The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-05-07

New York May 5.-iO:e0a. m.-Early
this morning the two houses Nos. 90 anC
81 Atlantic street. Brooklyn, ton In witt
u crash. A number OF persons arc 70
ported 20 have been killed aud others
seriously hurt.
HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE.
tits now believed 80 lives were lost !
the Brooklyn disaster. Three bodies
have been taken from tho ruins. They
were burned beyond recognition.
The Albeit buildings, on State street
which are let out, with steam power, fol
various manufacturing purposes, to
gether with a building IN the rear, were
destroyed. The roar building was un.
dergoing repairs and one of the
Props GAVE WAY
under the girders, when the whole
structure collapsed, burying the work
men beneath tho rui ms. Fire comnu-
nicated with the front OF the building
and despite tho efforts of the firemen
were DESTROYED. The names of the vic
tins have not been ascertained at 1:fJ
d. m. Fifteen wOrkmen are supposed
TO be in the ruins.
THE TERRoRs OF THE DISASTER.
At 9:2O this morning an alarm was
sent out to fire headquarters
from the south ferry station, Brooklyn.
Within 30 minutes alter there
were four alarms and two special calls,
which hurried is fire companies to the
scene of the disaster, the extent OF
which will probably not be known for
some days. Fronting 200 feet on State
street is a building known as the estate
Street Machine Shops" but Is
of series Of irregular but connected
buildings which occupy most OF the
interior of the block bounded by At
lantic avenue and State street and Pick
and Columbia streets. The principal
Atlantic avenue. When the fire.
men got to the Atlantic avenue en-
trance, they found that all the interiors
of the buildings were in flames, and
that the westerly wall of the fifth story
of the building had fallen out and car
ried with it the extension of
the t6nements fronting on At
lantic avenue and dire fly west of
the entrance. The utmost excitement
prevailed and the most
EXAGGERATED RUMoRs
were afioat as to the damage done and
the loss of lie. When the excitement
had subsidized the conflicting rumors
fioally shaped themselves into this:
That some workmen were engaged
in putting new girder nunder
The westerly wall of building No. 5. 10
this end jacks were employed. One had
been screwed SO high thas the other
jacks bore no weight at all, and upon
the fact being discovered, the foreman
ordered that the jack in question be
eased down. 1t was while the mon
were engaged in doing this that
the westerly wall, unevenly propped,
gave way and fell carrying with 1t
about one third Of The westerly end of
the building. Almost simultaneously
flames burst forth in the building, 1t be-
ing used for soap works, where furnaces
upon the extensions of the dwelling
house on Atlantic avenue,
CRUSHED THEM LIKE EGG SHELLS,
the cooking stoves scattering their
burning GOALS among the debris, and
started the flames among the tene-
ments. The houses damaged by the fire
in this manner run from No. 40 to 63
Atlantic street. No. 8 was occupied as
Henry l.. Judd u Co., window shade
roller manufacturers; had the whole of
the top on chs fifth floor. They also oc-
cupied floors in the main building,
which fronted on State street. They
alone employed about 300 hands.
The fourth floor was occupied by @.
w. Butler IL Co., tin dealers, who had
one halfan Benjamin Moore & Co., had
William burst, a metal spinner, had
half of the second floor. The other por-
ton was not occupied.
George Young had half of the first
floor as q machine shop, and William
Dawes, machiDist, the other half.
These were all the occupants of the
place where the calamity occurred. A
large numbenof manufacturers occupied
other buildings and parts OF buildings,
and great number OF people were en-
George L. Albeit, the agent states
that these places were owned by Mr..
Nath Gushing, OF Boston. All were fur
nished with steam power, and Mr..
Cushing's insurance on the buildings
and machinery was about $4,000.
THE NUMBER OF OCCUPANTS.
When Mr.. Albeit was asked how
many men there were In at the time
When the buildings fell, he said: ~
ion't know; about 40, l guess.
The superintendent OF II. IL. judd q
Go. laughed at this.
why" he said, "we have 300 alone,
and suppose there were over LOO in
hat building"
In the different manufacturing
places in the buildings there
we're 700 people. In the New
York Tin company's employ there
we're so or 40 girls, and whether all es-
,aped is question which cannot yet De |
solved. Some Of them were seen Shrek
ug upon the iron fire escape of the
onrth' floor, where the tin
actory was located. The
lanes seemed to leap from
ioor 10 floor with celebrity that battles
Within one hour the
Yhois mass mass of structures was In
lanes. with the exception of building
No, Z, which fronts on Columbus
street, but which was thoroughly
The fire extended to the build
pgs that frontod on state street. The
buildings went to pieces like houses OF
ards. While the excitement was at its
highest
FOUR EXPLOSIONS
we're heard in quick succession. The
our engine boilers under State
treet were heard to burst. The walls
al - v,f1lu and fvV0 hOura Altar the fir0