
began 10 drop from the upper floor
windows. They seemed more like
sacks of flour than human bodies. I
saw three girls jump from windows.
1T being a comparatively warm
day all the doors and windows were
shfc nr-ox-fdPd terrific