The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-09-11
A Terrible Flre-Loss of Life.

NEW YORK, Sept. 8. = A fire broke
out at 9.45 p. m., in J. p. Hales piano
factory on West Thirty-fifth street, which
was entirely destroyed It is rumored
that ten persons perished. The flames
extended to the south side of the street,
between Tenth and Eleventh avenues,
destroyed e. M. Connelly's barrel fac
tory, j. Graham & Co. Is silk factory and
several houses adjoining. ]. Walkers
charcoal factory, on the north side of
Thirty-fifth street, was also burned.
The fire originated through Nicholas
Monk, varnish rubber, who was heat
ing some varnish over stove While
his back was turned got ablaze and the
flames spread like flash. He fled at
once for his life, giving the alarm as he
ran, but the windows being open, the
flames swept through the building, find
ing fresh fuel at every step. 1t is sup
posed that about 200 hundred men were
employed in the building at the time,
but it cannot be ascertained how many
have been burned. The hatchways in
one corner were open and the flames
rushed to the upper stories as if through
a fiue. Several firemen say that from
the windows of the upper story of the
factory, men were calling for ladders for
help, for Gods sake" but that the
ladders were not long enough to reach
them, and even if they were they could
not be placed in position, owing to the
intense heat. Some fell to the pave
ment and others, after wildly waving
their arms, fell back into the burning
mass behind them. The great eight
story mill on Thirty-sixth street fell al
most without warning, and the number
who are buried under it will not be
known until the debris is moved away.
The widest excitement prevailed as
the flames leaped to the adjoining build
ings, mostly tenement houses, and men,
women and children fled for their lives.
They saved nothing and were lucky to
escape with their lives. ''
Up to late hour tonight the num-
ber of casualties reported were; Killed
Oliver Pasnicker, who jumped from
the top story and was instantly killed,
and Annie Smith, smothered in tene-
ment house adjoining the factory. The
injured were; Paul Hess, jumped from
the seventh story window to an adioin-
ing building, not dangerously injured;
t. Ludwig, jumped from fifth story,
slight injuries James Roland, fireman,
wall fell, ,burying him under it. The fol-
lowing persons employed in the factory
are missing and there is but little doubt
they have been burned up H. Bede, J.
Gunberger, John Kutsch, James Smith,
Patrick Trainor. Is.
Over fifty buildings in all have been
destroyed and the losses are large, with
the insurance probably covering half of
the amount. Some of the most terrible
scenes of the fire occurred in the tene-
ment houses. One fireman rescued an
infant and its helpless father from the
fourth floor, and then at the peril of his
life found another child just expiring
from suffocation on the top floor. Annie
Sweet AN occupant of tenement house,
died from fright.
When the walls fell it became easier
for the firemen to work, and the ex-
treme heat subsidized somewhat, enabling
them to approach and play on the burn
ing masses. 1t was noticed that during
the day that no employees were to be
found and therefore persons believed
that they had all perished in the flames,
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