Daily globe., 1881-12-11
THEY COME IN TROOPS.
Another ImmOlation of Human
Lives.
BURNING OF A BOARDING HOUSE.
Near Pittsburgh Yesterday Morning
10 to 16 Roasted Alive.
VIENNA HORROR INCREASING
Six Hundred Lives Certain to Have
Been Lost.

PITTSBURG, Dec. 10.-News of terrible and
shocking holocaust which occurred at Rock
Cut, seven miles from this city, this morning,
about o'clock, by which sixteen men were
burRed 10 death and large number fatally
burned, has been received here. The fire oc-
Cured in boarding house in which nearly
fifty workmen, employed at Davis Island dam,
were boarding.
Horrors in Pittsburg follow close upon the
heels of each other. Last evening terrible
explosion occurred at the Keystone rolling
mills, in the Fourteenth ward, but this morn
ing comes another which exceeds in horror
ANYTHING which has occurred in this vicinity
since the terrible destruction of life caused by
the collision at Twenty ght street. This morn
ing, between and 3o'clock, a frame boarding
house located on the line of the Pittsburg &
Lake Erie railroad, some seven miles below
this city, was set on fire by the explosion of
lamp, and of forty persons known to be Sleep
ing, only twenty-four escaped alive, and even
they were all more or less burned, and not one
OF them succeeded in securing their clothes,
so rapid was the 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 this city, at place
called Cut Rock, and was owned by Martin
joyce, contractor, but was under the manage
ment of a Mr.. Y. Known, the boarding house
keeper. 1t was about thirty feet wide and
fifty feet in length, and was con-
structed of sixteen-foot boards placed
on end. 1t had a board roof with a very steep
pitch, and the loft formed by the sloping roof
was the place in which the laborers were hud-
died for the night. In the lower story was the
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 Leading
from the dining room to the kitchen. Ia the
loft bunks were arranged, but the only lights
which penetrated were two openings without
glass, but which were closed at night with
Sliding doors, so as to keep out the chill of the
night air Into this dark loft some forty
three men were supposed to haYe slept last
night. At least that number were at supper
last evening, and none were reported away
when the hour fer 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 oil lamp.
1Qe SlOrY as IOlu pN dQ eye WllHtSS Oh LIE llIc
was substantially as follows Between and
o'clock this morning Mr.. Known, the board
ing house keeper, arose and kindled a fire in
the kitchen stove He left lighted 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 oc
Cured, and in an instant the dining room was
filled with flames. Mr.. Known succeeded in
escaping with his wife and girls, but could do
no more than call upon those upstairs to es-
cape for their lives. In another moment the
flames had enveloped the stairway, thus cut
ting off the means of escape for the doomed
above, except through the small openings at
either end, and from those they had to be re-
moved.
The loft was filled with straw and combust-
ible material used in bedding, and it was only
those who were nearest to the openings who
could make their exit. The horrid flames rap
idly licked UP the floor and filled the loft.
Nothing but forms in semi-nude condition
could be seen. Twenty-three of the occupants
of the loft succeeded in squeezing through the
openings, some with their underclothes on
fire. The others rushed frantically about the
room, first to one end and then the other their
location being known by their cries, until the
smoke suffocated them and their voices were
stihed. In less time than it takes TO tell it
the building was wrapped in sheets offire, and
the survivors could only writhe in pain and
shiver in the frosty air of the early morning.
RELIEF.
AS ysoou as possible word was sent to the
other boarding houses along the line of the
work in progress, and physicians were sum-
moned from the neighborhood and city.
Special engines were sent down the Pittsburgh
& Lake Erie road, and in the meanwhile the
shivering creatures were provided with such
clothes as could be obtained. The seriously
injured were brought to the depot on lhe
South Side, and thence removed tn 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
i'll fated building were of sickening charac-
ter. In heap in one corner of the ruins were
the charred remains of six men who had evil
dently succumbed to the firery element while
endeavoring TO escape through an opening in
the roof. Among these was the body of
Patrick Foley, one of the firemen.
THE DEAD.
From best sources of information the fol-
lowing is list of those who are known to be
missing or dead. There are others yet to be
added to the list; Patrick Foley. Michael
DonohHe, 1hos. Foster, Jas. Carran, John
Conors, John Conley and John Duffy. Among
those sent TO the hospital are John Connolly,
Martin Taffey, Michael Morgan, Michael
Leonard, Hugh Mexican, VIM. Barr.
After the excitement had subsided list of
those known to have been sleeping in the
building last night was made out, and it was
found that nine men had perished in the
flames: Pat Foley, section boss aged so, ma
tive of county Galway, Ireland, single; Mich
ael Donohue, age so, single; Andrew Doyle,
age 80, single; John Connors, age So,
single; Jerry Hanlon. age So,
single; James Kerns, age so, single;
John Riley, aged 35, single; Jno. Duffy, age
35, single; Jno. Kennedy, age IS, single; Thos.
Foster, age 25, single. None of these have
fixed residences. The wounded are as follows:
Michael Morgan, Worcester, Mass, fearful
burns about the head and body, will die; Jno
Connolly, Pittsburg. deep burns on face and
hand, cannot recover; Martin A.affey,
wife and family in Ireland, badly
burned about the face and body, will likely
die; Michael Leonard Pittsburg, seriously
but not fatally burned; Hugh McCune, board
ing houee keeper, burned and trampled upon,
recovery probable; VIM. Barr, burned slightly:
Edward Cullen, hurt about the feet, not seri-
Gus; Matthew Cloney, New York, burned
about the feet, not serious; Montgomery
Bush, Washington county, Mo-, wife and
family there, bruised and trampled, will re-
cover; John Reilly, badly hurt about the feet
and painfully burned, but will recover; Hugh
slioh4Iv bY,r,a1