The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1913-07-25
TO PLACE BLAME
FOR HOLOCAUST
Three Separate Inquiries Under
Way at BlNghamtOl
AGED HEAD OF FIRM SUMMONED

Number Of Lives Lost In Factory
Fire conservatively Estimated at
slNty-flve-Gang Of Men Searching
Smolderlng Ruins For Bodies Of
Vletlms-Grewsome Finds Mark the
Work Of the Laborers.
Binghamton, N. Y, July 24,-After
several estimates had been made as
10 the number of lives lost in the fire
that flattened the Binghamton Cloth.
ing company's plant the list of prob
able dead was increased to Go. OF
this number only few have been
positively identified. More than 80
bodies have been recovered from the
ruins. All of them were so charred
and manned that recognition was out
of the question.
All day a gang Of old men, the only
ones Mayor Irving could muster for
the work, scooped bricks from the
spot were the building once stood
Twelve bodies were picked from a
space about 10 by 10 feet square. Ear
rings were found in the ears of one
corpse and by them Mrs. Mary Pryor,
the heroic forewoman of the fourth
floor, was identified. One arm was
picked up detached from the body.
On the little finger was a small dia.
mond ring that may identify 1t. Two
bodies, or rather the trunks of them,
were found on which were purses.
The finding Of these purses clearly
proved what several Of the survivors
have testified that a great many of
the girls who had been working on
the fourth floor stopped on the third
to visit the locker room and obtain
their bonnets, street clothes and val
uables. 1t was the loss of few min.
utes caused by their stop that result
ed in their death. The girls who de-
scended Immediately to the street
got there in safety. But they had not
been in the open more than two min
utes when the blaze had swept like 4
gust of stormy wind into the second
floor and spread from end to end ami
wall to wall. When those who had
gone to the dressing room emerged
at the head of the staircase they came
face to face with a blanketing mass
of flame.
Panic-stricken, they dashed back to
the fourth floor. A few huddled onto
the one fire escape in the rear, but
were prevented from descending by
the bursting of long tongues of fire
from lower windows. Even before
these could retreat into the building
they were scorched and fell, blocking
the escape Those left inside went to
the windows at the front Of the big |
machine room, but there was no es-
cape at that point. 1t was at this mo-
ment that several either hurled them
selves into space or were pushed BY |
eager ones behind.
So quickly had flames belched from |
the alley windows that those at the |
front of the building did not realize |
escape by that route was already cut |
off. A few moments later the roof |
Tell in, the fourth floor then crashed
through to the third, and an instant
ater side walls bellied out in the mid
lie and the tops cayed into the center
1f the building. When the spectators,
ly this time driven $50 feet away by
he intensity of the heat, got another
glimpse of the factory 1t was com
)letely razed.
Three lnquests On.
Coroner Seymor of Whitney Point
ame to town and arranged for the
inquest this afternoon in the grand
ury room at the county courthouse.
'ire Chief Hoag got word from Dep
ty State Fire Marshal Roesch that
e is coming to Binghamton to repre-
ent State Fire Marshal Whearn and
onduCt a separate investigation. He
wants to know why it took the Bing-
anton fire department 20 minutes to
espond to a fire only half a mile
rom the central station house.
Deputy Factory Inspector Nash,
yho was the last inspector to pass
n the plant Of the Binghamton Cloth
lg company, heard from Albany that
.cting Labor Commissioner Rogers
yill also be here to find out how it
that a building officially in
pected by a state deputy not year
go and unoficially passed on within
he last month, could burn up in a
ingle puff, as it were.
The coroner says that he is going
, place the responsibility some place
it is possible to place it at all He
tarted by issuing scores of subpenas
he first one went to Reed Freeman,
he 66-year-old president of the firm.
Reports were about that large guam
ties of gasoline had been stored on
he first and fourth floors of the fac
1ry. Mr.. Freeman disclaimed this
eport, also one to the effect that
chemical of highly inflam-
liable character had been kept in the
uilding.
Pays Half Million Fine.