The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-23

At daybreak today a big force of city employees began to search for the dead among the smouldering ruins of the overall factory. Not until the tangled mass of brick and steel has been re- moved will the full extent of yester- days calamity be known.
 The injured include:
 Esther Raskin, Mrs. May Leightoqs Ruth Crotty, Edna Crotty, Mrs. Mary Benney, Charles Contesse, Mrs. Ida Houghtaling, Jared Orr. Mrs. Mar garet Quick.
 The loss on the buildings and stock of the five concerns is estimated at more than s200, 900.
 The post office was badly damaged but the mails were saved.
 The heavy loss of life is believed to have been largely due to the fact that the employees, believing that one of the frequent fire drills was being held, were slow in fleeing the building. Even when it became known that the building was on fire many returned to the dressing rooms on the upper floor for clothing and va1uables.
 The flames spread with great rapid fty and the intensity of the heat pre- vented the frenen from getting with in fighting range of the building until rescue was impossible. Women and girls dropped exhausted on the single fire escape in the rear of the building <bIIo lALOEe1A1y roasted 10 QSaCns OIn0T& jumped and were killed Half dog en of the panic stricken girls rushed into the elevator, which was stand ing on the fourth floor. A moment later all dropped to their death. Only the fire depar rtment's best ef- forts prevented the spread of the flames to business blocks lining Water street between Court and Henry streets. In the building occupied by the McKallor Drug company was a large amount of highly explosive chemicals, but the building was pro- tected by iron doors and shutters.
 Volunteer dremen employed in the shops along the line of the railroad who came to the city yesterday after noon for their annual tournament, aided the local f1remen in running lines of hose to the tops of buildings that were threatened.
 Reed B. Freeman, president of the Ringhanton Clothing company. esti- mates there were between 120 and 125 employees in the building when the fire started. He said eighty per cent. of the girls employed were Americans. ''It's not the money loss nor the busi- ness that overcomes me- he said, s'but it is the thought of these girls, some of whom have been with us for years being trapped as they were and per- fishing in the flames.
 t@They perished because they be1fev- ed the alarm sounded fmm mediately af- ter the fire broke out, was for a fire drill. several of. which had been re- gently used. They disliked these drills So when the alarm sounded most of them took their tirne-some to don their coats, others to get their purses and other belongings.
 But for this fact, I believe nearly all the employees could have been saw ed In the last fire drill we had the entire building was emptied in twenty seconds. This would have been ample time"
 It was the theory of MT. Freeman that a lighted cigarette thrown into al heap Of rubbish shortly after the lunch hour was the cause of the dis aeter.
 Fire Chief Hogg declared that in his opinion the fire escape was adequate. They simply withered from the heat when they got to itS' he said.
 The building was four story brick structure forty-four feet wide by 13o as cigar factory. Besides the fire escape at the rear there were two stairways from the top floor, one to Center street at the rear and the oth- CT at Wall street at the front The interior of the building was of wood. Most of the operatives were on the third or fourth floors. The fire start ed in the center of the first floor near the stairway. The doors and windows were open at the time and the fue- link in the kitchen of the building created draft which contributed to the rapid spread of the flames
 A fund for the survivors has been started