The New York herald., 1877-09-10
SEARCHING THE RUINS.

PORTIONS or HUMAN BODIES RECOVERED YEs-
TEEDAi-THE CHASTITY STORY TOLD BY THE
DrBRIs N THE ALIEYwAY-- vICATIoN
IMPOSSIBLE.
Tho work OF searching the ruins OF Halss piano fac
tory for the remains OF the victims who wcre believed
10 have pershcd In the recent lre ut that place
resumed at seven O'Clock yesterday morning and con
tinued without intermission until nightfall The
efforts OF the gang Of aborers mainly objected
removing the debris IN the alleyway on tho Thirty
sixth street sdo OF the factory IN which n was be-
lioved the bodies OF OF tho uniortu-
nate worknen were entombed. aud whore
pl. about fifty feet in diameter ana ten
feet deep had been dug IL will bc remembered that
when tho lre broke out last Monday morning a mum
Dor OF workmen were seen on the ionrth and Gith
floors, making frantic efforts to escape from the death
that was opening behind them but that OF the number
several wero never known TO have emerged from the
burning factory As the place In which thcy we're last
seen was directly over this acyway IL was supposed
that Their bodies were buried in the debris that filed
IT up, and the developments OF yesterday prove that
this supyoson was bur too correct
HUMAN REMAINS RECOVERED
Shortly after three oolock in the afternoon while
the Iaoorers were engaged In removing the debris from
the aeyway, they suddenly encountered a sickcnng
odor OF burned 1esh. One ofthe worlsmcn, who was
the lowest in the pit that had followed on. amonc
the debris, camc upon an unbrokcn portion Of the
falling wall, which mpedcd his further progress Ho
placed his pick under the edge OF Tho section OF wall
and giving 1t sudden urch tGrncd IL over
The moment he did so tie odor OF burned
flesh filed the air Tho laboror called sov.
erl OF his associates 10 him. and the whole
party thcn set to work with VIII to nnd the body
from which tho sickening odor emanatcd Brick ailer
brick was tossed away, and aner few moments tho
chxrred and blackencd portion or body uncov.
cred. pon invest CATION II proved to be u human
thigh, u was SO terribly burned and charred that
Identification was out OF the question: whilo even
mtter oil stocking was attached TO IT, Rough but ten
der hands gently carried the burned remnant of hu-
manly out oi tho pt and into the street, whore II
was placed upon truck, when the workmen again
. returned to their labors
HORRIBLE DISCOVERIES
when the aborers re.entored the pit the odor of
burned nesh was more plainly perceptibe than before
and was so ovorpowerng that they found the greatest
difficulty IN prosecuting tho search, Aitcr q few min
utes' steady work thoy upon portion OF an arm
which was wcdgod IN between mass at bricks on lhe
side oil the PIT, aiew ee from tho bottom. With great
deal OF care the surrounding bricks removed as
the workmon were fearful that they msht mutatc The
body ITSELF which, they let sure was buried but little
furteer down. In TINS latter supposiion however, they
wero mistaken, Tor, alter removing tho bricks be
tween which the arm was wcdged, the latter ioppled
over into TIE PIT. The piece o! charrpd flesh, Tor IL
irigh,iully burned and o!ackened was borne out
Of the PIT ana placed upon cart beside the Othcr
blackcnod remnants OF desh and 1t was then found to
DO the lowor portion OF an arm. Ii had been com
pletcy severed from the of tho body boue
upon investigation, was found 10 have been frac
turcd
l. The search for the bodies that wero still believed
10 DO underneath the mass Of debris IN tho pit was
resumcd with vlgor Tho circle Of the pit was wdoned;
the pit i,eei decpened and load after load debris
removed from 1t. Alter halt an hours patient work
the ia6orers came upon mass oil flesh and bones
frightfutly charrcd aud blackencd, mot bearing tho
slightest resemblance to humanity, aud 'lookinE
all tho world as ono OF tho laborers expressed It,
into scorcning re aud held there TIL it had become
black" The remains were carefully gathered up
and placed upon the truck ABOVE men toned.
AN rNEEC0GNiZABLE MASS.
AS these charred human remains lay upon tho
truck II was next TO impossible 10 assort
tinsuish them In word, u was an unrecognizabIo
mass OF charred and blacSened flesh. The odor from
IT terrible. as the mutllated far sd
vanced In decomposition. In portion of the mass
there appeared TO be hand upon the back Of which
email piece OF cloth was imbedded in the flesh. This
was the only plece OF clothing ound upon tho re-
mains. In another part Of the heap OF burned flesh
few small bones, in all probability the joints Of
fingers while scattered through 1t were three
other bones which bad boon fractured and which,
doubtless. were portions of arms ana legs.
THE REMAINS TAKEN TO THE MoHGur
As soon as the first portion oil the romans had been
discovered word was sent to Bellevue Hospital tor au
ambulance to bring them to the Morgue, and ut about
haIfpast four the vehicle hurried down Thirty sixth
street The remains were carefully removed TO the
ambulance where they were placed in pno box
which had been prepared for their reception. This
the laborers resumed the the pit but
SIX O'Clock had not made any fresh discovery although
the odor OF burned esh still pcrccpttble
had been in tho beginning They accordingly stopped
work and the ambulance, with Its ghasy load, drove
oil TO tho Morgue
EXCITEMENT AMONG THE RESIDENTS.
Inc news tat some OF the DOdicS nad Deon recovered
spread like wdirc through the neighbOrnood and IN
less than half an hour aitcrward thirty sixth street.
from Tenth avenue down TO tue of tho fire, was
literally packed with people VINO were crsning their
necks TO got glimpse at tho ghasy mass Of flesh that
lay the truck tho street. Everybody was excited
the discovery and the widest rumors put in
circulation Soinc said that over thirty bodies had
been discovered and as tho runor flow from lip
10 lip IL was grossly exaggerated. Tho crowd
was very persistent were SO pers stcnt In fact that
they attempted Mt one time pass tho line, and
driven back by the police. As far as could DO
foin mona n a W n ara
known TO have pcrished in the fire the spot
wherc the remains recovered, but II they
they could never have Identified their friends
In the o burned flesh that was taken out OF the
pit Neither did any Of them make inquiries at the
station house, wherc description OF the romans
such that given above. had been entered on the