The New York herald., 1877-09-05
Scenes Amid the Ruins of Mon
days Blaze.
DvERTURNING THE FEEBLE WALLS
No Efforts to Find the Bodies of
Supposed Victims.
NAMES OF THE MISSING ONES,
The Scarcity Of Water-0fficial InveStiga.
tion aud Private aid.

the scene or the great nro AZ Tenth avenue and
Thirtynh street visited yesterday by multitulcs
OF curious people, but Gordon Of police kept back
tho eager crowds and few persons able to catch
more than o glimpse OF the ruins. The sInoudering
piles Of brick and mortar were still hot. and places
bright fame shot from the mass OF debris, show
ing that the dcvouring demon was bent upon con-
suming tho last vcstge OF combustblo material, A
huge mass OF coal in Walkers charcoal yard was
burning. and clouds Of smoke from the charred
heap An engine, which had been placed side
by sidc with tho injured No 81, was playing
alternately upon the coal heap and upon the blazing
remains OF McMaster's tenement house. Scattered
along tho street the ruins wherever they had
cooled sufficiently TO allow human icot tread were
little knots OF idle VISITORS who had been able pass
the Gordon OF police get within the lines Hungry
and envious eyes looked the avenue above but
for all this the not an animated ouc and on
every no nd expression OF q weird ana solemn
desolation. No attempt made search for the
dead to remove the debris the great piles of SUPER
heated brick not yet having had tmo to cool sufi-
cicn.ly to allow workmen TO begin tho excavations
APPEARANCE RUINS.
In appearance the ruins had changed but little from
the that presented hours aftcr the con-
Migration, and yet the sights which the visitors be.
held on the morning after the fire were oven moro
painful than those which were witnessed whom tho
and roofs of mmcnso buildings cracked and fell before
The de~ouring element In the blazing volumes of
fire and smoke and tho crashing and crumoling walls
there magnilcence splondor, that robbed des-
Olation and death OF that which Is most hdeous IN
their outward forms. When the excitement OF tho
urst moments had passed away, when the sun had
ret and risen again upon the scene Of
'he great disaster, the tragedy was presented In
ali lis naked bitterness and terror There were
brokcn walls seeming to threaten with death those
wh0 came toe near in spirit Of morbid curiosity;
;all chimneys standing ike monumental sentncs
tho dead; tangled gas pipes crossing from opposite
walls and bound together in grim embrace, If they
lad tried 10 hold in their grasp al the agonzing
IND death means of tho dying workmen; con fused
piles OF brick and mortar still hot and smoking and
seeming to say, 'The dead are ours" ana TO laugh
ind mock at the calamity. From every
point OF view the whole block seemed only
IKE the entrance to ruined city, and
tho picture which is presented to tho eye
In every direction is sad and sickcDng in the extreme.
Tho buildings which mark the limits Of the coullagra-
ton Tenth and tho north sido OF Thirty
sixth street, charrcd and backcned they are,
even more forbidding than those which were melted
in the blazing hcat Tho stoutest heart must quail in
The contemplation Of this terrible scene but no imagi
nation do justice TO the agony OF that supreme
Tins in the earnesnoss Of lory death struggle and
hurled them to tho ground to be buried in grave oi
kissing and angry devastation.
WHAT OF THE DEAD?
II was painful to stand among tho ruins yesterday
for many reasons out, most of ALL because the dead
seemed to have Dcen forgotten The d6bris IT is true,
still too hot to be removed, but 1t seemed that no
preparations making for the excavation of the
places where it Is supposed tho bodies OF the victims
buried II is possible that not a brick will DO re-
moved for days, and that the hocst duty which the
living to the dead will be made to await tho con-
venient of officials who settling the question
whether they have any duties to perform in the
premises.
Tho 6remcn think that tho digging for bodies is no
in taer province 1--WE have men to be set at such
work, said one of thern seven ii tue debris were
cool enough to be handled Laborcrs are 10 be had at
the present time for very low wages there beng so
many out Of work, and they ought to be employed to
make the excavations "It would be absurd" said
superintendent Adams, Of the Department OF Build
,ngs, Ito begin digging upon such rumors
as have been floating about to-day and yes
@crday. In the meantime however tho rumors
continue to fly from mouth to mouth and the inquiries
for missing friends at the hospitals aud station houses
Intensity horrible doubt which ought not 10 be left
unsovcd too long show many lives were lost in Tues.
TcCOVercuI"
'when are the excavations TO bcgin?" These are
questions which were anxiously asked yesterday IN
every part OF tho city, but yet none Of them have
been answered and the great condagration
con'inucs to hang terrible doubt OF horrible
revelations which perhaps arc still to bo mado.
SCARCITY WATER.
To great extent yesterday the topic Of convcrsa ion
In connection with tho fire was the scarcity of Wafer
The hydrants furnished only 1vo pounds pressure
yesterday when they should have furnished twenty or
twenty-five pounds and they threw stream OF only
eight feet To tho small size OF the mains IN tho
heighborhood is this condition of things attributed.
In consequence there Is much grunbling aud many al
legations made that the cast the cy has been
furnished with water supply at tho expense OF the
west side Many of the nrcmcn declare that there was
no wafer ali when the fro began, and 1t was tho
impression among them that In Tenth avenue the
wafer had boon oil altogether The subject is one
the utmost Importance, is evidont from the fact
that million dollars worth Of property and untold
number Of lives were lost account of the scarcity
Of water In the vicinity OF the Are. Tho
residents OF tho west side especially
earnest in dcprccating tho necessity OF rcsorting
TO the river IN Of conila grafton
and think II tho duty Doth OF tho Fire Com mis- sion.
ana the Department OF Public Works to to II
that what appears to DC the most urgent necessity OF
The hour is supplied. So overwhelming was this neces-
sty tc to bs tnat even !he anxiety The dead
may yet lie buried among the debris yichcd 10 IL
prominence, tho revelations concerning tho water sup
ply on the Tenth avenue creating as profound
ton would tho exhuma,on OF 100 boGies IRON tho
runs
INCIDENTS OF THE DAY.
II was in tho expression Of such alternating doubts
about the victims and indignation that scarcity OF
water could make such disaster possible that the day
was passed yesterday, but hour after hour passed
without incident Of any kind Tho patient crowd
outside OF the Gordon OF police looking hopelessly to-
ward tho runs. In the streets the vicinity
stil 10 be some OF the household effects of the
residents OF the turned tcncmcnts, aud II was known
shat many oi these homeless people had been
compelled to sleep III tho station houses
Tie night before. II was also remarked that
many children IN their tright lad run away. think.
Ing the whole city was TO be burned, and tho police
yuihcred In more missing children on tuesday night
Ihsn beore on a single day. Occasionally a |
Word would DO spoken by some one IN regard TO some
pf tho missing, anu sorro%i.g taco would bctray
agony that came from inward doubt Tlero an
unaercurrcnt OF sadness and OF griei but excite
ncnt and outward demonstrations. insurance rep
Soscntsves newspaper reporters and officials IRON tho
Fire Dcuartineut and tho Department OF buildings