The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-12-11
NEWS
ANOTHER HOLOCAUST.
FeHriuI Catastrophe Neer
Pittsburgh,

| suIs IuornlHg, ADOut-0 O'CLOCK, by VIII lch
sixteen men were burned to death, and a
large number fatally burned has been
received. The fire occurred in board
ing house in which nearly fifty work
men, employed at Davis Island dam,
were boarding.
| This mornings horror exceeds any
thing in this vicinity since the collision
| on Twenty Eighth street, between Sec
ond and Third. A frame boarding
| house, located on the line of the Pitts
burg and Lake Erie railroad, some seven
miles be oW the city, was set on fire by
the exPlUs on Of lamp, and of party
OF forty persons, known to be sleeping,
only twenty-four escaped alive, and even
they were ali more or less burned, and
| his clothes, so rapid was thu progress of
the flames. The others were literally
roasted to death without the possibility Of
an effort being made to rescue them. The
building in which the fire occurred, as
stated above, was located about seven
miles from the city, at place called Cut
| Rock. 1t was owned by Martin Joyce,
contractor, but was under the manage
ment of "a Mr.. L. V. KoWn, IS board
ing house keeper. II was about thirty
feet wide and fifty feet in length, and
consisted Of sixteen feet boards placed n
end. It had board roof with very
steep pitch, and the loft formed by the
| sloping roof was the place in which the
| laborers were huddled for the night. In
the lower story was the dining room and
st the end of the building was the kit
chen. The stairs leading to the loft
were little better than ladder and were
located just at the side OF the door
leading from the dining room to the
kitchen. In the loft hunks we've arranged
but the only lights which penetrated
were two openings, withoai glass, but
which were closed at Light with sliding
doors, so as to keep out the chill night
| air. In this dark loft some forty-three
men were supposed to have slept last
night. At least that number were at
supper last evening, and none were re-
ported away when the hour for retiring
came. The origin of the flames which
wrought such terrible destruction 10
| human life, and which caused such
agony to those who escaped from the
death trap, was the upsetting aud exalo-
sion of kerosene oil lamp. The story,
as told by an eye witness Of the FIRE, was
substantially as follows: Between 2 and
8 o'clock this morning, Mr.. KOwn, the
boarding house keeper, arose and kindled
the kitchen FIRE. He left lighted lamp
on table near the door leading to the
dining.room, and went to arouse his wife
and the servant girls. While he WEE
gone the explosion occurred. and in an
4 instant the dining room was filled with
flames. Mr.. KoWn succeeded in escaping
with his wife and girls, but could do no
more than call upon those upstairs to
escape for their lives. In another mo,
ment the flames hal enveIoped the stair
way, thus cutting off the means o.
escape for the dolmed men above, ex-
cept through the small openings at either
end, and from these the sliding doors hac
to be remsV ed.
The lofG was filed with straw and com
bustible material used ia the bedding,
and it was only those who were nearest t.
the opening VINO could make their exit
| Twenty three occupants 10 the rooms il
spite of the sitting aud even the horriC
flames, succeeded in squeezing through
the openings some way. With their I'M
dsrclothing on fire they rushed fran
tically about the room, first TO one enc
an then to the other, their location bsini
known by their cries; until the smokt
suffocsted them and their voices were
e,ihed. In less time than it takes to tel
IL the building was wrapped in sheets o
fire and the survivors cOu only writh
, in paiu and SILVER in the frosty air of tn,
early morning. As soon as possible
word was sent to other boarding
houses along the line, and physician
were summoned from the neigh0OrhooC
: and this city. Special engines were sen
down the Pittsburg and Lake Erie road
ard in the meanwhile, the sniverini
creatures were provided with sue
clothes ss could be obtained. The seri
ously Injured were brought to the depo
on the south side, and thence remove
| t. the west Pennsylvania Hospital, Will
those who were less seriously burned
were removed to the hotel of Marti
Joyce, on Pennsylvania Avenue. Tn
lGceneS, this morning, at the site {
| the i'll fated building, we're of sicker
ing character. In hesp, in one corne
of the ruiz 4, were the cbarred remains {
six men, VINO b ID evidently succum be
to the fiery emeLt while endeavOring
escape through the openings in the roo
Among these was the body c
Patrick Foley, one or the foremer
From the best source of information
the following is list of those who al
known to be missing or dead. here al
others yet to be added to the list: Pa
rick Foley, Michael DonOhue, IhOms
Foster, James Currsn, John Reilly, job
Kennedy, Jerry Hsnlon, John Conner;
John Connolly and John Duffy. Anon
those sent TO the hospital are John Con
nelly, Martin Taffey. Michael Morgan
Michael Leonard, Hugh Mexican sn
WIN. Barr.
On the arrival of the fire brigade it VS.
found impossible to penetrate beyond tn
frat ter OF the theatre, the rush OF su
locating smoke aud air eItinguishing th
, lamps and torches. The fremen retire
under the mementsry impression tbs
because their shouts were not answered
there were no more people In the theatre
Those who escaped on the first alarm
however, soon undeceived them. An
other effort was then made to penetrat
parts Of the theatre which were not &C
tually blazing. In the narrow psssag
between the second andithird galleries,
mass of corpses were discovered, som
closely interlscked. 1t was hardly POI
sible to part them. The first man dis
covered was got out alive, but all tn
rest were dead. These were persons VII
had lost their way in consequence {
the turning of Of the gas, which il
4 nov ascertained was done By an ire
sponsible person, with view.to preEeE
an explosion. Some men were foun
graspiDg each others threats. Subst
Iouopt inuaotioafiop showed in som