Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-09-19

first shock he ran to a window to get Our
and was blown a distance Of thirty feet
His daughter is, we believe, among the
killed.
Paymaster BoswOrth was also present
engaged in paying off the hands, but he
is equally ignorant of the cause of th(
catastrophe. he was good deal stunned
LUt escaped without serious injury.
Mr.. GRARYs STATEMENT.
Mr.. Geary, foreman of rooms No. 13 and
IA, states that at the time of the first ex.
plosion he was standing on the porch in
| front of the engine room. He heard the
cries of the girls, and Immediately pro-
ceeded to remain building. On his way
he met several of those employed in his
rooms who were unhurt, but who kept W
a continual shrieking, and could not in
form him what was the matter. Hurrying
on he met a girl enveloped in flames
whom, with the assistance of another man
he attempted to carry away from the build
ing, but as they were passing the engine
room, the roof Of that building was thrown
off and partially fell on them, and they
| W nCLC CONl lpcllEu W lOI5dht LAG Gu BAA 4
to save their own lives. By this time the
main building was enveloped in flames, a
second and third explosion having taken
place.
Mr.. aeary states that there were about
one hundred and forty-fve persons engag-
ed in the building, of which about one hun
dred and thirty were girls, employed as
pinehers and bundlers; some twenty boys
were engaged as chargers and in making
cap cylinders. Mr.. Geary also states that
those in his immediate employ, in rooms
No. Is and IA, all escaped, and that all the
sufferers from the dire calamity were en-
ployed in the southern part of the building,
After the second explosion, the flames
burst forth from every part Of the ruins
and it was impossible to render any assis-
tance to the unfortunate women within.
INCIDENTS,
Those who were not seriously injured
were hurried off to the city to relieve the
fears of their parents, while those who
received dangerous wounds from the balls
and other missils thrown about by the ex-
plosions, were taken to the neighboring
houses for medical treatment Two of the
unfortunates, one named Mary DUNCAN,
whose parents reside opposite the Fair
Grounds, in the Ninth ward, and Mary
DonneIly, who resided with her parents in
Pine street Fifth ward, were carried un-
derneath tree, and prompt medical aid
furnished them A physician whose name
we did not learn, finding there was no
hope for the recovery Of Miss DUNCAN, at
her request, made an eloquent and touch
ing prayer in her behalf, in which he was
joined by hundreds around him. The
poor girl survived her injuries but one
hour. Miss Donnelly had the consultations
of religion administered to her by the
priest in attendance,and when we left she
was about dying. Both Of these girls sUf-
fered intensely.
At the lower end of the grounds is sit
uated very lengthy building, in which
some three hundred girls were employed.
On hearing the first explosion, the girls
rushed frantically for the doors, and it
was with difficulty the foreman could keep
them in the building. When the second
explosion occurred, the girls became so ter
rifed that they could not be restrained, and
they rushed to the windows, broke them
open and precipitated themselves to the
RAbuLus u h4btdAIC VI oOL1C lnlA " AGUIs-
They ran around the geounds shrieking,
some of them bleeding from wounds OBJ
tanned in jumping through the windOws,
and the sight they exhibited was enough
to strike terror in any one. Some of them
ran in the direction of their homes and
did not stop until sheer exhaustion COM
PEELED them to.
The horrors of the scene presented at
this great destruction of life were height
ened by the agonizing screams of relatives
and friends upon discovering the remains
of some loved one whose humble earnings
contributed to their comfort. Again,
others were frantically rushing from one
eharred body to another, looking in vain
for daughter or sister who was eya-
ployed in the Inflated building. There
was not particle of clothing left on a
majority of them, and mansled and dis
Joined as they were it vas utterly impos-
sible to identify them. The very stock
ings we're torn from their feet, rings from
their fingers, and in some instances moth
ing but a keadless trunk remained. Nev-
ertheless, many were identified by their
hair, by a scrap of the dress they wore,
&c. but the greatest number never can be
fully recognized. In the pit Of the stom-
ache of one headless trunk we saw there
was imbedded about dozsa of MIME balls.
That some of the unfcztunate girls were
thrown high IN the air by the explosion,
is evidenced by the fact that on the
branches Of some of the trees around the
building pieces Of dresses were to be seen,
which must have been torn from their
bodies in their descent.
Several Of the steam fire engines from
the city were on the ground as speedily as
possible, and rendered valuable assistance
IN the recovery of the bodies, keeping up
steady streams on the flames, and thus
those engaged to get out the
bodies.