Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-08-31
JERSEY CITY'S HORROR.
Terrific Explosion and Loss Of Life.
From the New York Sun

The explosion and fire at Montgom-
cry and Washington streets, Jersey
City, soon after midnight on Sunday,
was unhappily attended with serious
loss Of life. Three bodies were taken
out of the ruins yesterday, and the
search for the missing proprietors, who
are supposed either to have fled or to
have persisted in the flames, has not
yet been abandoned.
The explosion occurred at 1915 A. NJ.
precisely. Mr.. Van Volkenburg,
gate-tender at the Jersey City ferry
house, says that at this moment he$was
closing his gate, looking up toward
Montgomery street. The night was
very dark, and the flash from the first
explosion very brilliant. Hardly amin
slant elapsed before he saw flames
shooting up from the place,
LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE SHOCK.
Mr. Coulter, the night Waterman of
the Hudson County National Bank, in
. Washington street, few doors from
Montgomery street, was sitting in the
bank. He thought for a moment that
the building would tumble down over
his ears. He describes the sensation
as like that from an earthquake. All
the buildings in the neighborhood were
severely shaken and the occupants
were rudely STARTLED from their first
slumber. The entire front of the store
on the street was blown out. Fragments
of wood and glass were buried in every
/ direction. One of the doors of the
saloon was violently driven through the
I door Of Cyrus Lawrence's grocery, on
the opposite side of Montgomery street
/ The middle of the street and opposite
/ sidewalk were covered with broken bot
/ ties, glasses, and dcbriS from the bar
room. The bar was lifted bodily and
thrown against the adjoining wall,
/ smashing an opening through it to the
stairs, leading to the upper portion of
the house, completely blockading the
passageway, and cutting off
THE ONLY MEANS OF EXIT
| left to the Inflated inmates above. Sim
llltaneOusly with the explosion, immense
volumes of fire burst forth from all the
/ lower parts of the building. Five min
utes after the first explosion, another ex-
plosion was heard, and the vast wall
of the building was demolished. All the
adjoining premises were unsightly wood
en- rookeres, and the flames leaped into
and through them with marvellous rapid
. ity. 1t was at one time feared that the
whole block fronting on Montgomery
| Washington, York, and Warren streets,
would be enveloped. Under the direc-
/ ton of Chief Engineer Farrier, the fire.
men worked skillfully and energetically
to contine the fire to the three buildings
then in possession of the flames. In this
they were successful, and by che o'clock
they had obtained a complete mastery.
The building in which the explosion
occurred was an old two-story frame.
The lower part was for many years oc-
cupied by Lewis t. Wood, the we'll
/ known auctioneer About year ago,
/ Messrs Murincey & McGhee leased
the property. The upper portion was
let to a family of the name of Smith.
Duruncey x McGhee stocked their es-
lishment with liquors and fruit, but
dId not carry on a very lucrative bust
ness. The family residing above con-
sisted of Mrs. Mary Smith, aged 70;
her son, Henry Smith and his wife; her
niece, Emeline Vreeland, aged Is I; her
nephew, John Perrine, aged 8; and
Mary Jane Martin, JAS. Lynch, and VIM.
Lane, who boarded with her. OF these,
Jenny Smith, the wife of Henry; Eme-
line Smith, and John Perrine persisted
in the flames Their bodies were all
recovered, yesterday, burned to crisp.
Emeline Smith had CROPPED her way
down stairs, and was overcome by the
flames and smoke just as she reached
the door The charred remains of
Mrs. Jenny Smith were found soon
after daybreak. They were at first
thought to be the remains of n child,
SO much of the flesh and bones had
been burned away
A HORRIBLE SPECTACLE.
A : o'clock yesterday afternoon the
remains of the third victim were dis
covered under the debris. They proved
TO be those Of the boy John PeTine.
They were also burned beyond recog-
milton. One foot was entirely gone and
the hands were almost burned off.
When the fire burst forth the utmost
anxiety was exhibited by all to ascertain
the fate of the inmates SO intense was
the heat from the burning building
that it was impossible to approach it
within - feet. The unfortunate inhah-
itants of the place had no time to es-
cape, and SO rapid was the destruction
of the building that they were quickly
beyond human rescue.
LEAPING FOR THEIR LIVES.
Mr. Smiths mother jumped from a
tirst-story window, and escaped badly
burned about the shoulders, neck and
breast. Mary Jane Martin, her board
er, leaped from shed, and, besides