The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-18
One Leaps to Death and Others
Are Trapped in Newark
Button Plant.
WIRE EXPLODES LACQUER
Flames Spread So Fast Vic
tins Are Dead Before Engines
Arrive-Five Injured.

street, Newark, yesterday afternoon.
Nine Of the dead and all Of the injured
were girls employed by the company,
which was engaged on Government con-
tracts.
The building was equipped with fire.
proof stairways and fire escapes which,
under normal conditions, It Is said.
would have enabled the 200 men and
women employees to reach the street in
half minute.
The fire. which began In the lacquer
room at the northern end of the third
floor. ate its way through the building
with such rapidity that eight girls and a
boy who had dashed to a clothing room
at the southern end OF the third floor the
moment the first warning was given
were trapped within arms length Of a
stairway and burned to death before
the first FIRE engines arrived.
Charred Bodies Found.
After the flames had subsidized the
charred bodies were found huddled to-
gether. They were so badly burned
that Identification was extremely Diff
cult. Some Of the victims were recog-
nixed by charred scraps Of clothing
rings or by dental irregularities.
Up to a late hour last night only five
bodies had been Identified. the victims
being Lillian Earl. % North street
Camilla Ball. l742 Hector street; Ada
]. Motler, 10, OF $40 Hunterdon street
Annie Damiyoski. 16. Of IS Boyd street
and Mrs. Leah Burton. rs, OF 1854 Plane
street. all OF Newark.
In the panic that prevailed six Of the
girls on the fourth floor managed to
grope their way through the dense
smoke to the windows on the Morris
street side of the structure and Jumped
to the pavement below. A seventh got
as far as the sill OF the window in the
cloakroom and was about to leap when
a sheet Of flame enveioped her and
sucked her back into the blazing room.
One OF those who jumped. Marie
Seller. II, 81 Jones street. Newark, sus.
tanned a fractured skull and two broken
legs. She died a few minutes after her
arrival at the Newark City Hospital
All the others were carried to the sam.
hospital. They are:
LOTT. LEoNA. II. rs First street. New.
ark; left arm fractured and possible
oMEsIEwICz. ELEANOR. IL. is Liiii,
street. Newark: burned about the arms
right leg and neck and severely cut from
wOLAN0, JULIA. Is. 80 Frankford street
Newark: both legs broken and possible
fracture Of the skull: condition serious.
SCHICK. ROSE. 10, 500 South Nineteenth
street. Newark; left leg and left shoulder
broken.
poLlzER. SUSIE. Is. sa Fifteenth ave.
nue.. Newar x; both legs broken and botf
eyes burned.
Wire Explodes Can of Lacquer.
As near as can be ascertained the fire
began In the lacquer room with the ex
plosion of two gallon can OF lacquer
L.. - 60 pVNt-
can II is believed. came in contact with
sulation had been worn or The police
and fire authorities of Newark are con-
Quoting an investigation to determine
whether or not there was any negll-
gence.
The fire started at $3.50 p. NJ. II
was discovered by Miss Winitred eau
field. 80 Hartford street. Newark, who
was working in a room adjoining the
lacquer room. Looking through an open
door she saw the sputteriny flames from
the electric wire before the actual ex-
plosion occurred.
Miss Caufeld screamed and then ran
out Of the building and home. where she
Historically told her mother there was a
fire in the factory but that she was all
right. Having delivered this message
she dashed back to the fire just as her
companions were leaping from the TOP
floor windows.
Several men at work in the lacquer
room heard Miss Caufeld scream
When they saw the flames they made a
headlong dive for the nearest stairway
shouting Fire" as they ran. Their
cries were the first intLmation that the
workers on the other floors received OF
the trouble. for the explosion was not
loud enough to be heard outside of the
lacquer room.
Spreads with Great Rapidly.
The tongue OF flame from the lacquer
can licked UP the woodwork In the lac
quer room and then spread with the We
locity Of n prairie fire Dense clouds OF
acrid smoke swirled through the factory
obscuring the windows and the fire.
PROCEED stairways at the north and
south ends of the building In this semi.
darkness the workers. more than half OF
them women. dashed about excitedly
their screams appealingly audible to the
handful OF spectators.
The majority OF the men employed In
the plant worked on the first and second
floors and escape for them was com.
paratively easy. Most OF the women
were on the third and fourth floors. In
the carding room on the fourth floor
thirty girls and few men were at work
Some OF them kept their heads. but a
number of them. reverting to habit in
their excitement. made an attempt to &c,
their hats and coats. This was their
undoing, for the few seconds consumed
In reaching the cloakroom might have
enabled them to reach the stairways.
One OF the windows IN the cloakroom
on the fourth floor opened out on a fire
escape. but the workers trapped in the
room were either overcome by the fumes
or were too nearly paralyzed by terror to
make their way to II.
Soldiers ana Sailors Help.
AS the crowd outside Increased sew.
eral unsuccessful but none the less
courageous rescues were attempted.
group OF soldiers and sailors tried to get
up the fire escape to those caught or
the fourth floor. but the flames bursting
from the windows on the lower floor,
had transformed the fire escapes into a
red hot fretwork and made ascent i'm
possible.
Before long all OF Newark's fire fight
ing apparatus was at the scene. but II,
speed was outmatched by the fury OF the
flames, and II arrived too late to be Of
assistance to the trapped workers.
The fire. which resulted in a property
loss estimated at $4,000. Is the wors
that Newark has had in point of lives
lost since November 26. 1910, when thu
four story loft building at PIG to 22(
High street burned to the ground
Twenty-six girls lost their lives in tina
fire.
Mayor Charles p. Dillon OF Newark
went through the burned building. After
the inspection he called Joint meeting
of the City Commissioners and repre-
sentatives of the police. flre. combusti
BILE and health departments to consider
da hY nallcernen and draunen