Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-07-23

the second door; twenty women ON the
third floor. whore the finishing was
done. and from eighty to hundred oa
the top floor. where the scores Of sew
ing machines were humming industri-
ously.
Fire DriIIs Breed carelsssnsss.
In accordance with . recent law
in the factory only three months ago
and frequent IRE drills were had.
Strangely enough. this proved the
undoing Of the unfortunate employees.
Within the last two weeks three test
alarms had been sounded, and the
girls had grown into the habit of TAX
ing their time to dress, and walked
leisurely out when the fire gong rang.
At $3.50 o'clock yesterday afternoon
William Bennett, . cutter on the
ground floor. noticed wisp Of smoke
coming up the stairway leading from
the entrance on the first floor. He
pushed the hre alarm and the gongs
rang out throughout the building.
So quick was the spread of the fire
that before Bennett and his fellow en-
ployes on that floor could reach the fire
escapes the room was filled with smoke
and the flames were leapfng up the
stairway.
This IL said to have been the only
exit from the building except q fire es-
cape that had been placed at the back.
Believe Alarm Only Practice.
In the office on the ground floor Mrs.
Reed b. Freeman. wife Of the manager.
Ill ~ Iy41
that's another false ALARM" but open
ing the door from the office to the
stairway she was met by q gust OF
smoke.
With barely time to shove the books
into the safe and slam the door. tho
employees. shielding their faces from
the heat crawled thro the binding
smoke to safety.
On tho third and fourth floors
scenes Of horror were being enacted.
Tho girls. thinking the alarm q test.
took their time until a rush Of the su-
perheated air and burst Of flames
and smoke cut OF their escape from
the stairway and drove them to the
one fire escape in the rear Of the build
ing.
Here they crowded on the narrow
ladder and shrieked for help. Others
pushed and showed and crowded and
pleaded with those on the escape for
another inch or two-to drop and give
those behind Q chance from the blast
ing heat which was blistering their
hands and faces.
Women Jump From Landing.
Then from the upper window women
hurled themselves to the ground. frac-
turing arms and legs. Some were
burned 90 severely that when rescuera
grasped their arms to drag them from
the blazing furnace the flesh rolled from
tho bones and the moaning. bleeding
victims had to be rolled In blankets and
carried to places Of safety.
In front. facing Wall street. girls who
were crowded from tho too heavily
freighted hre escapes 4ed to the win
dows at tho opposite Snd and duna
themselves to the stone passunenk.
& Ro4y Aftsr body hurtled thru tho ail
and there were great splashes Of blood
on the tagging TO mark the spot where
some victim, driven to desperation BY
tho flames. had perished.
Like the Triangle dre IN New York
the conditions inevitable In q factory OF
this character greatly accelerated the
flames. The managers Of the factory
assert that tho floors were kept swept
every night, but It IS known that a
large amount Of goods was being manu-
factured that from the progress of this
days work alone the floors were strewn
deep with bits Of cotton shreds Of cloth
Floor Litter Spreads Blaze.
1ThrN thia Hohrla fAA AavnAa awAnt
roaring and many girls who could no;
the smoke and heat and perished aear
their machines.
Employees Of the postofflce adjoining
with those from surrounding stores. did
what they could, but so intense was
the blaze that those who cropped from
the upper windows were burned fatally
before they could be rescued.
To complicate matters Just as thS
Freeman Overall nre was discovered
alarms were turned in from two other
parts Of the city, one calling all the
companies in the district in which the
overall factory was located to trivial
fire q dozen blocks distant and the
other sending the companies in west
ern part Of the city to extinguish q
grass fire on the outskirts.
Urges Girls 70 Flee.
Mrs. Ida Prentice did her best to get
the other women employees to fee when
the alarm first sounded. believing the
danger great. She stayed In the burn-
ing building directing the girls until the
last minute. Then. wrapping q large
sheet Of awning material about her, she
Jumped from fourth story window.
when the fire alarm sounded the
girls hesitated." said Mrs. Prentice. ~
turned and called to the operators that
the alarm had rung and all must get
out as soon as possible. Then the
flames burst upon US. I was nearly
smothered and, guided by steam pipe
was barely able to make my way to the
window. Here wrapped an awning
about me and jumped. BeforeI jumped
I looked back and saw scores Of girls
There must have been many left tc
burn alive"
Much difficulty was encountered In
compiling even q partial list Of the dead
and injured because the list of en-
ployes was kept In tho safe. which Is
a