, 1881-12-11
The Trap Took Fire, the Ladder
Burned, aud the Men Fought
to- Escape.
Ten Of Them Were Pushed
Back, Trampled, and
Burned Up.
Eleven Others Were Forced to Make
Their Exit Through the Fire, with
Terrible Injuries.
Three Little Brothers Drowned Near
Manitowoc, Wis.-0ther Melan- ~'
choly Happenings.
Ten Men Burned Up in tl1c Lott OF
small SttuntY.


/ Ten Men Burned Up in tllc Lott Of
Small Sltunty.
f.; Spectat Disp1tch to Tho CHICAGO Tribune
! P1TrsBtJnG, Pa., Dec. 10.-Shortly before
| o'clock this murnsug II report WIS brought to
! tho city that IL terrible calamity had occurred
| ut point uu the Plttsburg s. Lake Erie Rail-
/ road, sevcn miles down the OHIO River. The
nslture of the disaster wAs not Suited, and peo~
| pie could do no tnuro tlan guess 1t soon traus~
| pred, however, that the report was only too.
| well founded and tnat ten men had oeetl Foost-
ei to deuth and great many injured or thts
| burning Of Ii frame boarding. house i'll which
| they were sleeping. They were laborcrs
! on s1he railroad upd were working NJ
the pluce Indicated. which is cAled Gibson siss-
ton. The building WIS one-s,ory frame strut1-
| ure, with all artlc or luft.
I THE LOWER PART
| WIS used for q dning-r,otn uud Kitchen Into
this loft tOrEy-three stAlwart men retired to
| sleep last night, after luilaIng the LAY wark.
1t WIS reached BY hight OF stairs which started
| from near the kitchon donr. There were NO
windows, b,lt in lieu Of them, there were two
sr,uli holes in tho roof to admit light and air.
| These were closed ut night by Il slid
| ing door, to keep out the cctd
About o'clock this morning the keeper of tho
boarding. house, Hugh McCune, got. up to build
a fire tu the Kitchen stove cArryLng with bin an
! ordiuury keroseue lamp, which he placed upsz1
! table while he went for kindllus wood. Up To
this poiut I'LL is clear.
IT Is SUPPOSED
that, during his, absence, the lamp chimney
burst, and BY sumo means threw the latnp upon
tho flour, allowing the I'll! TO out. This tho
org Is generally accepted The stairway was
composed Of hight, dry, pine boards, and they
were soon ubluzc. The flames quickly spread to
tho loft, whcro the unfortunate men were
sleeping, all unconscious Ut the terrible fate
which await ed them. The floor Of the loft WAS
covered with struw-bed5 aud bedding. The
tainus madn rapid pr0gres5, and soon reached
this mass uf lntiamlnubie n1aterlul. About this
time the sieepers voto aroused by the cries Of
the females employed ubout the place, and they
ut once nude rush for the stairs, bur they
were coufronted by q wall Of TIRE which forced
them back in dlsinnY.
A HUSH WAS THEN MADE
for the openings in the roof BY the half -craZed
men, and struggle for life took place. each
trying to crowd the other out OF the way, rs ouiy
one Mt a time could he forced through the uper-
lures Oh account OF their snnl size. Some Of
the poor follows, seeing that ali cuud not escape
in this way, Caught at amy shadow OF hope that
offered, aud tried to dash down rHe stairs ard
through tho numes. only to meet a horrible
death. Tho men had not even til1E. to clothe
themselves, so sudden was the alarm, aud SO
quickly did the fire mako hcadWny.
THOSE WHO MADE THEIR ESCAPE,
however seemed so bcwidered by the sudden
outburst Of the tunes and the crieszt'f thor cou-
puniUtIs, that they T11sned buck intn the burning
building, attempting to snyc their little pTUp-
crty AT this moment the crash came. The
frail walls, weakened BY the attacks Of tho
tiumcs. crushed in upon the unfortunutes, and
their cries for help were drowned In the ronr OF
tho fumes. The scene lit this moment cluuot be
described. Shrieks and .:ronns went up On every
side from tho pour unfortunates, who hud been
burned aud scorched in sickentnK mnnner.
Strong men with great patches OF skin aud tlesh
peeled from thor bodies by tho touch OF the tire
ROLLED UPON THE GROUND
In their agony. Ten of the forty-three are
dead, and eight Or ten mora will die. The ill.,
1ured ure being cured for ut the West Penusyl-
vauia Hostnl. Many Of the victims leave fami-
lies in destitute condition. Great excitement
bus prevailed in the city all day over the calAn
ity, which surpAsSe5 In the uumhor Ut deaths
and the horror Of the details anything Ut the
kind that ever before occurred In this comlnu-
nifty.
To the Wtstern Associated Prtss.
PrrrsBURG, Pa, Dec. l0.-ils soon possible
word WIS sent to the other boarding -bouses
scsuus were summoned from tie ueighpurhood
and this city. Special engines were sent down
the pittsburg s. Lake Erie Road, and in the
meanwhile the shivering creatures were pro-
yide1 with such clothes as could be obtained.
The seriously injured we're brought TO the depot
OIL the South Side and thence rennved to the
West Pennsylvania Hospital, while those who
were less seriously burned were removed to the
hotel Of Martin Joyce, On PcnnsyivN1ta avenue.
THE SCENES THIS MORNING
Mt the site Of tho ILL., -fated building were of a
sickentng character. In heap in one corner Of
the ruins wer. the charred remains of six men
who had evidently succuulbed 10 the fiery ele-
ncnt while eudearortng to escape through IN
opeuing IN tho roof. Among these wus the body
Of Patrick Foley, one of tho forcmen.
TIE DEAD.
After the excitemrnt had subsidized, a list of
those known To nuve been sleeping in the build
ing last night was made out. and 1t was found
ten men bud perished In the hames:
Pat Foley, section boss, aged 50 years. native
Of County Gul;Say, Ireland single.
Michael DunOhuc, aged 5u, single man.
Andrew Doyle, aged 70. single.
Juhn COnnors. aged ~, single
= Jerry lianian, axed 36, single
James kerns, aged 3v stngles
Jonn Riley, aged Is, single. j.
John Duffy, aged 81, single.
John Kennedy, aged ", single.
Thomas Foster, aged 25 slngle.
None Of these have fixed residences.
THE WOUNDED -.
are as follows:
Michael Morgan, Worcester, Mass, fearful
burns about the head and body; will die.
John Connolly, Pttsburg, deep burns on the
face and head; cannot recover
/. Martin Lstey. wife and family In ireland,
badly burned about the face and body; likely to
die. 80
Michael Leonard, Pittsburg, seriously but not
fatally burned
O.. Hugh McCunc, boarding house keeper. burned
and trampled upon: recovery probable. 81.
William Barr. burned slightly.
: Edward Cullen, urt,about tho feet; not Sc
Matthew Clancy, New York, burned about the
feet; NOT serious. -. - '',.. .''
:. Montgomery Bush, Washington County, MARY
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