The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-12-21
and smoke and brought out the bonds in

the factory with slight INJURIES hao IneI'
wounds dressed IN the drug store snC
went home. Some Of the girls hsd thei
hair burned totally of their heads.
The first reports were exaggerated il
regard TO the number of wounded. Only
thirteen were brought to the Chamber
street hospital, and none to sny other:
The names Of the wounded in the hos
pitsI are Geo. Meib, IS years, Peter Ger
man, IA years; Otto Meib, II years Geo
Hsusel, II years; John Bsmm, II years
Frank Schwitzler, l5 years; Chas. Hill
man, l3 years; Edward Collins, Is years
George Sneider, ~; Martin Con
nors, "A years; George Roedecker
Is; Frank Bald, Is, and Gustave Meister
IA. The greatest sacrifice of life Wa!
among the young girls, many OF whom
from eight to fifteen years OF age, wer(
employed in selling, asserting and pack
ing. candies, on the first floor over the
boiler, which was situsted in the base.
ment OF the resr end Of the Barclay
street wing of the building, and not under
the sidewalk as 81 first reported. None
of these sre known to have escaped.
The building occupied by Mayor X
Knapp, engrsyers, on the opposite side
of College Place, caught fire from the
sparks, but the flames were eI.
tinguished with but trifing dam.
age Among other buildings injured
are those OF Z. w. Little, fancy goods
24l and 243 Greenwich street, and Chas
Westeryelt, hats and furs, 3S7 Green.
wich street Loss about s., coo each.
Total Loss Probably n Quarter of a
Million.
The news of the explosion spread very
rapidly, and the widest rumors and
-rest excitement prevailed. Large
crowds hurried from all quarters 10 the
scene. The police kept the crowd blocks
away from the place. Many persons
having children or relations work
ing in the factory, and ss evening
wore on and they had not returned
home, sought the scene of the disas
ter and hospitals and police stations
In Search of Missing Ones.
At the very lowest calculation ther,
must be forty or fifty bodies ia the ruins
The fremeu will keep streams of water
on the ruins all night, and will hsv,
the street cleared and be ready 10 com
mence digging for bodies tomorrow.
IL is feared that the wall OF the banl
building is damaged, and this will be e1
amined before the work on the ruins II
begun.
statemenIs of Ey e-N illnesses.
Mr.. X. kleinn, Of 90 Leonard street
states that he WAS in the building sOou
tan minutes before the explosion, snC
there were great many persons there n
the time. Ho passed IN front Of th'
building two minutes alter the explosion
and saw on most of the floors (as tn,
front wall had fallen n great msny
BOYS and girls rushing about in sn ex
cited and confused way, but they became
obscured TO view by the smoke anC
flames in very few seconds. Their,
seems to have been no possibility OF thell
getting out alive The fire WAS one o
ihe quickest he had ever seen. In les
than three minutes the flame. had ss
cended clear 70 the roof.
Peter Stsdtmiller gives vivid de
soription of the affair. Ho is EN-.
ployed with Rodgers 81 Co, and WA
within forty feet of the door when th'
explosion occurred. 1t seemed TO throw
IN the whole sidewalk. and the front o
the building fell into the street. There
were two horse trucks OF the Delaware
& Lsckswsnns Express Company pass
ing, and the wall fell on the horses and
drivers.
Mr.. Stsdtmiller said he believed there
were nearly two hundred persons en-
ployed in the building At the time
There were not more than H dozen girl
employed on the ground floor, most o
the BOYS and girls being in the seconC
and third stories.
Mr. Stsdtmiller says he i,
positive that not more thar
six girls and "a dozen mel
came out alive through Barclay itTee
entrance. The elder Mr. Greenfield wa
about the first who rushed out, and h
WAS much scalded. He saw about I
dozen persons making their escape b.
the roofs to adjacent buildings As neal
A. could be ascertsined there must hav'
been about l20 persons employed IN tn
factory st the time of the disaster.
The scenes At the Chambers street hoe
pltal were heart-rending IN the extreme
Ambulances were quickly at the fire anC
were kept busy taking the wounded L
the hospitals. The station house snC
Chambers street hospital were besiege'
with men, women and children, a.
snxiously enquiring for some mlssin 3
relative. Among those enquired for by
their relatives and known 70 have
been working in the candy fac
tory are the following: Pete
William and Anderson Starr, brothers
All Young; Lizzie OBrien, aged II; W
Bennett, aged II; Ernest Greenfield,
Young son Of the proprietor Peter Ger
man. aged 10; Albert and George Krum
moy and August DroIe. This boy
mother wss weeping bitterly for him
She said he was
Her Only Child,
and that her husband Wa burned up
few yesrs ago in the piano factory hre
All those mentioned worked IN to
factory and have not been bear
of since the confsgrAtion, aud
il feared they are buried in the ruin
Il is impossible 10 form correct ide
Of the losses and insurance tonight
strong guard is being kept or the Gro
GERS Bank. Flremen l.. h Hall. ID. }
Murray and L. Williams were Injuries
by the falling walls, and come nsrro'
escspes took place. Six Of the persen
sent 70 the Chamber street hospital ar
feriously injured. They are all yousI
boys. D. B. Hssbruck, Chief Of the Bu
reau O; Elections, VA passing the build
| ing 81 the time Of the explosion, snd va
/ bsdly hurt By some oi the wall
falling upon him. He E,s carrie
to s.orebouse. Fifty Italian