Fire! Multi-Cache
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Part 1 of this cache is located in Spring Forest Cemetery. You can drive to within 40 yards of the monument you seek. You can also drive right up to Part 2 but beware of muggles here.
BRING A PEN.
Nearly one hundred years ago The Binghamton Clothing Company prospered in Binghamton. More commonly known as "The Overall Factory", it was one of the city's principal employers of Irish immigrant girls. They were seamstresses and laborers in a poorly ventilated factory at a time when hoop skirts and dresses were the fashion. Many of the girls would change into overalls during the workday and were reluctant to be seen by the gentlemen outside of this building in such apparel. That would have been scandalous in that time.
July 22, 1913 started like any other workday; at the 7:00 morning whistle. It was a hot summer day and, by noon, the only escape from the confines of the red brick building was the rooftop. Rather than be seen in work clothes on the streets, the ladies would routinely dine atop the factory in the hopes of catching a breeze while enjoying the view of the Chenango River.
By 2:35 pm a fire was detected under the stairs on the first floor. One can only imagine the chaos that followed. The fire spread quickly and people ran for the exit. Women were trapped on the roof as the only way off was through a scuttle hole down to the third floor. Many jumped to avoid the flames while others perished inside. In a matter of about fifteen minutes, twenty-one people perished in the fire. Another, Ella White, died of her injuries in the hospital days later.
By all accounts, two workers in particular remained calm and assisted others in getting out safely before they would leave themselves. Neither made it out alive.
The hero and heroine were Sidney Dimmock and Nellie Theresa Connor.
Nineteen workers were missing and no one ever found out who the other two victims were. Though at least two of those recovered were buried in family cemeteries, the names of those that perished were put on a monument in Spring Forest Cemetery and the remains buried in a circle around this stone.
To get the coordinates for Part 2, you must substitute the numerical information taken from the plaque for the letters in the following manner:
N 42 AB.ACD - W 75 EF.DCD
A= The number of MEN whose names appear on the plaque.
B= The number of letters in Ida's LAST name.
C= Number of girls named SARAH.
D= The number of letters in Miss Crowe's FIRST name.
E= The number of letters in Stella's LAST name.
F= The number of letters in Miss Button's FIRST name.
These coordinates will bring you to Part 2 of this cache. This is the location where the Binghamton Clothing Factory once stood. There is a 35mm film can here containing a log to sign.
You may find more information on this event in the book "FIRE!" by Marcia Wade Reed Stevens and Malcolm Peter Stevens. It is available at Roberson Museum gift shop on Front Street in Binghamton, NY.
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Treasures
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