Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-05-14
Flames Spring Up from the
Wreck and Destroy. Human
Life.
The Catastrophe the Res ult of
Gross Negligence and Official
CarelesSneSS- Distress
ing Scenes.
A BROOKLYN TRAGEDY.
LIVES LOST IN A FIRE TRAP.


other horrible catastrophe occurred IN
Brooklyn. A great building, used for
manufacturing purposes and literally
swarming with human beings, was
totally destroyed by fire. At least
three persons were burned to death
and many more seriously, some fatal
ly, injured. The wonder is that so
many escaped from the death trap
with their lives. The cause of the
disaster was the sudden giving away
of two jackscrews that were holding
up one of the walls of a part of the
building that was being repaired. The
breaking of the jacks caused the wall
to sag, and, before it could be showed
up, it fell with a mighty crash, bring
ing down an entire wing of the build
ing. In few seconds flames leaped
up from the ruins and communicated
to the whole of the vast structure,
which occupied an entire block,
bounded by State and Hicks street,
Atlantic avenue, and Columbia place.
The American T iber company had
occupied the western half of the west
ern extension. The great quantity of
water that they used had
ROTTED THE FLOORING
and girders so that lately it was deem
ed necessary to do some proping. G.
B. Miller, q house mover, of No. 979
Berger street, was engaged to make
the repairs. Some piers we're built In
the cellar. 1t is said that instead of
putting in new girder it was deemed
safe enough to use an old one. While
the work was in progress the floor
was held up by jacks, which support
ed much of the weight Of the eXten
sion. This morning Frank Miller,
son of the house-mover, and three of
his men set to work to remove the
jacks. Tais let the whole weight
rest on the old gIrder, which gave
way. The floor above came crashing
down a moment after Miller and his
men had carried out the jacks and put
them On a wagon, WHICH had backed
up to the extension through an alley
leading to Columbia place. The floors
above were occupied by half dozen
manufacturers. G. A. Young, paint
manufacturer, occupied half of the
ground floor. On the floor above was
one shop occupied by William burst,
metal spinner. The shop of Why
land 6 Co, manufacturers of sand
soap, was above it, together with @.
w. Butler. tin manufacturer, who
has another at No. 10 Chambers
street. and Benjamin Moore, calci-
miner, occupied the forth floor. The
top floor was the curtain~pin
shop of Henry L. Judd. There was
FIRE IN THE FURNACES
of the tinware shops in which the
men heated the soldering irons. In
the soap factory there were some
smolderlng fires. It is thought that
when the floors fell that either the
furnaces of the tin shop or the fire in
the soap factory set fire to the build
There were ten tons of silicate stored
in the soap factory few days ago,
and it is thought by some that its
weight : might have had something
to do with the breaking Of the gisder.
2There, was button factory in the
fifth story of the middle extension.
Mile Hine, the proprietor, four men,
and twenty-five girls began work
there shortly after z o'clock. The
many pulleys and wheels we're buzz
ing, and the lathes and button stamps
were going briskly. At 9 o'clock one
of the girls saw the
SHAFTING ABOVE HER HEAD TREM>
BILE
She called a companions attention to
it, but that was all. g. moment later
the building shook and the machinery
clanked and ratified A great cloud
of white dust came up from the area
below and rushed in through the open
window. Joe Phillips, the foreman,
coughed and pulled down the window
near him. The girls were frightened
and stopped work. Keep your
presses, girls" Mr.. Hines said. "there
is nothing the matter" Phillips was
looking out of the window. He saw
old Dan Lowrey the, engineer, run
down into the basement, where the
engine was. Then came the sharp
cry of the steam whistle, aud the
pulleys suddenly stopped. Phillips
heard a crushing noise come from the
easthern extension, and saw the floors
give way and then crash downward.
Another great cloud of dust arose,
and then came flame and smoke. The
Iently burst open, and smoke poured
in among the girls.
''THE BUILDING IS ON FIRE"
Phillips said, quietly. The girls
screamed and rushed toward the door,
but the fremen was there before
them. "You can't all get down that
way alive" he said. We'll have to
divide no and get out by the three
exits The glrlds were divided into
three squads. Kate Crowley. her sis
tiers Maggie and Hannon, Mary Nc
Grath, and Katie Dunn were nearest
the door leading to the stairs, and
they were sent down that way. They
gained the alley in safety and got into
Atlantic street through 25 foot pas
sage which runs under the frame
house at No. 55. Mr.. Hief, one of the
| workmen, and seven of the girls
climbed down a fire escape, and Phil