Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-12

Roasted to Deaih-Three Fatally
and Eight Seriously Irjured.
PITTsBURG, December 10.-A boiler burst
in the Keystone Rolling Mill, on Friday
evening, completely demolishing the boiler
house, killing one man and seriously
wounding ten more.
News is received of a terrible and shock
ing holocaust which occurred at Rock Cut,
seven miles from this city, this morning
about 3 O'Clock, by which sixteen men were
burned to death aud large number fatally
injured.
LATER Horrors in Pittsburg follow close
upon the heels of each other. Last evening
terrible explosion occurred at the Key
stone Rolling Mil, Fourteenth ward, but
this morning comes another which exceeds
in horror anything which has occurred in
this vicinity since the terrible destruction
of life caused bV the collision at Twenty
eighth street. Between 2 and O'Clock this
morning frame boarding house, located on
the line of the Pittsburg and Lake Erie Rail
road, some seven miles below the city, was
set on fire by an explosion of a lamp, and
of fifty persons known to be sleeping, only
twenty-four escaped alive. All were more
or less burned. 50 rapid was the progress
of the flames that some were literally roast
ed to death without the possibility Of an ef-
fort being made to rescue them.
The building in which the fire occurred
was located about seven miles from this
city, at q place called Catrock, and was
owned by Martin Joyce, 4 contractor. but
was under the management of Mr.. Kown
as boarding house keeper. 1t was about
thirty feet wide and fifty feet long, and
constructed of sixteen feet boards placed on
end. 1t had a board roof, with a very steep
pitch, aud 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,
aud at the end of the building was the
kitchen. The stairs leading to the left 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 were arranged, but the only light
which penetrated were two openings with
out glass, and which were closed at night
with sliding doors so as to keep out the
chill night air. In this dark loft some for
ty-three men were supposed to have slept
last night; at least that number were at
supper last evening, and none were report
ed away when the hour for retiring came.
The origin of the fire was the upsetting and
explosion OF kerosene oil lamp.
The storY,as told by an eye. witness of the
fire, was substantially as follows: Between
two and three O'Clock this morning, Kown,
the boarding house keeper, arose and kin
died a fire in the kitchen stove. He left the
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 occurred, and In an
instant the dining room was filed with
flames Kown succeeded In escaping with
do more than call upon those
upstairs to escape for their lives.
In another moment the flames bad envel-
oped the stairway, thus cutting off all
means of escape for the doomed men above
except through the small openings at either
end, and from which the sliding doors had
to be removed. The loft was filed with
straw aud combustible material used In the
bedding, and it was only those who were
nearest te.the openings who could make
their escape. Forms in semi-nude condi
tion could be seen struggling in the sitting
smoke. Twenty. three OF the occupants of
the loft succeeded in squeezing through
the openings with their underclothes on
fire The Others rushed frBntically about
the room uotil the smoke suffocated them
and their voices were stif1ed in death.
The survivors groaned and writhed In
the frosty air of the early morning as they
were borne off, AS soon as possible word
was sent to the other boarding houses along
the line OF the work, and physicians were
summoned from their neighborhood and the
city. Special engines were sent down the
Pittsburg nd Lake Erie Road, but in the
meantime the shivering victims were provi-
ded with such clothing as could be obtained
The seriously injured were brought to the
depot on the south side and there 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 a sicksning character. In heap
IL one corner Of the ruins were the charred
remains of six men, who had evidently sue
cumbed to the fiery element while en-
desvoring to escape through an opening In
the roof.
After the excitement had subsided list
of those known to have been sleeping IN the
building last night was made out, and 1t
was found that ten men bad perished In the
flames. Three others will die, and eight
are badly burned. The ecene at the ruins
this afternoon was desolate. The shanty
stood at the opening of the green hollow,
and nothing rema aimed but three blackeued
joists and part of one door. The site
of the kitchen was strewn with
kirchen and dining room furni-
ture, more than half consumed, kitchen
utensils, shreds Of clothing, human bones,
strips OF crisped flesh, and skulls. the latter
being found in several places. Where the
north end of the building had stood, on
portions Of partially consumed straw bed,
were the remains of seven victims, piled up
in such confusion as to give the beholder an
idea of the horrible agony the victims must
have suffered before losing consciousness.
This bed was located under one of the
openings, and 1t was evident fIGm the posi-
tion of the bodies that, the original Occu
pants having escaped, the others had sought
to fee through the opening, but had become
hopelesslv entaDgled and suffocated. They
were burned to unrecognizable shapes, and
when the floor of the loft gave way the
charred remains dropped to the ground be-
low.