The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-05-29
THE HOlYOKE HORROR.
Further Particulars Of the Disaster.
seventy Persons Kaown TO have Persisted.

Seventy Persons X uown 10 have Persisted.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, May 28.-The bodies of
fifty persons burned to death N the holocaust
at Holyoke last night have been identified, in
addition to those of fifteen or twenty who were
at once removed to their homes by their
friends Nearly seventy have died, and some
forty more are more or less injured.
The hero OF the disaster was John Lynch, a
brave fireman, who was the first to respond TO
the alarm. Hi describes the scene when be
reached the bu ming church as appalling.
Wedged tight and immovable in the doorways
was dense ma of humsnity from six TO
eight feet in b light. None of them were able 10
stand upright from the terrible pressure of the
crowd behind, while upon and over them
sheet of fire rolled like wave streaming far
ont into the open air. Without moments
pause to consider the danger, Lynch and Chief
Engineer Mullen rushed into the flames,
spurred on by the pteous cries, and began
pulling out the bodies. A moment later and
well directed hydrant stream from the Mount
Holyoke hose truck covered the brave rescuers,
and undoubtedly saved them from being burned
alive.
The first persons drawn out were burning,
but they passed directly through the stream of
water and the flames were extinsuished.
Some of the poor creatures fell fainting on the
flight of wooden steps leading down to the
street, and few were with considerable effort
able to walk away. By this time the entire
fire department bad arrived, and worked with
such energy and will that when the fire was
extinguished the charred wooden walls of the
structure were standing, and were pulled down
by the hook and ladder men in order that a
search for the bodies might be made. Only
| a few moments elapsed after the water struck
the building before the fire was out but the
destruction of life during that brief period of
time was terrible. Some sprang from the gall
lery windows and were seriously injured. One
person appeared at a window completely
| wrapped 10 flames, and after tottering there an
instant, fell TO the ground dead and Gnrecog-
| nizable.
| an opportunity offered to search for bodies,
| ami force of special police was organized to
| keep back the crowd which gathered. The
| work of extricatiDg the bodies was sad indeed,
| and the greater number OF them were found IN
the fatal entry way, burned TO crisp. Inc Inc
body of one woman was found sitting in the
seat she had occupied, her clothing entirely
| burned off, A fesby woman, weighing some
| 1870 pounds, was dragged screaming from the
| ruins. She was carried short distance from
| the church and placed on the grass, while the
| flesh actually peeled off her back. In
| moment she fell over dead.
The scene last night and to-day in the school
| house basement, where the bodies of the DEAD
| were carried, was heartrending in the extreme
Louis Desjerdin, "a years old, whose Wlfe
| and daughter were both burned to death, be-
came insane to-day from grief, and cried con.
| tinualy in agonizing tones, lob, my Julie !!
| my Juliep Some were taken out alive, who
| were under Others who were dead, and owed to
| this fact their own salvation. AT the same
| time many women lost their lives by pelng
| trampled under foot.
There were many touching scenes and NOV
ing pictures as the work of Identification went
on. Some of the victims were burned TO q
| crisp cinder, down to the very bones, about
| their faces, and then a ring, shawl or some
| article of apparel. the peculiar formation OF a
| finger, even, would recall them to loving, seek
| ing friends. An old man of perhaps 10 years,
one Of the first admitted to the basement, after
| long aud unsuccessful searching amoug the
| bodies after his lost daughter, went home and
| soon returned with his feeble old wife, whose
anguish as she eagerly lifted the cloth from
| each charred and revolving form in search OF
some clew to the missed loved one was pltlful
| in the extreme.
| She was about to abandon the search when
she espied garter which she knew belonged
| to her daughter and by this slight clew the
| body was identified. Another equally singular
coincidence was the Identification of little
daughter of Joseph Briggs of Cabot street, oy
| her young sister who instantly recognized her
| unfortunate was charred beyond all recognition
and the grief of the surviving sister was one OF
the most painful features of the mourning. IN
| deed she could only give vent to her terrloie
| anguish by low piteous means. The body OF
| one woman was recognized by ring WnIcn
| was taken from her hand upon which the nm
| gers were nearly burned off, while her head
and the upper portion of her body were burned
to the BONE The body of a man whose head
was nearly burned off was principally ldenli-
| fed by charred postal card in his pocket. Jo-
| seph Messier's body was recognized by the
clothes, the head being nearly burned OFF from
| the body.