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Show FORTY GIRLS DEAD IN FIRE Lot Their Lives Probably When Blnflhamton, N. Y. Factory 1 Burned. 1 ! Ulnghamton, N. V. July 22 Forty girls are believed to have, lost their lives In a fire which destroyed tne Freeman overall factory herb this afternoon. Tho flro sturted at 2:30 o'clock and had completely destroyed tho building build-ing in 20 minutes. Ono hundred and twenty-five girls wero In tho factory when the fire was discovered. The police dec ared that nt least 10 failed to escape Twelve girls were taken to the hospital badly Injured. Thero wero heart rending scenes when several girls clinging to 11 ro escapes es-capes wero swept by sheets of flames or Jumped from tho fnctory windows. Exactly how many wero penned Inside In-side was heard to determine In tho panic. The wr.JIs of tho big balding fell nt 2: CO p. 111. At 3:45 p. m. two bodies were seen lying on Div slon street cut completely In two. Others can be S3en In the' ruins. It Is now thought tho number of lives lost will exceed 40. J.E. Lawrence, bookkeeper of tho company, said that he was working in tho olllce when the first alarm sounded. Tho flames wero under the front stairway. Thero were also a rear stairway and fire escapes at tho south sldo of tho building. Most of the women wero employed In tho machlno operating room on the fourth floor. They mado no attempt to hurry from tho building at first, thinking that tthe alarm was for a fire drill. Messengers rushed through tho building to drive tho women out. Outburst of Fire "Just then" snld Lawrence, "the wholo building burst Into flames. It whs of the ordinary fnctory construction, construc-tion, with timber supports nnd brick walls. Dut It went up like powder a puff and all was over. When tho flames rushed up the front stnlrwov It was awful. "Tho women wero In a panic In an Instant. They rushed to tho flro escapes es-capes and many of them leaped out of tho windows. r "I had 25 names on my pay rolls but somo of tho employees wero gone on vacations. Tho lists nro all Inside the burned factory. I didn't hnvo time to put them away or to close the safo. It Is Impossible for the present pres-ent to call tho roll or get nn rccurato lino on those who nro missing." |