Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-12-28
BURNED TO DEATH.
New YopK. Dec.

tNOtuuniB III uilt SldpC VI ui - w OOl-
lege place The walls fell within few
minutes after the explosion.
Mr.. Greenfield, owner of the factory,
could give no idea of how many were
in the building at the time of the explo-
sion, but thought about 10. Of these
about fifty escaped by the College-place
entrance, and a small number got out
through the sky-lights, walked over the
roofs and got down the sky-lights of
other buildings. A book-keeper who
was on the Barclay-street side of the
building was blown through a window
to the street and badly cut. Several
jumped from the second story and es-
capped with slight injuries, the fall being
broken by policemen and citizens on
the sidewalk below. The loss of life
must be large.
The parties employed in the. factory
were principally young girls and boys
from eight to twenty years of age.
Owing to the approach of the holidays
a double force was employed, one work
ing during the day and the other at
night. The force was changed at five
o'clock, and the fact of the explosion
occurring at five minutes past that hour
renders it still more difficult to know
how many or who are victims. The
number in the building at the time of
the disaster is variously estimated at
from 100 to 200. The flames spread so
rapidly that it is believed many not in
jured by the explosion were burned to
death. Some of the girls had their hair
burned totally off their heads. The
Barclay-street angle of the building has
fallen to the ground, as has also Nos.
65 and 81 Barclay street on the lower
side, and No. 81 on the upper side.
The greatest sacrifice of life was
among The young girls, many of whom,
from eight to fifteen years, were em-
ployed in asserting candies on the first
floor over the boiler.
As the news of the explosion spread
over the city the widest rumors and
great excitement prevailed. Large
crowds hurried to the rescue. The po-
lice kept the crowd blocks away from
the place. Many persons having chill
dren or relatives working in the factory,
as evening wore on and they had not
returned home, sought the scene of the
disaster and hospitals and police stations
in search of missing ones. At the very
lowest calculation there must be forty
or fifty bodies in the ruins.
R. Kleinn states that he was in the
building ten minutes before the explo-
sion and there were a great many per-
sons there at the time. He passed in
front of the building Immediately after
the explosion and saw on most of the
floors, as the front wall had fallen, a
great many boys and girls rushing
about in an excited and confused man
ner, but they became obscured to view
by the smoke and flames in a very few
seconds. There seems to have been no
possibility of their getting out alive.
The fire was one of the quickest ever
seen. In less than three minutes the
flames had assembled completely to the
roof.
Peter Stadtmiller was within forty
feet of the doorway when the explosion
occurred. 1t seemed to throw up the
whole sidewalk, and the front of the
building fell into the street. There was
two-horse truck passing, and the wall
fell on the horses and driver. Stadt-
miller says he believes there were near
ly 200 persons employed in the build
ing at the time. There were not more
than dozen girls employed on the
ground floor, most of the boys and girls
being engaged in the second and third
stories. He is positive that not more
than six girls and dozen men came
out alive through the Barclay-street en-
trance. The elder Mr.. Greenfield was
about the first who rushed out, and he
was much scalded. He saw about a
ln1atN tloit Htr thn ,.nnf
to the adjoining roofs.
AS near as can be ascertained, there
must have been about 120 persons en-
ployed in the factory at the time of the
disaster. Ambulances were quickly al
the fire, and were kept busy in taking
the wounded to the hospitals. The
station-house and the hospitals are be-
sieged with men, women and children,
all anxiously inquiring for some miss
ing relative.
The factory building had entrances
at No 63 Barclay street and No. 3 Col.
lege place. In the angle were situated
the Grocers Bank building and ID. d.
Tompkins' brown paper warehouse,
both five stories. The latter was
burned to the ground.
NV OD was q II
with a cigar store on the first floor, the
upper floors being occupied by Col
French for the last thirty years. Mr.
French and family escaped, but the
former left $4,000 in United States
bonds in bookcase on the second floor
Fireman McGill and Roundsman Coffee
volunteered to go in for the bonds. The
flames and smoke were bursting out OF
the building. They climbed up on the
awning and entered a window, secured
package of papers and came out. The
| package was found not to be the bonds
A second time they entered through the
flames and smoke and brought out tn,
bonds in safety.
The latest estimate places the mum
ber of persons in the building at thu
time the explosion occurred at 40, in
cluding twenty visitors and customers
New York, Dec. q.
The number of lives lost by the Bar
clay-street explosion and fire is still un
determined, but it is thought fort
bodies now lie buried beneath the ruins
Lying under a blood-stained tarpaulin
opposite the ruins, are the bodies of
| man anu DOls WHlCn WtIc tdhCll llOh
the ruins on the sidewalk this morning
One was recognized as that of William
H, Bradley, of Brooklyn, and the othe
that of William Bennett, newsboy.
Early this morning the mothers, ia
thers, sisters and friends of the wounded
and missing besieged the New Yorl
Hospital, making inquiries for thos
whom they sought, and pleading TO
admission. Some of the wounded ha'
their hair burned so close to the seal
that with their swollen and blackene,
features they resembled negroes. Thre
mothers stood at the door from fou
O'Clock this morning making vain in
quiries for their missing children. A
last, when one of them was about leay
ing in despair, she encountered he
daughter at the door. The meeting wa
touching.
In addition to about eighteen missin