Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-07-23
half A HUNRRED INJURED
HOSPITALS FILLED WITH THE
WOUNDED, MANY OF WHOM
MAY DIE.
were TRAPPED like RATS
Women and Girls on Fourth Floor
Never Had Il Chance Ia Escape
From the Flames.

sBINGHAMTON, n. Y. Juiy ca
Fifty persons were killed according
to late estimates and as many injur-
ed, dozen of them mortally, In n
fire which swept the four story
factory building Of the B!nghamton
Clothing company this afternoon. The
victims were chiefly women ana
girls.
Early tonight % bodies had been
recovered. In the city hospital and
IN private institutions are 30 injured.
Some two score persons are known
to have escaped. as II by a miracle,
from the building, which burst into
flame like u tinder box And became
roaring furnace almost instantly
after the first alarm was sounded.
About 1875 persons were In the fac
tory when the fire broke out Those
unacCOunted for, or most of them are
believed to be still in the red hot
ruins of the structure.
Thousands Watch Ruins.
Around the scene of the catas-
trophe, the greatest this city has
ever known, thousands tonight
watched the rescue work in the glare
of three big search lights. many In
the great throng being restrained
only by the closely drawn police
lines from running into the ruins to
seek the bodies Of relatives or
friends.
Many streams OF water are being
poured into the fiery pit. which a
few hours ago was the cellar OF the
burned establishment.
The ruins were cooled slightly
from time to tlmo in "a spot upon
which the streams were Centered
men went forward to dig as long as
human endurance would allow them
10 work. Occasionally body was
found and quickly taken away.
This work will go on all night ana
perhaps all day tomorrow before
the glowing mass gives up its last
dead. 1t will take at least TWO davs.
the authorities say before the cellar
can be cleared and the whole truth
known.
Jumped TO Death
The big outstanding fact Of the
catastrophe Is its swiftness In this
tho district bears strong resem-
blance to the Triangle Waist COM
pany holocaust in New York city,
where 147 lives were lost. when IN
lnflammable material upon which
the employees work and the waste lit
tering the floors blazed with incon
ceivable rapidity and set the impris-
oned workers Jumping from the win
dows to their death.
The parallel fails only In the les
Ser height and different oonstruc-
ton Of the building and the length
OF the list Of dead and Injured. An
other resemblance TO the New York
disaster is that the fire today is be-
lievcd to have been started by the
careless throwing OF a cigarette butt
or q match.
In the tragedy of this afternoon
the deadly burst Of flame quickly
followed after the alarm. There was
little opportunity to use ordinary or
even emergency means Of escape.
The building was equipped with
fire escapes and All automatic alarm
system The alarm tirkled at 2:3O
O'Clock Mrs. Reed r. Freeman. wife
OF the proprietor. telephoned to the
central fire station. The usual APP
paratus for first still alarm res
Warren and Chenango streets. four
blocks away. saw a burst OF flame
and pulled The box there.
Work of a Minute.
That meant 10 minutes delay for
part of the firemen. But even those
who arrived first were unable to do
ANYTHING. The first puff of flames
was hardly discerned before the fire
ieaped along the staircases and walls
up the elevator shaft. along the
floors and ceiling. There was roar,
front and rear, and the flames belch-
ed forth across Wall street, on which
the building fronted.
After this blast the fire seemed to
burst from every part Of the building
at once.
Upon the fire escapes girls. worn
en- and men were clustered and In
side others were waiting to get on
the iron ladders. But tho flames
were too quick for them.
The slow starting OF the fire drill
NAV have contributed to the disaster
the delay In getting all the firemen
to the scene may have been respon-
sIble for part OF the loss OF life. But
persons who were early on the scene
ssid these things did not materially
affect the result.
when the fremen arrived I'm res
ponse to the telephone alarm they
were unable to get within zoo feet
OF the burning building and the ends
OF the streams from their hose were
turned into steam without effect
upon the fire.
Was No Escape.
All efforts at rescue from outside
were equally useless. There was no
chance for those caught on the up
per floors. except the last reSort TO
Jump. and this many took. while
others fell. shrlvsled and crumpled
with the heat.
Scarcely one OF the survivors was
able to give connected account Uf
what took place on the lspper floors
Of the factory when the employees
there. mostly women and girls. real
lied that the fire call was no false
alarm and that death was sweeping
upon them.
The coolest among them recalled
that women tainted by dozens and