The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-12-21

about 8 O'Clock this morning, while 4
large number of female employees were
still at work. The building was almost
instantly wrapped in flames, and it is
said that from one hundred to one hun
dred and fifty girls were burned to
death.
SECOND DISPATCH.
New York, Dec. 20-The manufac-
tory ut 63 Barclay street, extends in
the shape of an L to College Place.
TIE boiler burst, tearing away the
entire front and
SCATTERING THE WRECK
in all directions, A large number Of
girls of all ages were employed at the
time in the building. The walls fell n
few minutes after the explosion.
A policeman who was on duty near
the building says he saw the front of the
building, FIVE stories high, fall into the
street. About so escaped by the Col
lege Place entrance. and a small num-
ber got out through sky-lights, walked
over roofs and got down the sky-lights
of other buildings.
The bookkeeper, who was on the
Barclay street side Of the building, was
BLOWN OUT THROUGH A WINDOW
to the street, and badly cut on the
head. Several jumped from the second
story and ESCAPED with slight injuries.
The parties employed in the factory
were principally young girls and boys,
S TO 20 years of age. Owing to the
approach of the holidays double force
was employed, one working during
the day and the other at night. The
force changed at 5 O'Clock. Tie fact
of the explosion occurring five minutes
past that hour, renders it still more
difficult to know how many or who are
victims. The number in the build
ing at the time of the disaster is
variously estimated at from 100 to 300.
The flames spread so rapidly that it is
feared that many not injured by the
explosion are
BURNED TO DEATH.
Owing TO the heat no search can be
made for those buried in the ruins un-
Til tomorrow. The loss of Greenfield
& Sons is estimated at 100000; insur-
ance about $4,000. No. 65 Barclay
street is frame building, with cigar
store on the first floor. The upper
floors have been occupied by Col. French
for the last 80 years. French and his
family escaped, but the former left
$4,000 in U. :. bonds in book
case.
y FIREMAN's FEARFUL FEAT.
Fireman Joe McGill, Of engine y,
and Roundsman Coffee volunteered to
go in for the bonds. Flames and
smoke were bursting out of the building,
but they climbed up on the awning,
entered window, secured a package
of papers and came out. The package
was found not to be the bonds, and a
second time they entered through the
flames and smoke and brought out the
bonds in safety.
TWO MINUTES AFTER THE EXPLOSION
an eyewitness saw on most of the
floors, as the front walls had fallen,
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 few
seconds. There seemed to be no pos
sibility of their getting out alive, as the
fire was one of the quickest ever seen,
and in less than three minutes the
flames had assembled to the roof.
a VIVID DESCRIPTION.
Peter Stadtmiller was standing with
in forty feet Of the doorway when the
explosion occurred, which seemed to
throw up the whole sidewalk before the
front Of the building fell. There was
a two-h truck of the Delaware s.
Lackawana company passing at the
time, and tine wall fell on the horses
and driver, and Stadtmiller said he be-
lieved there were nearly two hundred
persons employed in the building at
the time. There were not more than
dozen girls employed on the ground
floor, most of the girls and boys being
engaged on the second and third floors.
He is'positive that not more than six
girls and dozen men came out alive
through the Barclay street entrance.
He saw about dozen making their
ESCAPE BY THE ROOF
to adjoining roofs. AS near as can be
ascertained there must have been 175
persons in the factory at the time of the
disaster. No dead bodies have yet been
recovered. The wounded have been
taken to the hospitals. A large force
of men are now employed on the ruins,
which have become cool enough to han
die.
NEW MEXICO.