Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-12-12
uuIaF H@s!gvI EAs!Ek
~ the Fire Fiend'
Burning of a Boarding House at
Pittsburg, Pa.
Twenty-Six Mem Killed-Many Fa-
tally Injured.
N1Is nas!!vl WkH2

PITTsBuRG. Pa, Dec. 10.
Horrors in Pitrsburg follow close upon the
heels of each other Last evening a horrl-
HE cxplosion occurred at the Keystone Roll
ing Mills IN 18th Ward, but this morning
come. another " hich exceed in horror any
thing which has occurred in this vicinity
since the terrible destruction of life caused
by the collision at 2sth street. Between
and O'Clock this morning frame boarding
bou.e located on the line Of the Pittsburg
Lake Erie Railroad, some I miles below this
city, was set on fire by the explosion Of
lamp. and of 80 persons known to have been
sleeping in the house only "a escaped alive,
and everv one were more or less bnrned.
Not one of them succeeding in Sc
curing their clothes, so rapid was the prog
ress of the flames. The IOthers were liter
ally roasted to death " ithOut possibility OF
an effort being made to rescue them.
The building in which the fire occurred
was located at a place called Cut Rock and
was owned by Martin Joyce, a contractor.
but was urder the management of Mr..
Kown, as boarding house keeper. 1t was 30
feet wide and 80 feet in length. and cOnstruc-
ter of l6 foot boards placed on end. 1t has
a board roof with a very steep pitch and the
loft formed by a sloping roof. was the place
in which the IabOrers were huddled for the
night.
In the lower story was the dining room,
and at one end of the building were kitchen.
The stairs leaking to the left was little better
than a ladder. and was located Just at the
side of the door leading from the dining room
to the kitchen. In the loft the hunks were
arranged, but the only light which penetrated
were two openings without glass, but which
were closed at night by sliding doors, SO as
to keep out the chill night air.
Into this dark loft some 43 men were sup
posed to have slept last night. At least that
number were at supper last evening, and
none were reported away when the hour for
retiring came. The origin of the flames
which wrought such terrible destruction to
human life, and which caused such agony to
those who escaped from the death trap, was
the upsetting and explosion of kerosene
lamp. The story as told by an eye witness
of the fire was substantially as follows:
Between two and three o'clock this morn
ing Mr.. Korm, the clearinghouse keeper,
arose and kindled Ere in the kitchen stove.
He left lighted lamp on a table near the
door leading to the dining room, and went to
arouse his wife and servant girls. While he
was gone the explosion occurred, and in an
instant the dining room was filled with
flames. Mr.. korm succeeded in escaping
with his wife and the girls, but could not do
for their lives.
In another moment the flames had mount
ed the stairway, TINS cutting off all means of
escape for the doomed men above, except
through small openings at either end and
from those the sliding doors had to be re-
moved. The loft was filled with straw and
combustible material used in bedding, and it
was only those nearest to the openings
who could make their escape on account of
the sitting smoke, which even the flames,
rapidly licking up the floor and filling the
loft, did not penetrate.
Nothing but forms in a semi-nude condi-
ton could be seen. Twenty three of the oc-
cupants of the loft succeeded in squeezing
themselves through the openings. some with
their underclothing on fire. The others
rushed frantically about the room, first to
one side and then to the other, their location
being known by their cries, until the smoke
ssffocated them, and their voices were stified
in less time than it takes to tell it.
The building was wrapped in fire, and the
survivors could only writhe in pain and
shiver in the frosty air of the early morn
ing
As soon as possible word was sent to the
other boarding houses along the line of
work, and physicians were summoned from
the neighborhood and the city.
Special engines were sent down the Pitts
burg 4 Lake Erie road, and in the mean
while the shivering creatures were provided
with such clothing as could be obtained. The
seriously injured were brought to the depot
on the south side and thence removed to the
West Pennsylvania Hospital, while those who
were less seriously burned were removed to
the hotel of Martin joyce on PENNSYLVANIA
avenue.
The scenes this morning at the site of the
Inflated building were of sickening charac-
ter. In heap in one corner of the ruins
were the charred remains of six men who
had evidently succumbed to the fiery ele-
ment while endeavoring to escape through
the opening in the roof. Among these was
the body of Patrick Foley, one of the fire.
men. Sixteen bodies have been recognized
LATER. 1t has been ascertained that nine
men were burned to death. Twelve were
seriously burned, of which number four will
die. The coroners inquest was begun today
and adjourned till Monday. 1t was demon
strated that the fire was caused by the ex-
plosion of lamp.