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Show WOfiEN CffUGHT IN THE f LANES Cry of Fire - Causes. Panic, and They Rush to the Fire-Escape, Only to Be Pushed Off. CHICAGO, May 1. Twenty - women were injured in a fire that broke out today to-day in the building at 2-5 Wabash avenue. The first floor was occupied by the Story and Clark Piano company and the three upper floors by the Lotus Lunch club, patronized exclusively by women. When the flames were discovered 2'"0 women, including the employees, were in the place, and at the first cry of fire panic ensued. A number of women leaped from the windows of the second and third stories. Bj fsr the greater number, however, rushed to the fire escapes. es-capes. These were filled in a few seconds sec-onds with a struggling mass of women, making desperate efforts to climb down. Several of them lost their holds and fell to the street, and others were pushed off. The flames started in the basement and ran up an elevator shaft with terrific ter-rific speed, cutting off several women in the front part of the building. Two-thirds Two-thirds of these, despite the warnings of the spectators, leaped to the ground. The others who remained were taken out by the- firemen without being injured. in-jured. It is not believed that any of the women will die from thsir injuries, although this cannot be definitely established es-tablished until after reports have been received from the hospitals to which thev were taken. . Mrs. Cecelia Malaney, one of the proprietors pro-prietors of the lunchroom, was rescued nv a fireman from one of the rear windows. win-dows. Mrs. Malaney declared that at least one employee, Mies Mary Stude-mever. Stude-mever. and several patrons of the place had lost their lives either by suffocation, suffoca-tion, by smoke or in the flames. The firemen could find no bodies in the building to substantiate the story of Mrs. Malanej-. |