The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-07-25

of the streams from their hose were
turned into steam without
effect upon the fire. The life nets
and extension ladders of the firemen
were equally useless. There was no
chance for those caught on the upper
floors, except the last resort to jump
and this many took, while others fell,
shriveled and crumpled with the
heat.
Scarcely one of the survivors was
able to give a connected account of
what took place on the upper floors
of the factory when the employees
theTs mostly women and girls, realiz-.
ed. that the fire call was no false
alarm and that death was sweeping
upon them. The coolest among them
said that women tainted by dozens
and that the scene was one of in
describable confusion. Some of the
men employees apparently kept their
heads and did their best to rescue
the imperilled women.
Importance of Fire Alarm.
The following stories of the es-
cape of three of the girl employees is
of special interest and should i'm
press upon all factory girls, even in
Honesdale, the Importance of heed
ing to the alarm of fire, whether for
drill or otherwise. Who can tell
when a similar experience may hap
| pen at home?
Thought Was Fooling Girls.
Esther Raskin, nineteen years old,
| jumped from the second story, sus-
tanning a compound fracture of the
leg. She also was badly SCARED by
the flames which burst upon her in
the stairway. In broken English she
told her story:
When the fire alarm was sent in
everybody thought they were fooling
us because they did it two weeks ago.
But when heard everybody shouting
| fire and saw them running / ran
down the stairs. When l reached the
third floor / 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 stairway. Everything
was on fire about me and could not
breathe. 1 managed to get to win
dow and jumped. How long l lay ]
don't remember. The next thing ]
knew it seemed as though the ground
all about me was afire and l would
roast to death. / tried to get up but
fell back when a dozen or more men
rushed over, picked me up and put
me in an ambulance. That was the
first time in my life 1 had so many
fellows" and she smiled bravely.
Port Jervis Girl Jumps From Window
| One of the most pathetic cases al
the hospital is that of Miss Rutf
aTrnffEy xtrhn 10 cIA I,,i, .
broken spine. She has been in Bing
hamton but one week, having come
here from Port Jervis to work will
her two sisters, neither of whom
so far as can be learned, escaped
from the fire.
when l first heard the alarm o
fire." said Miss Crotty, II jumped
from my chair and started for thu
stairs, but when l reached them the!
were so crowded with the other oper
ators that l could not get down ant
, in another instant the whole stor!
was ablaze."
, Miss Crotty jumped from W
; dow.
Another Employees Story.
Mary McDonough, an employe, toll
simple story of escape. She wa
on the fourth floor when the fir
broke out. The employees on tina
floor thught it was a fire drill a
that time and marshalled in lin
slowly. When the flames burst upol
them many tainted and panic en-
= sued.
? ." 1t was all over in a FASH sh
said, the fire burst upon us. Their
S was period of great confusion.