Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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FEARFUL HOLACAUST IN NEW YORK CITY GIRLS CRUSHED AND BURNED IN GREAT FIRE. Shirt Waist Factory Scene of City's Greatest Disaster Since Burning of Steamer Slocuni. New York, March 25.-One hundred and forty-eight persons-nine-tenths of them girls from the East Side were crushed to death on the pave Ynents, smothered by smoke or shrivel led crisp this afternoon in the worst fire New York has known since the steamer General Slocum was burned off North Brothers' Island, in 1904. One hundred and forty-one bodies had been removed from the ruins at midnight, and seven of the forty in jured had died in hospitals. This it is believed completes the list of dead. Grief-stricken relatives besieged the morgues as the bodies were laid out. Nearly all, if not all, of the vic tims were employed by the Triangle Waist company, on the eighth, ninth and tenth floors of a ten-story loft building, at No. 23 Washington Place, on the western fringe of the down town wholesale clothing, fur and mil linery district. The partners of the firm, Isaac Har ris and Mac Blanck, escaped from the office on the tenth floor, carrying with them over an adjoining roof Blanck's two young daughters and a governess. There was not an outside fire escape on the building. Fire's Origin Unknown. How the fire startea will perhaps never be known. A corner on the eighth floor was its point of origin and the three upper floors only were swept. On the ninth floor; fifty bod Ies were found; sixty-three or more were crushed to death by jumping, and more than thirty clagged the ele vator shafts. The loss to property will-not exceed $100,000. Pedestrains going home, through Washington Place to Washington Square, at 10 minutes to 5, were scat tered by the whiz of something rush ing through *he air before them; there was a horrible thud on the pave mnent and a body flattened on the flags. Wayfarers on the opposite side of the street shaded their eyes against the setting sun and saw the windows of the three upper floors of the build ing black with girls crowding to the sills. There were no fire escapes. No Oter Alternative. 'Don't jump; don't jump!" yelled the crowd, but the girls had no alter Dative. The pressure of the madden ed hundreds behind them and the urg ing of their own fears were too strong. They began to fall to the sidewalk, in a terrible rain of flesh and blood. Four alarms were rung within 15 minutes. Before the engines could r e spond, before the nets could be stretch ed or the ladders raised, five girls had fallen from the eighth ane mnnth floors so heavily that they broke through the1 glass and Iron roofs of the sub-cel lars and crashed through the veryj streets into the vaults below. In an houar the fire was out; in half an hour it had done its worst. Probably the death ist was full in 20 minutes. Extra Useless. The building stands on a corner, with exposure on two sides, but the only fire escape was in the rear, op-I ening into a light and air shart. In all, there were seven exits-the single fire escape, two freight elevators, at the rear; two passenger elevators, in front, and two stairways. All of them: proved almost useless and practically :all who escaped either cliimbed to the roof and scrambled thence to the roof -of the building occupied by the Ameri -can Book company, or fled in the first; Tush for safety before the crush and dthe smoke grew too thick. 'The buildings stand tonight with shell intact and barety scarred-rath-' er only smudged. The tiling between the floors are sound, and it is impossible for onc, 'who did not see it, to imagine how the flames in so short a time could have: caused such havoc. 'Seven hundred persons were em -ployed by the shirt waist company. They sat in row at their whirring mnachines, the tables before them pi1 -od with fimsy cloth, the floor littered 'with lint, the air itself full of flying Einfianunable dust. Died in their Seais. The first rush of flame was almnst an explosion. Operators died in their chairs, their lungs seared by inhal ing flame. Others were crowded into: the elevator shafts. after the cars had. made the'ir last trip. Still others were pushed off the inadequate interior fire escape. In such a horrible stream did the bodas overflow from the windows. that the fire nets, stretched by the first company to arrive, were soon gorged beyond capacity. Twelve bod les dropped into one net, tearing it to pieces, then fell to the pavement. When the first breath of flame curled over the edge of a pile of shirting, on the eighth floor, five minutes before quitting time, hundreds were in line before the cashier's window. In the office buildings across Wash ington Place, scores of men, detained beyond office hours, worked at their desks. One of them saw a girl rush to a window and throw up the sash. Behind her danced a seething curtain of yellow flame. She climbed to the sill, stood in bl'k outline against the light, hesitF.ring; then with a last touch of futile thrift, slipped her chat elaine bag over her wrist and jumped. Her body went whirling downward, through the woven wire glass of a canopy, to the flagging below. Her sisters who followed, flamed through the air like rockets. Their path could be followed, but their screams hardly heard. Many Feet to Ground. It was 85 feet from the eighth floor to the ground, about 95 feet from the ninth floor, 115 feet from the cornice of the roof. The upward rush of the draught and the crackle of the flames drowned their cries. Six girls fought their way to a win dow on the ninth floor, over tne bodies of fallen fellow workers, and crawled out in single file on an eight-inch stone ledge running the length of the building. More than a hundred feet below the sidewalk they crawled along their perilous pathway to an electric-feed wire spanning Washing ton place. The lea(ers paused for their companions to catch up and the six grabbed the wire simultaneously. It snapped and they crashed down to death. Hung by Finger Tips. A 17-year-old girl hung for three minutes by her finger tips to the sill of a tenth floor window. A tongue of flame licked at her fingers and she dropped into a life-net, held by fire men. Two women fell into the net at almost the same moment. The strings parted and the th'ree were added to the death list. One girl threw her pocketbook, then her hat, then her furs from the tenth story window. A moment later her body came hurling after them, to death. At a ninth floor window a man and a woman appeared. The man em braced the woman afd kissed her. Then he 'hurled her to the street and jumped. Both were killed. Five girls smashed a pane of glass, dropped in a struggling tangle and were crushed into a shapeless mass. A girl on the eighth floor leaped for a fireman's lad der, which reached only to the sixth floor. She missed, struck the edge of a life-net and was picked up with her back bi-okeni. Five From One Window. From one window a girl of about 13 years, a woman, ai man and two wo men, with their arms about one an other, threw themselves '::o the ground in rapid succession. The little gi.rl was whirled to the New York hospital. She-screamed 'as the dtiver and a po liceman lifted her into the hallway. A Eurgeon camne out, gave one look at her -faoe and touch-aa .ber wrist. "She is dead,"- he said. One girl Jumped into a horse blank et, held by firemen and policemen. The blanket ripped slike cheesecloth and her 'body was mangled almost beyond recognition. Another eropped into a tarpaulin, held by dhree men. Her weight tore it from their grasp and she struck the street, breaking almost every bone in her body. Almost at bhe same time a man somersaultedi lown upon the shoulder of a police nan holding the tarpaulin. He glanc ad off, struck the sidewalk and was picked up dead. Effort to Check Stampede. Within the building a man on the sighth floor stationed himself at the loor of one of the elevators and with a. club kept 'back the girls, who had stampeded to the wire cage. Thi-rty were admitted to the car at a time. They were rushed aown as fast as possible. The calls for amburances were fol lowed by successive appeals for po lice, until 100 patrolmen arrived to cope with a crowd numbering tens of thousands. A hundred mounted po licemen had to charge the crowd re peatedly to keep it back. Led by Fire Chief Croker, a squad of firemen gained access to the build ing at 7 o'clock. Two searchlights from buildings opposite lighted the way of the firemen. r-ity roast.a bodies were found on the ninth floor. They lay in every possible position, some so mangled that recognition was impossible. Charred Bodies Removed. Women with their hair burned away, with here and there a limb burn ed entirely off and the charred stumj: visible, were lifted tenderly from thi. debris, wrapped in oicloth and low ered by pulleys to the street. Across the street there rested on the sideCwalk a hundred pine coffins into which were placed the bodies As fast as this was done, the corfins wore carried away in any kind of vehicle that could be pressed into ser vice, to the morgue, at Bellevue hos pital, and the Charities morgue, open ed for the first time since the Gener al Slocum disaster. One hundred and six bodies had been taken from the building and twenty injured had been conveyed to ! St. Vincent's hospital, at 10 o'clock. 191 Of these three died soon after admit- 1,1 tance. Others were not expected to f) live through the night. Three of five f9t women taken to Bellevue hospital died soon after admitted there. - - - Many Rescued by Students. On the tenth floor or tue building adjoining the burned str",cture, is the 19 law department of the New York Uni versity. Here twenty odd students were listening to a lecture by Frank H. Sommer, former sheriff of Essex county. He saw the smoke and saw the girls trapped on the roof. He led his class to the roof of the University " quarters, where they found two lad ders. Two boys bore these down two flights of the roof of an intervening 1 building, swarmed out of the windows 9 and raised them to the, roof of the 19 burning building. Forty girls were 1 brought down to safety. One man slid down the elevator rope ten stories to satety. Just how many trips were made by the elevator men will perhaps never be ascertained. The various reports of heroism at the elevators differ. City officials annouiced tonight that the usual rigid regulations which fol lows such disasters will be instituted I at once. - "Due to Neglect." "The calamity is just what I have been predicting," said one. "There "'" was no outside fire escapes on the I building. This large death toll is due . to neglect." The police say that today's fire is the sixth or seventh in the building , within twelve months, all of which they say occurred in the shirt waist factory. The others were trifling. The factory, incidentally, is said to be the first in which operators struck during the wid-spread shirt waist strike sev eral months ago. By today's fire the total shirt waist operators who have perished in New York is raised to nearly 200. Not many weeks ago 25 girls met death under somewhat similar circumstanc es in Newark, N. J. COCA COLA DEFEN~SE Large Crowds Attend Hearing at Chat tanooga in Federal Court-Em inent Chemists Testify. Chattanooga, Tenn., March 23.-All who could crowd into the Federal court room in the customs house to day listened, with deep interest to the testimony offered by the defense in the coca cola case, which the United States 'government is making an ef fort to prove that the drink, coca cola, is injurious to the public health, and that it is not properly labeled. Dr. John Wei. MaHlett, professor of chemistry in the Univer-jity of Vir-. ginia,. filed a Cihart showing the rela tive amounts of cafreine contained, in a cup of tea, a cu-p of coffee and a glass of coca cola as sotd at soda fountains. He said he 'bad analyzed several cups 'of tea and found it to contain 1.54 grains of caffeine to the cu-p. In coffee 'he said the caffeine av eraged 1.74 grains and that coca cola contained 1.21 grains to the glass. He claimed that he had analyzed the mys-I terious "Merchandise No. 5," the prin cipal ingredient of coca cola and found that it contained coca leaves, alcohol, kola nut, wine tannin and caffeine. He undertook to say that he could distinguish tannin made from Icola leaves from that made of tea, andi other -leaves. On cross examination,t Dr. Mallet admnitted Vhat there was mare tannin in tea leaves than in cola leaves. He said caffeine used in bev erages in moderate amounts was not harmful to the human system but ad mitted that the drug used to excess in such drinks wo'ild have a deleter ious effect. He expressed the opinion that caffeine is not a habit forming drug. Charles E. Caspare, chemist of St. Louis, said he had anaiyzed coffee; served in the various restaurants of Chattanooga, having samples from ten of these places. He said that it contained an aver age of 1.87 grains of caffeine to the cup. He had examined the plant of the coca cola company in Atlanta, *where the syrup is manufactured and: considered it in sanitary condition. Dr. Vaughn, who qualified as a' chemist and toxicologist, said that' coffee was used in the2 army and in. the hospitals of the United States and he did not think caffeine as used in coffee was harmful. He did not think that coca cola taken in moderation was harmful to the human system, a 1 though he said that excessive use of. caffeine would be deleterious. It would' depend, Lie said, on the amount taken and the nianner in whir-h it w:a used. EASTER EVERYTI EASTER N( I have everything it to please the little fo: children and let them Easter F We have many No please the older folks, a look over my stock. Cads are beauties. Mayes' Bo THE HOUISE OF A T Millinery AWAiE! SPRIN Ir Prepare for the Rush that is St Be one of the first< Get the pick and ch' ness reigns, styles superlative and se14 mninute at. Blpek's I Wednesday and Thurn PROSPERI After il A Dress, a Pai for the Ladies, Gi They must have Laco Fancy Collars ai We have a better line thing to suit any taste Men and Boys Clothir Men and boys must Shirts, Ties, Collars, Slippers. We can f the purse. It will pa: N.OSLEBRM G0@S GOODS [ING IN )VELTIES i Easter Novelties lks. Bringall the see the tabbits velties which will " Come and take My Easter Post ok Store HOUSAND THINGS Opening. CAWNG YOU!. Early Spring re to Come. ~nes in the field. site while new clusive, quality Willinery Opening . day, March 29-311 K &.SON [TY, S. C. 1e Hat r of Slippers rirs and Babies is, Embroideries, I Hlair Go0ds. than ever-every and summer styles. ig and Furnishings have Suits, Hats, Extra Pants and it the person and y you to see us. ITY. S4. C Vbind! ,tions * GI' is a very important one, and you should give it your be*t attention, it should be neat, and above all, sanitary. We use the best make of fixtures and our work is guar anteed. H. B. WELLS, 1113 Friend St. Telephone-Office, No. 345 Res. 7 Good News "I write to tell you the good news that Cardui has helped me so much and I think it is just worth its weight in gold," writes Mrs. Maryan Mar. shall, of Woodstock,, Ga. "I do hope and trust that ladies who are suffer ing as I did, will take Cardui, for it has been a God's blessing to me, and will certainly help every lady who is suffering. akCARDUI The.Woman's Tonic No matter If you suffei: from headache, backache pains in arms, shouldeis and legs, dragging-down feelings, etc., or if you feel tired, weary, worn out and generally miser. able-Cardaiwillhelp you-. It has helped thousands of other weak, sick ladies and if you will only give it atrial,.you will be thankful.ever after. MONEY often puts opportunity within4 your each. A chance for a good Invest ment comes sooner or later and if you have the money the pro fit is yours; if not, the other fel- r low gets It. Open an account . with this~ bank and save systematically, you will then have the READY 6 MONEY when opportunity comes your way.. We offer you ABSOLUTE SAFETY for your savlngs, and will allow interest credited quar terly. BANK OF POMARIA, Z. T. PINNER, V. L SMITH, President. Cashier. R. H. HIP?, Vice-President DON'T DELAY LONGER >in wprovidinganour homte wth a goo proniised yonr famil an instrument atnnothn is so inspiring and cut anies etertainment for chilen. th year of uninterrupted succe..s here, hencp wetare better prepared thar eV Writ us AT ONCE for c-atalogs and for our easy payment plan and prices. M ALON E'S MUSIC IIOUSB, 'COLUM8IA, S. C. ~