Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-07-23

Eof the departments showed splendid
Eheroism in sticking to their posts ans
Edirecting the girls. Under the rules oi
the fire drill they are instructed t
and | believe they stayed at theii
posts. The floors are all kept care
/ fully swept and the only infammable
II things in the building were the piles
of garments.
THE fire besides destroying the
Binghamton Clothing Co., building
spread to the Federal building, burn
Il ing the roof off that structure and
damaged the buildings of the Nickel
lor Drug Co., Simon O'Neil and the
Binghamton Motor Car Co., on Waite
street Christ church was also scoreh-
| ed The total money damage, how
ever, is not expected to exceed 500,
| 000 ff. a
The Federal building, housing the
postoffice, is badly wrecked interiorly
and the city's mail facilities are much
hampered. Emergency measures have
been taken. however and regular mail
service will be resumed, tomorrow.
At midnight 26 bodies had been re
covered. At IL O'Clock the Identified
dead we're:
Mary Cregin, Mary Pryor, Miss Ful
NOR, Louise Hartwell, Mrs. Edwin Cor
| Alvin) Whites
Among the missing are the follow
| ing
Nellie Connors, Mr. Decker, Sidney
| Dimmick, Mrs. Thomas Doran, Mrs
Nellie Gleason. Louise Hartmann, Mar
garet Diamond. Lena Kennedy, MISS
Button. John Schermerhorn.
The list of injured includes:
Mrs. Ida Prcntiss. Mrs. Margaret
Quick. Esther Raskin, E,stclla Asher.
Mrs. Mary Bennett Ruth Crotty, Port
Jervs: Edna croty, Port Jervis, Lucy
Crotty. Port Jervis. slightly injured
Ida Hotaling, Mrs. Mary Leighton
Jared Orr, slightly injured.
Mary McDonough was on the fourth
floor at her machine, when the fire
broke out. The employees on that floor
thought the alarm was for fire drill
and marshalled in line slowly. When
the flames burst upon them, man!
tainted and panic ensued Miss Nc
Donough also swooned. She believes
she was carried out by one of the men
employees She was uninjured. She
said the flames spread so rapidly
titeTe WAS Ilo tlihO ioi ahS SOiaNSA 49,
rescue work or for the regular fire
drill march to be carried out
Vernon Wilbur, superintendent oil
service in the burned shop, said:
Linn Dibble, and l ran to the fire
escape and climbed up our ladder
We dropped two girls to the men be-
low They were standing five or SIX
deep in each window with the names
waving directly behind them. They
were mad with pain and the SOUND or
their cries was as If the WIND were
bowling in our ears.
As soon as the first fire victims were
brought to the hospital, eonvalescents
among the regular patients were set to
work tearing up bandages; physicians
hawed up every available board for
splints to bind broken limbs. and minis
tiers came to offer spiritual consolation
to the desperately injured.
| One of the most pathetic cases at the
hospital is that of Miss Ruth Crotty. who
| is slowly dying with a broken spine. Miss
| Cretty came here, a week ago, from Por,
| Jeryis to work with her two sisters
| neither of whom, so far as can be learn
ed. escaped from the fire. Miss Grotts
| jumped from a window.
| Beside the glowing ruins of the over.
| all factory lie the twisted irons OF
| what were the fire escapes from which
| victims dropped like flies when the
| flames fared out of the windows and
came billrwing back along the. walls
under the impulse of the winds and
back draft. About them is likely to
certer a searching inquiry as 10 then
adequacy to serve the purpose for
which they were erected. There were
two iron fire escapes and these the
employees crowded when escape by the
atairs WIS seen to be cut of. The
| fire escapes were soon loaded. but fire
spread SO rapidly that those who had
sought safety by means of them could
net get to the ground before the heat
| became 700 great for them to endure it
| Mrs. Ida Prentice jumped from one OF
| the windows ON the fourth floor
when the fire alarm sounded The glrs
hesitated,'. said Mrs. Prentice. II called
| to the operators to get out as soon as
possible Then the flames burst upon us.
1 was nearly smothered. and hanging to
| the steam pipe was barely able to make
| my way to the window. Here / wrapped
an awning about me and jumped. Before
I jumped l looked back and saw scores
Of girls, There must have been many
| left to burn alive
| Mrs. Mary Quick jumped from the sec
ond story, sustaining a strained back
sprained arm and bad burns. She also
suffered severely from shock
Mary Bennett a young employee, re-
ceved broken pelvis and two broher
| thighs. Besides she was badly burned
Mrs. May Leighton jumped from the
fourth story window when she saw
all retreat was cut off, but only aftei
she had been seriously burned about
the head. arms and upper part of her
body. Her face is so disigured that
it scarcely resembles that of human
being.
Mrs. Alvin White suffered a frac-
ture of both legs below the knee and
was other wise badly injured. She
died at the hospital with her husband
at her bedside.
The losses are setimated by tho
heads of the various concerns which
suffered by the fire are as follows:
Binghamton Clothing Co, building
$4,000; stock $4,000
~ n -.