The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-12-15
TENEMENT HOUSE HORROR.
Twenty-Six Sleeping People Roasted to
Death In Pennsylvaui2.

IIIIeBI ~. A-f b'--ihCN' 49,
News is received Of 4 terrible and shock
ing holocaust which occurred at Rock Cut,
seven miles from this city. this morning
about three o'clock. by which sixteen men
were burnci TO death and a large number
fatally injured.
LAIER-ii Horrors in P,tsburg follow Close
upon the heels Of each other. Last evening
Ii terrible explosion occurred at the key-
stone Rolling MIL, in the 18th Ward. but
this morning comes another. whic! exceeds
in horror anything which has occurred in
this vicinity since The terrible destruction
Of life caused by the collision at 2oth street.
Between and 3 o'clock this morning
frame boarding house, located on he line
Of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad,
some seven miles below the city was set OH
fire By tie explosion Of lamp. ami OF hity
persons known to be sleeping only twenty
four escaped alive. All were more or les
burned SO rapid was the progress Of the
flames that some were literally roasted -
death without the possibility Of an effort
being made TO rescue them.
The building in which the fire occurred
was located about seven miles from this
city al a place called Rock Cut. and was
owned by Martin Joyce, contractor, but
was under the management OF Mr.. hown
.s 4 uuAiuiug nousekeeper. 1t was about
thirty feet wide and fifty feet long, aud
constructed Of sixteen feet boards placed on
end. /, had board roof with u very steep
pitch. and the loft formed by the sloping
roof was the place in which the laboTcrs
were huddled together for the night. In
the lower story was the dining room, and
at one end of the building was the kitchen.
The stairs leading 10 the loft were little bet
ter than ladder. and were located just at
the side Of the door leading from the dining
room TO the kitchen. In the loft bGnks
were arranged, but the only light which
49, t..t f,t.A N
glass, and which were closed at night 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 reported away
when tho hour for retiring came.
The origin Of the fire was the upsctting
and explosion of Kerosene lamp. The
story a. told by All eye witness of the fire
was substantially as follows: Between ,
and 3 O'Clock this morning kown. the
boarding 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 lis
wife and the servant girls. While lie was
gone the explosion occurred. and III all in
slant the dining room was filled with flames.
kOwn succeeded in escaping with his wife
and girls, but could not do more than to
call upon those up stairs TO escape for their
lives. In another moment the flames iIatl
cnvelopcd the stairway, thus cutting off all
means Of escape for the doomed men above
except through the small openings at either
end, and from those the sliding doors had
to be removed. The loft was filled with
straw and combustibe material used in the
bedding, and it was only those who were
nearest to the openings who could make
their escape. Forms in q seni-nudc cOndi-
ton could be seen struggling in the sitting
smoke. Twentythree of the occupants Of
the loft succeeded in squeezing through the
openings, some with their under clothes on
fire. Others rushed frantically about the
room until the smoke suifocated them, and
their voices were stifled in death. The sur
vivors groaned and writhed in pain and
shivered in the frosty mir Of the early morn
ing as they were borne OIL.
The scenes this morning at the site Of the
illfated building were of sickenng char
actcr In u heap in one corner the ruins
were the charrod remains OF six men who
had evidently succumbed to the fiery cle-
ment while cndeavoring to escape through
the opening i'll the roof.