The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-07-23
ONLY Al OF 125 KNOWN
TO HAVE ESCAPED
Four-Story Factory Build
ing Wiped Out in an In
/ credibly Short Time, With
a Loss Estimated to Be
/ Over 100000

Binghamton, \. Y, July 23.-At day.
break to-day big crowd of city en-
ployes began search for the dead among
the smouldering ruins of the overall fac
tory of the Binghamton Clothing Co.,
which was burned yesterday afternoon.
Not until the tangled mass of brick and
steel has been removed will the full ex-
tent of the calamity be known. con-
servative estimate places the number Of
dead at over fifty.
About 1875 employees, mostly females.
were trapped within the walls of the
building, of whom fortyone are known
TO have escaped. Sixteen unidentified
bodies were recovered last night. The
loss on the building and stock is esti-
mated at more than 100000.
The heavy loss of life was probably
due to the fact that the employees
thought one of the frequent fire drills
was being held and were slow to leave
the building Even when it became
returned to the dressing rooms on the
upper HoOT IoT tHeiI clotHihS anu fai-
uables.
The building was equipped with fire
escapes and an automatic alarm system
The alarm tinl>led at 2:30 o'clock. Mrs
Reed b. Freeland. wife of the proprietor,
telephoned to the central fire station
The usual apparatus for still alarm
responded. Some excited person at War
rem and Cheango streets, four blocks
away, saw burst of fame and pulled
the box There. The rest of the com
panes ran to the false alarm.
That meant ten minutes of delay for
part of the firemen. But even those who
arrived first were unable to do any
thing The first puff of flame was hard
" discerned before the fire leaped along
the staircases, up the walls. and cell
ing. There was a roar. front and rear,
and the flames belched forth clear across
Wall street, on which the building
fronted, withering the shade trees on the
river bank and scorching the building
across an alley at the rear.
Flames Spread at Once.
There was no booming as of an ex-
plosion, but the roar was plainly audi
BILE above the rushing noise made by
the mounting flames.
After this fierce blast the fire seemed
to burst from every part of the build
ing at once. Upon the fire escapes, girls,
women and men, were clustered and in
side others were waiting to get on to
the iron ladders. But the flames were
too quick for them. The slow starting
of the fire drill may have contributed to
the holocaust The delay in getting all
the firemen to the scene may have been
responsible for part of the loss of life.
But persons who were early on the
scene. say these things did not materially
affect the result.
When the firemen came in response
to telephone alarm they were unable to
get within 200 feet of the burning build
ing and the ends of the streams from
their hose were turned into steam, hav-
ing no more effect upon the fire than a
spray of vapor upon the walls of
volcano in action. The life nets and
the extension ladders of the fremen
were useless.
Scarcely one of the survivors was able
to give a connected account of what oc.
Cured on the upper floor of the factory
when the employees there, mostly women
and girls, realized that the fire call was
no false alarm and that death was
sweeping down upon them. The cool
est among them recalled that women
tainted by dozens and that a scene of
indescribable confusion occurred. Some
of the men employees seem to have kept
their heads and did their best to rescue
the imperilled won IN.
The fire escapes were not big enough
to hold all who rushed madly to the
exits and there was a rush for the win
dows, the women screaming with pain
as the flames swept upon them from be-
hind and scared their bodies.
Then from windows and fire escapes
bodies began dropping. They fell thick
and fast. The building was but four
stories high and many VINO jumped even
from the topmost floor. escaped with
their lives. although most of them were
badly MANNED. 1t was on the fourth
floor that most of the women opera
tors were working and it was among
these that the loss of life and injury
was greatest.
One of the Owners Talks.
Some salient features of the catastro-
phe were brought out in a statement by
Reed B. Freeman. president of the COM
pany which operated the burned factory.
Il was in the Offices when Mrs. Free