BURIED IN BURNING RUINS.

Evening Post, Volume XLII, Issue 128, 26 November 1891, Page 4

BURIED IN BURNING RUINS.

A terriblo disaster, causing tho loss of between 50 and 00 lives, occurred at New York (iv Saturday, 22nd August. From somo cause at present unknown, a tremendous ov-ploßion took place in a houso situated in Park-place The building immediately collapsed, burying a large number of persons in the debris, which was quickly on fire. Many harrowing scones were witnessed. In tho debrin of tho building, pinioned by heavy balks of timber, was soen tho body of a woman, which was slowly consumed by tho flames, and from other parts there protruded what sooined to be tho logs and arms of those buried in the ruins. From tlio moment when tho building collapsed the air was continually filled with the screams and shrieks of those caught by tho falling boam.-t and masonry, and unable to oxtriouto themselves from thoir torriblo position. The wrookod buildings wore occupied by John Klberte as a printing establishment, and tho ground floor was used as tho Hudson Restaurant, and at tho time of the explosion the place was filled with men. Sovoral women omployod in tho printing office wero seen to jump from the third story windows just after tho explosion, but a number of the employe's are still missing. Sixteen persons wore eating in the restaurant, and there were ten waiters, several cooks, and other employe's on tho ground floor. One of tho survivors, named John Woihoft, statod to a reporter — " Four of us orawled fmm under the bricks and stones, but I did not see any others. It appeared to mo that tho explosion came from the printing establishment Tip stairs." Louis Follornion, ohiof cook in the restaurant, who escaped sorious injury, Baid— " I waß at work when tho crash cume, and I believe it was the boiler that exploded, because the room was filled with hot steam. I was scalded myself, and those who wore loft behind must havo mot an awful death, for they were either killed by the hot water or the fire which broke out immediately. Escape by tho stairway to the street was out off by timbers and pieces of wall falling upon the stops. Many persons must have boon killed outright or injured badly. For some time I could not move, bnt managed to make my way out by a window in the rear through the fire and smoko." George Vaiin, in the 1 rinting office, stated that ho was washing hu hands at the sink, and Mr. Conger, foreman of tho establishment, was talking to the book-keeper near the front of tho room when tho explosion occurred. Several presamen were at the same moment in the rear of the room taking a rollor out of a press, when suddenly there was a loud orash, and tho floor began to givo way and the walls to oavo in. The next I knew," said Vann, " was that our floor was levol with the side walk, and that tho other floors foil into the oellar and basement. Fortunately some of tho beamß protected mo from being crushed by wrookage, and althongh scalded by escaping steam I did not lose my senses, bnt looked about for a means of escape. I soon found a hole through tho debris, and although it was very small, I managed to squeeze through. It was a fight for life, but I found my way out, while many on all sides were crying for help, and I could hear tho groans and screams of men and women. An artist named Frederick Brown said ;-— " I was at work on tho second tloor when I heard a rumbling and hissing in tho roar of tho building. Instantly, almost, tho front wall gavo way and fell into tho street. About a dozen men were in our room, and we all made a rush for the hall leading to tho entrance, but fonnd our esoapo out off by beams and brioks. The whole place was full of steam, and a thick, pungent smoke nearly strangled us. There woro some thirty girls in a type foundry at the top of the building, and how thoy escaped Ido not know. About a dozen of them wore on _ tbo fire escapes with us, bnt tho romaindor must have been lost. The most exciting incident during the work of resoue was the finding of a little girl alive many foot beneath the debris. A fireman named Edward Mulligan, while picking up and throwing into the street tho hot brioks and tho half-burnt timbers, heard a faint ory. Calling to his companions, ho told them that he thought there was someono alivo underneath, and an attaok was mado upon tho wrookago by a dozen men. Finally a small black hole was exposed, lending to what appeared to be a oellar. In a few minutes tho firomon camo to a heavy iron shutter . held up by two beams, which had provented the shower of brioks from reaching the ground. A. momont later the little girl was seen, pinned down so tightly that she could not stir, and was only ablo faintly to moan and ory. An ambulanco waa at onoo brought to tho spot, and tho firemen continued thoir exortions to dear away the ruins as quickly as possible. The projecting beams woro lifted, and the child was fonnd to be quito sensible, though badly hurt. Her first words informed the firemen that her younger sister was somewhore among the ruins. The girl had hardly boen plaood in tho ambulance when a woman rushed out of the crowd soreaming that the rescued girl was her daughter. Five minutes lator tho other little girl was found, but crushed to a shapeless mass. A fireman found a whip, and after digging further into tha aebrh discovered a horse and truck, with the body of the driver mutilated almost boyond recognition. A policeman named Taylor was near tho destroyod buildings whon tho explosion ocourred, and he says that ho ran into tho hallway of the adjoining house, and while standing there hoard through tho wall tho voioes of people shrieking for holp. Ho « ran to a hardwaro shop in the next street, and returned with a dozen axes, which ho handed to as many bystandors, and "with those they began to ohop a way through the partition. They soon had a hole 18in square, when their work was stopped by one of tho viotims forcing his head into the opening. Ho was pulled, through and the hole was out larger to enable 25 injured persons, both men and women, to osoapo. Thoy were all scorahed by the flames and scalded by tho steam. As the crowd was being driven J»aok a face appeared at tho opening, and the policeman and ono or two others ran back and attempted to pull the body out. Ono of the roscuers oanght the man by tho arm and gavo a pull, but the ooat of the victim had been partially burned and the sleeve oamo off in his hand, and tho man fell baok into the flames. As to the oauso of tho disaster, somo attribute it to tho explosion of a boilor in the basement, but other oxplosivo material wad stored in tho building in large quantities for the trades parried on therein— many barrels of turpentine, varnish, benzine, oil, and alcohol. Although some of theso materials wero to be found on ovory floor, the bulk lay in the vaults nndornoath tho side-walk. Tho explosion thoory appears, howovor, to be contradicted by tho fact that the ruins rather indicated a oollapso than nn outburst, which would iave soatterod the debri*. The explanation of the calamity is probably to bo round in the nature of tho processes carried; on in the upper floors. On ono floor were over a score of huge printing presses, weighing fifty tons, and revolving largo fly. wheols outward towards tho street. Each of these would contribute to pnt the structnro in a condition of unstable equilibrium, which some slight extra jar wonld convert iuto the oollapso. But beyond this, the construction had been faulty both in design and execution. The bricks tbatljave boonpioked np are as clean as if no mortar had been near them. Nothing so bad has been soen TS? Bo j! <lflnf >«>ck> tho noted jorrry builder of New York, w»s convicted of causing tho death of several people by a very similar accident to the prosont one. Moreover there wero no divisional walls in the entire block. Above the ground tho partitions and pillars wero of wood only.

In tho beginning a man thinks hois unworthy of the lovod one ; later, he flatters himself, she made a good ohoico j finally, he wonders why ho did not ohooso somebody more worthy of him. . > .