, 1880-12-19
Fifteen Persons Known to Have
Perished In the Mill
Ruins.
Statements Of Several Of the Youths
Rescued from the Flames.
Many Of Them Seriously Manned, and, In
Some Cases, Fearfnlly Burned.
Record Of Minor Fires Elsewhere
Yesterday.

standpoint Of the loss Of human life, the mos
horrible calamity in the history of this city
Full investigation to-day establishes almos
beyond doubt that fifteen persons we're kil1et
OF burned to death by the destruction Of tht
paper factory. Two men were Killed By
jumping from the fifth story. Two bodie.
have been recovered, and eleven boys are re
ported missing. The highly inflammable con
dltion of the contents Of the structure proved
excellent food for the fierce flames, and In
fifteen minutes after the fire began the
entire building was a burning mass.
1t started in the third story, and the
efforts OF the employees on the two
stories above to escape were heartrendins In
the extreme Faces with horror depicted in
their every feature rushed from window to
window, looking down upon the ground
such fearful distance below. Shrinking
boys jumped from all sides Of the building,
Some descending the whole five stories,
others alightiag OH adjoining buildings. The
scenes in and around the fire were heart
sickening. The heat was so' terrific thai it
was almost impossible to rescue the boys
when they had escaped. Several who had
landed on the sidewalk, breaking their legs
and arms
LAY WRITuING IN AGoSY
III the Intense heat, and others crawled to
places of safety with dis1ocated limbs and
sadly burned bodies
III twenty minutes after the alarm was
sounded the walls of the huge building fell
in with a great crash, and thus was ended
the last chance of saving the lives OF those
who had not escaped. When the details Of
the fire had spread through the city the pa
rents Of the missing children hurried to the
scene, and their frenzied search in adjoining
houses and places of retreat added greatly
to the awful scenes. In saloons and parlors
lay the wounded and dead, with twisted
limbs, blackened faces, and bloody clothing.
The poor boys yelled with pain as the sur
geons set their broken limbs and dressed
their wounds.
Thousands Of people visited the ruins this
morning, and stood around for hours WATCH
the flremen at work, and eagerly listening to
whatever anybody had to communicate.
The scene OF the disaster was cold and desc
late In the extreme. Four engines werekept
at work throughout the night and the fore
noon, and four streams wet down the debris
which we're still smoulderine. The water
froze wherever It struck, and the slippery.
coating gave frigid aspect to the broken
walls and blackened timbcrs. AL the loose
bricks were frozen together, and it was ex-
treme1y dangerous to climb over the piles.
PatroImen had more than they could do to
keep back the crowd.
About II O'Clock report spread that two
charred bodies had been discovered in the
debris. and Immediately there YVES a rush by
the men and boys to
SATISFY THEIR MORBID CURIOSITY.
One Of the streams was turned on the mob,
and had the desired effect; but as soon as it
was turned in another direction, back tue
crowd came in spite Of the efforts Of the po-
lice. Streams were used frequently and
effectively until ready hands were enabled to |
dig UP two unacceptable trunks. They
were recovered by fremen and others.
4 sheet was procured, and the shape
less masses placed in it aud carried into
the en.ine-house until the Coroner should
order their removal 1t was impossible to
recognize the bodies further than that they
were portions Of human beings, one the re-
mains of a little boy. and the other of q
youth.
1t grew exceedingly cold toward noon, and
the continued playing OF water on the ruins
rendered them SO hard that further efforts to
search for bodies was rendered impossible,
The rcmalnsfou were taken to the 3Iorgue,
but ut last accounts had not been identified. |
Some Of the statements of the boys who
escaped clearly show that their predicameut |
must have been
EXCEEDINGLY TERRIBLE. |
Moses Lane, whose brother was killed, said:
" About 20 o'clock in the afternoon Jimmy !
Brady, division foreman. ran to the rear |
part where / was and saiA that the building |
was on fire. turned around and saw the |
smoke and fire coming up the stairway near !
by. / ran with several others to 4 door near !
ut hand a1ad stepped upon shed which was |
even with it. From there we all jumped !
down about thirty feet to the pattern shed of |
lifts foundry, being the last. because I |
was barefooted and was afraid When |
l struck sprallied my ankle and |
could not move, but help came, and |
was taken over to tho Marine drugstore,
where the doctors examined my foot, and, |
nndinR that 1t was not broken, sent me home |
III carriage. My brother Edward worked |
IN the front part nf the fifth story, and car
ned sticks Tor hanging the paper. l did not !
see MIN during the fire There were a good |
many boys on the fifth floor, but / don't |
know how many. They were divided off. |
Those who jumped out with me-there
)mlEht have been ten or tiftecn-escaped un-
nuIa. 9 were employed at the back of the |
building
ONE OF THE sADDEsr INCIDENTS
OF the fire was the death Of Edward Malone
Edward was IA years old. and had been en-
ployed At the factory only two days, He
worked In the fifth story, carrying Stats.
The first known OF him after the fire was
when he came into Clark's distIllery, bleed
Ing profusely. He told them there that he
had jumped from the front of the dftll story.
He had then arisen without assistance and
walked across the street He told them that
lis brother Moses was on the fifth floor, aud
1e was afraid had been killed After max
ng this statement he died.
Following Is the latest List Of missing and
Burke, J., aged Il.
Builder, James, aged 16.
Chalman, Charles, aged 81.
Eckert, William, aged Is.
Graham, George.
Hackett, Stephen, aged Is
Mccoy, Thomas, aged L. T.
McGee, Martin, aged Il. :.
Mathew, H.. aged Is. II
Mahoney, James, aged 16. =
Madden. William, aged II. =