Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-12-16
FURIOUS FIRES.
n Heart Rending Holocaust Near
PitTshurS. Pa, and Million Dollar
Biaze at Chicago.
SlNTEEN MEN BURNED 10 DEATH.

1ITISBI RG, DEC. Iu.-NeWS Of the
! terrible and shocking holocaust which
I occurred at Rock Cut. seven miles from
talS city. this morning, about 5 O'Clock.
by which sixteen men were burned Il
death and a number fatally burned
has been received here. The fire o.
CURED in Il boarding house, in which
there were nearly 30 workmen. EN-.
! pioyed At David Island. Particulars
, later.
HORRORS, THICK AND FAST.
PrrrsBrRG, Dec, 10.-The horrors OF
PlttSburg follow close on the heels Of
each other. Last evening, a terrible
explosion occurred at the keystone
rolling mills, in the Fourteenth ward
but this morning comes another, which
exceeds IN horror anything which has
occurred in this vicinity since the terri,
bic destruction Of life caused hv the
collision at Twenty eighth street. Ear
ly this morning. frame boarding house
located ON the hne of the Pittsburg &
Lake Erie railroad, some seven miles
below this city, was set on fire by the
EXPLOSION OF 4 LAMP,
and of 40 peSons known to he sleepinc
III the building. only II escaped alive.
and even they were all more or less
burned, and not one of them succeeded
III securing his clothes. SO rapid was
the progress of the flames The Others
were literally roasted 10 death, without
the possibility of an effort being made
70 rescue them. The origin OF the
flames which brought such terrible dc.
structio. To human life and which
caused such agony To those who
ESCAPED FROM THE DEATH TRAP,
was the upSetting and explosion of
Kerosene oll lamp. The story. as told
by an eyewitness, was as follows. Be
tween and 5 A. NJ. Mr.. KoMn. the
boarding house keeper, arose and kim
died fire III the kitchen stove. He
LETT lighted lamp on the table, near
tn? door leading to the dining room.
and went 10 arouse his wife and ser
want girl. While he was gone an ex-
ploslon occurred, and in an instant the
dining-room was filled with flames.
MIR. kown succeeded i'll escaping with
his wife and girls, but could do no
more than call on those upstairs 10
ESCAPE FOR THEIR LIVES.
In another moment, the flames had en-
yeloped the stairway, thus cutting OIL
means of escape for those above.
FILLED WITH COMBUsTIBIES.
The loft was filed with straw and
other combustible material used rs bed
ding, and it was only those who we're
nearest 10 the opening who could make
their exit. The occupants in the rooms
Were stupitied by the sitting smoke.
The norrid flames rapidly licked up the
floor and filled the lott with smoke.
The scene battles description.
| Twenty-three of the occupants of the
loft succeeded in squeezing through
4 the openings with their under
! clothes on, and the others rushed fran
tlcally about the room, first To one end
and then to the other, their location
beng known by their cries, until the
smoke smothered them, and their
voices were stIfied in less time than il
takes to tellit. The building was
WRAPPED IN SHEETS OF FIRE,
and the survivors could only writhe in
| pain and shiver in the frosty air Of the
/ early morning. As soon as possible,
word was sent to the other boarding
houses along the line of work in pro-
| gress, and physicians were summoned
from the neighborhood and city.
Special engines were sent down on the
! Pittsburg Il Lake road, and in the
meanwhile
THE sHINERING CREATURES
were covered with such clothes as
could be obtained. The seriously iniur-
ed were brought to the depot and re-
moved to the West Pennsylvania hos
I q MI hil.a ti,nSa u.l,A
ously burned were removed to the
hotel of Martin Joyce. on Penpsy-
vania Avenue. The scenes, this morn
ing, at the site of the Inflated building,
We're Of sickening character. in
heap, III one corner OF the ruins. were
TIE CHARRED REMAINS
Of six men, who had, evidently, sue
cumbed to the fiery element while en-
deavOrlng to escape through an open
ing In the roof Among those was the
body Of Patrick Foley, one Of the fore
men.
From the best sources of informa-
ton. the following is list of those who
arc known to he
MISSING OR DEAD.
There are others yet to be added to
the list: Patrick Foley, Michael Dona
hue, Thos. Foster, James Curran, John
Reilly, John Kennedy, Jerry Hanlsn,
John Calnorsa, John Conley and
John Duffy.
Among those sent to the hospital
are John Connolly, Martin Taffv, Mi
chael Morgan, Michael Leonard, Hugh
McKeon and VIM. Barr
PITTsBURG, Dec. 10.-After the ex-
citement subsided list Of those known
to have been sleeping in the building
last light was made out, and il was
found that nine men persisted in the
flames, rs follows: Pat Foley, section
boss, 50 years old, a native of county
Galway, Ireland, single; NJ. Donahue,
aged 80, single; Andrew Doyle. aged
80, single; Jno. C0nnors, aged 80, sin
gle; Jerry Hanlon, aged IS, single. Jas.
Kernes, aged 80, single; John Riley.
aged 35, single; Sno. Duffy, aged 3j,
single; Jno. Kenney, aged 50, single;
Thos. Foster, aged %, single. None Of
these have fixed residences. The
wounded are as follows: Michael Nor
gan, Worcester, Mass, fearful burns
about his head and body, he will die;
John Connolly, Of Pittsburg, deep burns
on face and hands, he cannot recover;
Martin Lofey, wife and family in Ire
land, badly burned about the face and
body. likely 10 die; Michael Leonard,
of Pittsburg, seriously but not fatally
burned; II. MeCune, boarding house
keeper, burned and trampled on, re-
covery probable; VIM. Barr, burned
slightly; Edward Cullin, hurt about the
feet, not serious; Matt Clancy, of New
York, burned about the feet, rot seri-
Gus; Montgomery Bush, of Washing
ton county, No. (wife and family there),
bruised and trampled upon, viii get
| well; Jno. Riley, badly hurt about the
feet, and painfully burned, viii recover;
Aug. L. Campbell, slightly burned.
A BIG FIRE.
CHICAGO, Dec. 1O.-1he large four-
story brick warehouse of ID. NJ. o.
borne & Co, on South Logan street.
was entirely destroyed by fire this
morning. The alarm sounded about
O'Clock, but the flames had gained
such beadsay that il was imposs ble
for the fire department to subdue them.
The building was filed with reapears
and machinery, on which there was an
insurance Of 81 ,O00. 600. The building