The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-22
Ten Shop Workers, singed By Flames, Leap From Windows of Middle Street Building Several Hurt in Falls and Others Carry Burns.
Three Bremen Narrowly Escape Death When En zine Rushing to Fire Strikes Big Tree on Madi- son Avenue and Over turns.

Ten. persons jumped from
 the, third story window of the
 building occupied by the Ham
 ilton Brass Co, and other con
 cerns, at Middle and Golden
 Hill streets when a small fire broke out today.
 Several were painfully injur-
 ed. Driven from their work rooms by splitting flames that inflicted painful burns, they crowded through the windows and some were hurt.
 Three firemen narrowly es- capped death when No. 4 engine crashed into a big tree near Eagles hall and turned over.
 The fire started in a japanning oven in the A Electric Co. which occu- pies part or the floor space of the Heath Manufacturing Co.'S plant on the second floor. Herbert Tier, who. gave his address as 760 Broad street, was about to start a fire in the baking oven that dries the japanned goods. He struck match. There was a. slight puff of flame which threw burning japan about the room. In-| stantIys clouds of dense chemical smoke Of the burning shelIac and amyI acetate which forms the base of the composition filled the entire from his head to his feet but assist ance was quickly given and by means of burIap bags the flames were ex- tinguisEed before his body was burn ed.
 The A and Heath employes fled Elxxf err1f ez%a
 On the floor above about 30 em- p1oyes of the W. B. Gilbert Metal Pat tern shop were caught like rats in a trap. As they ran down the stair case which was near the burning Japanning room they were forced back was overcome and was dragged up- stairs by his fellow workers. He is believed to be Michael Coba1Iy, 30 years old of 150 Thompson street, who was later injured by Jumping to the roof of T. Hawley 6 Co., which was covered with snow and ice.
 Smoke was pouring into the upper floor of the building and became chok- ing. Ten of the men rah to the rear window and jumped, one after an other, a distance of more than a story and a. half. They obtained egress to a street by means of the T. Hawley & Co.'s new hardware building on Mid ale street. CobaIly was picked up where he had fallen and carried into the Hawley store. Dr. Deery, sum- moned with the emergency ambulance corps, declared that he had suffered a fracture of the right leg, near the an lle. and removed the patient to his home
 An alarm of fire turned in from box No 316, at Golden Hill and Main streets. called Engines I, and g. chemical 1, truck 2.
 When fde first aD zinc 1r or, scene the employees of the Gilbert shop were 1eaning peri1ousIy from the win dows of the third story, prepared to jpump to the street below. Their az ontzed cries for 8 ladder and the be- lief that the fire was spreading rapidly below them caused grave apprehen- sion and repeated shouts from specta- tors not to jump Firemen finally uI1i- eted them and they were induced to crawl back into the smoke-dIed build ing.
 A report that the spring lock on the hallway door leading from the Gilbert shop to A A factory in which the fire originated, was locked, was later investigated by Captain Thorn- as F. Frederick, inspector of combus-. tib1es. He found that the lock work ed, but that the smoke was too dense l for the men to penetrate below to the street
 Damage to the building was slight | and the blaze was soon extinguished with chemicals. It is not believed l that the loss to equipment will be more than nominal
 Many of the men who jumped, suf- l fered painful bruises, and lirnped to l their home before assistance could be rendered by the department. Some were holding their hands and wrists 1 in manner that indicated they had 1 been scorcFed by flame. Their names could not be ascertained by the fire l officials today
 W. B. Gilbert, owner of the pattern l shop, was among the last to seek safe | ty, having seen that all his men were l accounted for When the apparatus | arrived he was among those who were clinging. to the outside of the win dows far above the street. He said | that the smoke was 50 sudden and it's effect upon the lungs so irritating that \ nobody could withstand 1t for more than two minutes after the first on-
 (Continued on sge 2)