LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Bing-
hamton factory fire on July 22, 2013

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
significant events that represent turning points in our distinctive
history, and which are indelibly etched in the saga of our great Nation;
and
WHEREAS, It is also the practice of this Legislative Body to call
attention to those historic events in the saga of this Empire State that
serve as lasting reminders of our unique past; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concerns, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is moved to commemorate the
100th Anniversary of the Binghamton factory fire; and
WHEREAS, The Binghamton factory fire occurred on Tuesday, July 22,
1913, on the premises of the Binghamton Clothing Company, which was
located in a four-story former cigar factory on Wall Street in Bingham-
ton, New York; and
WHEREAS, On that fateful afternoon, 31 of the more than 100 employees
inside the factory, mostly young women, were killed in the blaze, which
is believed to have been started when a carelessly tossed cigarette
landed on a pile of highly flammable plush material on the factory's
first floor; and
WHEREAS, Because the day was unusually hot, the windows and doors of
the factory were wide open; the resulting ventilation and high winds
turned the fire into a conflagration as the stairways in the building
became chimneys for the smoke and flames, and the Wall Street building
was destroyed in less than 20 minutes; and
WHEREAS, Several individuals made heroic attempts to save the lives of
workers trapped in the factory, including employee Nellie Connor, who
hurried others out of the building before she succumbed to the flames;
16-year company foreman, Sidney Dimmock, who reputedly carried two women
to safety and perished when he returned to rescue others; and Reed Free-
man, owner of the company, who attempted to douse the flames with buck-
ets of water and then raised the alarm, escaping along with his wife and
many of the workers; and
WHEREAS, At the time of the Binghamton factory fire, the nearest fire
company was busy on another call; by the time the Binghamton Fire
Department arrived, the heat from the fire was too intense to attempt
rescue and the firefighters were kept busy trying to save other struc-
tures nearby; and
WHEREAS, A memorial to the victims of the Binghamton factory fire is
located in Spring Forest Cemetery, and a memorial plaque on Wall Street
marks the location of this tragic event; and
WHEREAS, The 1913 Binghamton factory fire, which took place just two
years after the tragically infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in
New York City that claimed 146 lives, and the State Capitol Fire which
destroyed much of the building and countless records, artifacts and
relics of our state's history, further spurred New York to strengthen
labor and safety laws and further reforms in fire prevention; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when events of
such historic significance are brought to our attention, they should be
recognized by all citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Binghamton factory fire.