The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-05-06

OF tho Brooklyn Disaster-A Number OF
e Persons Killed.
Z BROOKLYN, N. Y, May 5.-The follow
ing connected account Of the horror this
morning Is published This afternoon:
Shortly after 9o'clock this morning
there was crash at No. so Atlantic ave-
nue., Blooklyn, and people looking up
from the street saw the roof Of the build
ing had fallen in, and that q portion
Of the walls had fallen. They could
hear the screams Of people injured, and
It seemed but o momen. when d volume
Of smoke rolled up showing the building
had taken, FIRE. Hundreds Of people,
men, women and girls, were at work at
branches OF business carried
on in the building, which covers consid.
cradle ground, having three wings, and
which extend through from Atlantic ave.
nfe to State street. AsAoon as the crash
was heard OF the falling roof hundreds Of
those employed in the Ehnilding fled or
endeayored to. make their way out by
every avenue Of escape which, they were
familiar with, and some who were the
last TO reach the street appeared with be-
gtimed faces and blood streaming from
wounds which. they, received from fallen
timber. The. excitement in the neighbor-
hood became very great, and in q abort
time the wives OF the men who were
Known TO beworking In the building and
the parents OF the girls who were em-
ployed there blocked the streets and
wrung their hands andTwept :5
,,ss,i sgSsATloNALREpoRrs
\ Three. alarms of fire we're sent out, and
the services Of large enumber Of the police
force haditob be calledginto requisition to
Keep the crowd Of people out Of the way
Of danger, itNwas, reported at tirst that
about 100 girls who were employed in the
Milo Hsnes button works, which was on
tie toplaoor. where the roof fellin, were
killed, but there are other reports that
most ofthese girls made their escape by:
on the roofs sof tho adjoining
houses. The building was occn.
pied by twenty small factories, and there
were about 800 men And women employed
therein. II was i've stories high, and
erected twenty seven years ago. The wood.
work burned liketinder. When the fire
men arrived, they found many of the
youngwomen at the windows, screaming
wildly forhelp. Their retreat had been
out Of and tho iremeniquickly ran upiI
the ladders, hat tie 4gif's! !wera. hemmed injl
atid many iell llback into The flames before
help cottld reach them! /, Z rhe fnflatnmable
character OF the building hindered the
efforts OF the tiremen. II was ascertsined
that the engineer Of the factory, Daniel j.
Lowry. was que OF the victims. He was
killei by the falling 81 the west wall Of
the middle wing on Atlanta eyepHe. i
The cause Of The fire WIS the opertuFn-
ing OF the boilers OF a'soap factory on thp
second floor, The west wall OF the mid.
ale wing on Atlantic avenue had settled
Yorkmen were 'screwihg II up with jacks;
the middle jack had been screwed up too
high and 1t was lnyereI when the whole
weight Of the. wall came upon the tyo
jacks at the end and iitfeIi With q crash. |
Policeman Mccormick, Of the Third pre-.
cinet, heard that the building had fallen.
Ho Ja5 thither Immediately, and found
that the boiiers at thesoap factory had
and that the building vas on
fire from the furnaces beneath them.
d. p d