Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1881-12-10
Virginia Legislators Call on
the President and are
Stood off.
A Disaster in Pittsburg Which Re.
suits in the Loss OF Six
teen Lives.


Pitisburg Disasters.
Pittsburg, Dec. 1O-Horrors in Pitts.
burg seem TO be following close upon
the heels of each other. Last evening
terrible explosion occurred ut the Key
stone roiing mill in tho 14th ward. This
morning comes another whic!, exceeds il.
The building in which the fire occurred
was located about seven miles f,om the
city at place called Gu. Rock, and was
owned by Larkin Joyce. contractor,
but was under the management OF n Mr..
v. Koun, as boarding house keeper. 1t
was about 30 feet wide and so in length
and constructed of 1G foot boards placed
on end. 1t had q board roof with a
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 dining room
and at one end of the building was the
kitchen. The stairs leading to the loft
were little better than ladder and were
located just at the side of the door lead
ing from the dining room to the kitchen.
In the loft hunks were arranged, but the
only lights which penetrated came
through two openings without glass, but
which were closed at night with sliding
doors so as to keep out the chill night
air. In this dark loft some torty-three
men arc supposed to have slept that
night, ut least that number were at sup
per last evening, and none were reported
away when the hour for retiring came.
The origin of the flames which have
wrought such terrible destruction 10 hui
man 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
Oh eye witness Of the fire was substan-
TALLY as follows: Between two and three
o'clock this morning Mr.. Koun, the
boarding house keeper arose and kindled
fire in the kitchen stove, He put a
light ed lamp on the 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 filed
with flames. Mr.. Koun succeeded in es-
Gaping with his wife and girls, but could
not do more than call upon those up
stairs to escape for their lives. In an
other moment the flames had enveloped
the stairway, thus cutting OF all meanl
OF escape for the doomed men above, ant
their voices were stitled in less time thar
it takes to tell it. As soon as possible
word was sent to other boarding houses
along tho line Of work in progress ant
physicians were summoned.
THE HORROR
exceeds any thing which has occurred il
this vicinity since the terrible destruc
tion of life caused by the collision o
28th street. This morning, bet ween tive
and three o'clock frame boarding
house located on the line of the Pitts
burg and Lake Erie railway, some sever
miles below the city, it was set on fir
by the explosion of lamp. and of fort.
persons known to be sleeping onl.
twenty -four escaped alive, and even the.
were more or less burned and not one o
them succeeded in securing their clothes
So rapid was the progress of tn
flames the others were literally roasted t
death without the possibility of an efol
being made to rescue them. The scene
this morning at the site Of the i'll fate
building were of slckening character
'. In heap in one corner Of the ruin
were the charred remains of six men VIII
had evidently succumbed to the fiery eli
mcnt while endeavoring to escap
> through the openings in the roo
Among those was the body Of Patric
y Foley, one of the foremen. From I'll
best sources of information the follow
). ing is list of those who are known
= be missing or dead. There are othel
! vet to be added to the list: Patrit
Foley, Thomas Foster, John Refill
Michael Donahue, James Curran, Jol
Kennedy, Jerry Harlem, John Conner
:. John Coudey and John Duffy. Amor
= those sent to the hospital are John Co
: nelly, Martin Taffery. Michael Morga
Michael Leonard, Hugh McKeon, WI
Barr. The loft was filled with straw al
= combustible material used in beddin
:, and it was only these who were neare
the openings who could make their cx
Forms in semi-nude condition could
seen. Twenty-three Of the occupar
succeeded in squeezing through t
openings. some with their undercloth
. on fire, others rushed frantically abo
the room first to one end and then to t
other. the location being known
their cries until the smoke suffocat
them.
Capital Notes.
Washington, December l0-The sec
tary of the treasury with the consent
= the president. will very soon make pit
. lie all instructions sent by the depa
ment to Ministers Hurlburt and Kip
= A 4 I'm l.