The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-07-23
Is CI1LS PERISH
IN FACTORY FIRE
Soon Swept by Flames, Many
Jump to DEATH
"PUFF' AND ALL WAS OVER

Fifty Injured Were Rushed to Hos
pitaI After Binehamton Holocaust
and Many Will Die.
Binghamton, n v, July pa wisp
OF smoke and squirt of flame swept
up the stairway leading to the second
floor of a four-story brick building at
II Wall street and twenty minutes
later twenty-five lives had been lost
and fifty persons had been injured,
many of whom will not recover.
The building was the factory of the
Binghamton Clothing company, for
merly the Freeman Overall company,
employing 125 girls.
There were heartrending scenes
when several girls clinging to fire es-
capes were swept by sheets of flame
or jumped from the factory windows.
Exactly how many were penned In
panic.
E. J. Lawrence, bookkeeper of the
company, said that he was working
in the office when the first alarm was
sounded The flames were under the
front stairway. There was also rear
stairway and fire escapes at the south
side of the building.
Most of the women were employees
in the machine operating room on the
fourth floor. They made no attempt to
hurry from the building at first, think
ing the alarm was fire drill Messen-
gers were rushed through the building
to drive the women out.
Just then" said Lawrence, "the
whole building burst into flames. 1t
was of the ordinary factory construc-
ton. with timber supports and brick
walls But it went up like POWDER
puff and all was over When the flames
rushed up the front stairway 1t was
awful.
The women were in a panic in an
instant They rushed to the IRE es-
capes and many of them leaped from
the windows.
81 had 1875 names on my pay rolls,
but some of the employees were gone
on vacation The lists are all inside
the burned factory. l didn't have time
to put them away or close the safe. 1t
is impossible for the present to call
the roll or get an accurate line on
those who are missing"
Most of the injured, including those
who had been overcome with smoke or
fright, were carried into the Knicker-
booker garage, a few hundred feet
away Here all the available phyeis
clans in the city were gathered
The injured girls were wrapped In
blankets, given first aid and were then
rushed to the city hospitals as rapidly
as possible.
Meanwhile the firemen had been
striving to stop the advance OF the
flames. Their efforts were gradually
successful, but every building on the
west side OF Water street, between
Spice alley and Henry street, was more
or less damaged.
During the fire two explosions &C.
Cured. Pieces of iron and brick were
blown through the windows Of the Au-
tomato Music company's factory near
by.
Twelve girls were rushed to the
hospital within half an hour after the
fire started. They were nearly all so
badly burned that identification was
impossible.
Ruth Prouty. aged seventeen years,
whose back Is broken, was the only
one of the twelve who was conscious.
The physicians said that she will die.
She jumped from a fourth-story win
dow a few minutes after the fire had
broken out. Two sisters of Miss Prou-
ty, who were also employed in the fac
tory, failed to escape.
AS the front of the building fell in
a human body was plucked from the
stairway by a daring fireman and
brought out to Wall street. He laid his
burden upon the ground and covered
It with a blanket. It was the body OF
q girl and was burned beyond recog-
milton.
The fire spread to the postoface. the
rear Of which was burned OF. and to
the buildings of the McKaller Drug
company, Simon O'Neill, the Bingham
ton Motor Car company garage and
Christ church. The property loss will
he between 800 600 and 5000. 900.