The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-08-24
Without Warning Massive Brick Bull.
dingS We're Thrown PrOstrate.
A Sudden Explosion Is the Cause Of
Perhaps Eighty Deaths.
The Famous Jennings Explosion Of
Forty Years Ago Recalled.

NEW YORK. August 22.-At 1890 O'Clock
today an explosion occurred in the fve-story
building extending from No. 6S to "a Park
place. and In moment frightful rumbling
noise was heard and the whole front portion
Of the walls collapsed and fell outward In a
pile on the street. a~,e4.
About 80 people escaped from the building
with their lives. All the fire engines in the
lower part Of the city were summoned to the
scene, the police reserve were called out and
the widest excitement prevailed throughout
the city.
Only one person was taken out alive, and
that was Mary Heagney, Q years old, who
was found under two feet of debris near the
edge Of tie sidewalk. She had been sitting
with her sister Anna, who was younger than
herself. in doorstep. and when the explos-
ion occurred started to run, but was pinned
under the falling mass Of wreckage. Her
father. Frank Heagner, Is the janitor of the
building, 61 Park place. When he heard
that his children were crushed under the
heap of brick and entangled in the ruins, he
was crazed with grief.
AS the firemen lifted the child, Mary, out
Of the debris and held her up in their arms,
the little one. looking across at the windows
opposite, saw her mother at one of the win
dows and exclaimed: "There's my man.
ma"
A cheer went up from the thousands of
bystanders. The child was found to be un-
injured, except for slight confusions, al
though her clothing was coated with dirt
and blacked with smoke. Her miraculous
escape was due to the way 10 which some
joists fell, forming a sort of arch for the
brick and stone to fall over her.
The fire burned freely, but the firemen by
heroic labor got the flames under control
within an hour and half, and the work of
digging at the ruins began for the bodies of
the unfortunate victims.
Ambulances were summoned from several
hospitals, and the dead wagon came from
the morgue to remove the dead. The work
OF the searchers for bodies will be kept up
all night and all day tomorrow.
The building was occupied by John Ebert
& Co., bookbinders, the Soutelle Art Design
ing Co, Ellis & Co., bookbinders. These
firms were all on the upper floors, as was the
llth0graphing and printing establishment of
Lieber & Moss, and they all employed many
men and girls. On the street floors were the
ant OF Andrew Peterson. AS II was the din
ner hour the restaurant was crowded with
customers and the kitchen in the basement
filled with help.
1sOSoul0lut X Co., QaQ n metal leaf
and bronze factory on the first floor, and A.
W. Lindsay type foundry on the sixth
floor.
Although the walls of Nos. 6S to "a COL
lapsed, the building entire, known as the
Taylor building, extended from No. &C to rs.
No. 76 is on the corner Of Greenwich street,
and some OF the manufacturing lofts opening
from that portion of the building which
collapsed into the corner building.
Roundsman Taylor of the 5thlprecinct, who
aocir nm fh..o nf hn Tor
when the explosion occurred, and the walls
began falling, ran to a hardware store in the
next block, aud, securing dozen axes, dis
tributed them among the bstanders and fire.
80 Park place, through which IT persons
crawled. They were all bruised and black
ened, but none OF them fatally injured.
A. w. Lindsay. proprietor of the type
foundry on the two upper floors of "a and 76
Park phase, employs about 20 girls. He said;
The girls and myself were preparing TO go
home when the explosion occurred. In
another minute we heard rumbling noise.
We all rushed to the corner building and as
we ran we heard the walls behind us falling
We got down the fire escape"
Policeman Joseph Back of the second pre-
cinct was at the corner of West street and
Park place when he heard the explosion. He
made his way with Fireman VIedenberg to
the side wall of the burning building. They
had axes and crowbars with which they dug
an opening through the wall and rescued
three of the employees of the restaurant who
had been imprisoned In the basement Others
could be seen in the basement, but they were
held fast In the ruins, and the flames soon
enveloped them.
All Of the electric light wires were broken
and horses received shocks. One man, run
ming from the scene Of the wreck, came into
contact with live wire and was knocked
down.
Frank Burns of the Photo Engraving Com
pany was in an upper window Just opposite
the scene Of the disaster. He said that he
first heard an explosion, then rumbling
sound. Then he saw the front of the build
ings, Nos. 68 and 70, wobble and sway, and
then fall with deafening crash. As the
walls began to fall the people opposite saw
many persons try to jump from the windows,
but the walls crushed down upon them be-
fore they landed on the sidewalk. The
crash was so sudden that none of the pedes-
trians who happened to be passing on that
side OF the street In front of The Taylor
building were seen to escape.
Meanwhile the firemen were hard at work
on the Park place side. Streams Of water
were directed on the burning mass from
every available point.
As the afternoon advanced. the police un-
der command Of Inspector Williams had all
they could do to keep the thousands of pe0-
pie who had been attracted to the scene
from breaking throught the fire lines
Scores OF men and women were begging to
be allowed to get inside the lines so that
they might recognize any Of the bodies taken
ont of the ruins