The Indiana State sentinel., 1875-06-03

|
mendous force of tie explosion.
The work of removing the debris and reach
ing the imprisoned persons beneath was
begun as soon as the flames bad been suffi
ciently quenched to enable the fremen TO
get at the runs with safety, As large a
force as could work with convenience went
at it with will, while the police kept back
| the crowd. The scene was illuminated by
the gas which, coming from the broken and
| twisted pipes, cast bright light over the
entire place, and little later, a calcium
| light with reflector was placed in the win
dow of No. $50. on the opposite side of the
street. The windows of the surrounding
BUILDINGS WERE GRAINED WITH FACES.
snd Washington street was tilled with a
solid mass of men and boys for long dis
tance, far into the night. The most absurd
stories concerning the number of the killed
circulated about the city and stimulated the
intense popular excitement. Mr.. L. o. +.
Farrer states that he assisted to remove the
first woman taken from the building. He
| formerly belonged to the fire department
| At 10 O'Clock the firemen got
the last of the shsky floors cut down, and
| all th9 remaining timbers fell in with
tremendous crash. Warren Hook and
/ L. ider No 1 arrived shortly aiterwsrd to
cart away the timber. The 6ramen we're
| working with will tossing the hesvv iOsts
and handf1ls Of bricks into the street with
/ wonderful quickness, in their sad and dis
couraging scarch for the bodies Of .he mag
| gled and the doad. Now and then they were
seemingly spurrsd on by the excited crowd,
and with redouOled energy bent to their
/ task. Suddenly loud and hoarse cheer rent
the air. The eager crowd pressed forward
but were kept back by the excited police
men, and Tor al instant the nevy OF work
men tugging with all their might at their
| almost hopeless task ceased their lsbOrs, but
animate form of human being was dragged
| from beneath the debris. He was man in
the prime of life; but as he stood or rather
leaned upon his delivereT be pre-
sented CHASTITY and sorrowful
| spectacle. In spite of the dirt
tire body, 0eath-like pallor was visible
where flash was u be seen. Supported by
his deliverer and another fireman, who
| sprang TO his assistance, he stood with
trembling and shaking limbs as near up
right as be could, and in response to the loud
and prolonged cheers with which he was
crested. feebly waved his hand. This was
signal for still more exciting and up
r)ariOps shout, and as with lettering steps
! he walked to drug store near by il seemed
. but for
THE GREAT EXERTIoNs OF THE POLICE,
that he would not until his strength was
wholly exhausted be able to reach place
of safety where he could receive the care and
attention so much needed. The man was in
his shirt sleeves and over his shoulders was
the tape in the position it was when the
crush came. HIS name was ascertained to be
| Samuel L. Fraser, OF the firm of S Il. Fraser
& Co. tailOrs, who occupied the second story
in the doomed building. MIR. s. {. Fraser,
the tailor, whose almost miraculous escape
has been chronced, was interviewed by
/ a Globe reporter, last evening, and told the
experience of his imprisonment as follows:
The sound OF the explosion was the first in-
/ timation he had OF anything wrong. He
describes the sound and sensation az simil r
to that of the terrible nitro 81 lycerine eXplO-
sion at Worcester, four or five years ago. at
which he was present. After the explosion.
/ he knew nothing till he found himself GOV
cred up in the ruins. He could plainly hear
shrieks and cries for 3 few seconds, the
screaming of woman being plainly
audible. Teen he began to feel the heat
of the flames, and was badly burned on
both wrists. He was fastened by timber
across the right arm, and was unable to ex-
tricate himself He then beard the people
at work on the outside, aud, after they had
penetrated through the root near him, be
asked tor a saw, to release his ar2. One
was given him, and he attempted 10 use it,
but was unable TO make any progress, and
| returned the saw to the men outside who
soon cut off the timber and dragged him
| out, so covered with dirt and ashes as to be
unrecognizable, bur, aside from the shock
and his bruises and burns, uniniured. He
was taken to the house of Benjamin j.
Remich, Newton place, where be was seen
by the Globe reporter He says he had six
or seven girls at work in the shop y sterdy
afternoon, but knows nothing of the fate of
any of them. Mr.. l.. +. DeWard, of 26 La
| Grange street, WAS one of
THE FIRST MEN ON THE GROUND.
| ~ h,,-f fol
der the ruins for more than half an hour.
confined, but not injured. He remained
wonderfully cool, saying, "Tske your time,
boys. Help others first. can wait" The
brave fellow was saved and escaped unin-
inred. While confined he could not move in
the least, and she situation was one to try
the strongest nerves. After a number of
bodies had been taken from the ruins,
orders we're given to suspend operations for
| while until portions or the wall which
tottered above had been pulled down.
This was accomplished quickly and with
out accident, and work was soon re-
sumed. Above the scene OF desolaaiou,
coats, dresses, Undertaking, ETC., hung on
] the south wall in the same position they Oc-
cnpie6 before the crash. In such catastro-
phe as this happening upon the main thor
oughfare of the city, and at time when
there was the usual throng of people re
| turning from their days work, there were,
of course, large number of hair-bresdtb
escapes, and almost every one who gathered
in the Immediate vicinity, directly after
ward, had his own tale to tell. The shock
was so peculiar that even those
who were at some distance from
the scene and thought, at first, that ''it
| was nothing but a cannon" instinctively
felt that it was not that but that some ter
rible accident had happened. People in
buildings in the immediate vicinity felt
| them
| the same instant with the shock and thun-
der of the report came dense cloud and
whirlwind of smoke and rubbish and small
fragments of debris through the open win
dows. A street car passing at the time was
thrown from the track across the street and
the passengers piled up together on the
floor; they all escaped without serious in
inrv hnwarar although sAvaral were badly