Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-06-10
Incidents of the HoIyOke Disaster.

4
| Lynch, brave fireman, who was tn
kfirst to respond to the alarm. He de
hscribed the scene, when he reached thu
burning church, as appalling. WEDGE
| tight and immoyablc In the doorway
was dense mass Of humanity from 81,
| TO eight feet in height, none of then
being able to stand upright from the ter
! rible pressure OF the crowd behind
while upon and over them sheet d
| flame rolled like wave, streaming fal
out into the open air. Without mo
ments pause to consider their danger
Lynch and Chief.Engineer Muller
rushed into the flames, spurred on by tn,
piteous cries.; For Gods sake, come anc
help usp' and began pulling out the
bodies. A moment later and a well-di.
rected hydrant stream from the Mount
Holyoke hose struck the brave rescuers
and undoubtedly saved them from being
burnt alive. The first persons drawn Out
were burning, but they were passed di
rectly through the stream of water and
the flames were extinguishcd. Some OF
the poor creatures fell fainting on the
long flight of wooden stairs leading
down to the street, and few were able
TO walk.
BY this time the entire fire department
had arrived, and worked with such
energy and will that when the fire was
cxtinguished the charred wooden walls
Of the structure we're standing and were
pulled down by the hook and ladder
men, in order that search for the bodies
might be made. Only very few mo.
ments, comparatively, elapsed after the
water struck the building before the fire
was out, but the destruction to life dur.
ing that brief period was terrible.
Wild efforts were made by the people
TO rush pell.mell into the burning build
ing to rescue their friends, and il was
with difficulty that they were kept back.
This was particularly the case with
parents who had on the first impulse
rushed from the church TO save their own
lives, but who, remembering that they
had left their children behind to perish,
returned impetuously. Actual personal
violence had to be used In several cases
10 keep the women back. All about the
streets men, women and children were
watching and piteously inquiring If their
friends had been saved. One woman was
positive that her husband had persisted,
and could only be quoted by the assur.
ance from friend that he had just been
walking with him.
One Of the most touching cases was
that of two little girls about twelve years
Of age, who rushed for the entrance of
the building while the fire was at its
height, thinking to find their father and
mother, who were within. They could
only be restrained by an officer, who
took them in his arms.
The church was erected in 1870, entire
ly of pine, was about 100 feet long by
sixty wide, two stories high, with CALLER
les on the sides and the north end about
twenty-five feet wide There were two
doors In the north end and the vesti-
bule, from which two doors opened into
the body of the church. The galleries
opened into the vestibule. At the rear
end was another door, by which few
persons escaped.
Immediately upon the breaking out
OF the flames all the occupants of the
galleries rushed TO the east door, and,
falling upon one another, choked UP the
doorway with their bodies, piled In all
ways, seven or eight deep. Here most
OF the lives were lost. From this mass
Chief Mullen rescued one young woman,
after having taken of two dead bodies
from above her. The Chief and others
had their clothes almost burned from
them, and were badly burned about the
hands.
One woman jumped from the highest
window down upon the front steps,
breaking her arm.
A man with two children In his arms
jumped from window and escaped.
One poor woman, enveloped In flames.
shrieked out: Fer Gods sake, save
me, and was dragged out
Some sprang from the gallery windows
and were seriously injured, and one per-
son appeared at window completely
wrapped In flames, and after toitering
there an instant fell to the ground dead
and unacceptable. Hundreds of men
went 10 the wreck as soon as an opportu.
nifty was offered TO search for bodice. and
a force Of police was organized to keen
back the large crowd which had gath.
cred. The greater number Of bodies
were found In the fatal stairway, burned,
some OF them, To crisp. The BODY of
one woman was found In the seat which
she had occupied, her clothing entirely
burned off A feshy woman, weighing
about lSO pounds, was dragged scream.
ing from the mass She was carried n
short distance from the church and
placed on the grass, while her flesh actu.
ally peeled off her back, and In a mo-
ment she fell over dead.
The scenes last night and to-day In the
schoolhouse basement, where the bodies
OF the dead were carried, were heart. |
reNjinU In tha axtra,,.a Il