NEW YORK FACTORY FIRE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13170, 2 September 1913, Page 9

NEW YORK FACTORY FIRE.

FORTY WORKING GIRLS PERISH IN FLAMES.

BINGHAMTON (N.Y.), July 22. Forty girls are believed to have lost their lives m a fire w'liich destroyed tlie I. Freeman overall factory here this afternoon.

The fire started at 2.30 o'clock, and had completety destroyed the building m twenty minutes. One hundred and twenty -five girls were m the factory when the fire was discovered. The police declare tliat at least forty failed to escape.

Twelve girls were taken to the hospital badly injured. There were heartrending scenes when several girls clinging to fire escapes were swept by sheets of flames or jumped from the factory windows. Exactly how many were penned inside was unknown.

At 3.45 two bodies were seen lyin*-; on Division street completely cut m two. Others can be seen m the ruins. It is now thought that the number ol' lives lost will exceed forty.

E. J. Lawrence, bookkeeper of tho company, said that he was working m the office when the first alarm sounded. The flames were under the front stairway. There was also a Tear stairway and fire escapes at the south side of the building. Tlie walls of the big building- fell at 2.50 p.m.

Most of the women were employed m the machine operating room on the fourth floor. They made no attempt to hurry from the building at first, thinking- that the alarm was for a fire drill. Messengers rushed through "the building to drive the women out.

"Just then," said Lawrence, "the whole building burst into flames. It was of the ordinary construction, with timber supports and brick walls. But it went up like powder — a puff and all was over. When the flames rushed up the front stairway it was awful.

"The women were m a panic m an instant. They rushed to the fire escapes, and many of them leaped out of the windows.

"I have 125 names on my pay-rolls, but some of the employees were on vacation. The lists are all inside the burned factory. I did not have time to put them away or to close the safe. It is impossible for the present to call "the roll or get an accurate line on those who arc missing."