The southern argus., 1891-08-27
AWFUL DISASTER.
Fatal Boiler Explosion in a Build
ing at New York.
The Structure Falls to the Ground and the
Ruins Take Fire-Ftfty Persons Crushed
or Burned to Death Without Q
Moments Warning.

New YORK, Aug. ga most dfsas.
trous and terrible explosion occurred
Saturday afternoon at 1880 o'clock In
Park place, between Greenwich street
and College place, just at the time when
the street was filled with hurrying peo-
pie and heavily laden wagons and
trucks
Without moments warning whole
block of buildings swarming with busy
workmen collapsed as the result Of a
mysterious explosion, and an appalling
loss of life is beyond all doubt
The mum Der of the dead is variously
estimated at from fifteen to fully q
hundred and only a thorough search of
the ruins will establish the full extent
of the calamity.
In the restaurant on the ground floor
of No. "A, which was kept by j. Peter
son, there were a crowd of persons at
lunch. The number is estimated at
the time of the explosion at between
twenty five and thirty-fve. Then there
were a number of girls In the wash
room in the basement
Trippe & Co., druggists at 20 and 70
Park place, also had large number of
employees
First a small, white, vaporish cloud
burst forth from the ground floor of 10,
~ and "a Park place; then was heard
dull, deep, sullen roar. This was fol-
lowed by an eruption and mass Of
brick, stone and timber was hurled
thirty feet heavenw ard.
No more than a second could posi-
bly, have elapsed before the front walls
of 20, ~ and "A fell crashing into the
street The great walls slowly rolled
and swelled out with on undulating
motion until they gave way and in
moment there was not stick or stone
the dividing walls
The walls of the standing buildings
were jagged, as the bricks were torn out
In places. They did not retain the
slightest semblance of what had been
three seconds before an apparently
strong and we'll constructed building.
Suddenly fire burst out in darkly |
,olored flames from the third, fourth !,
and fifth stories of that part of the |
1uANAh& Oh L al pAuCC u6At W NTGGu" /
vich street. occupied by Lindsay's type
The floors and the other parts
If the place were saturated with oil or
,ther ihfammable matter which fed
he flames generously. A murmur ran
through the throng that the build
ng was lost and tho multitude shud-
Tered ut thoughts of the fate of the
occupants of the ruined and burning
part of the building.
AS soon as the flames were under
ontrol the work of recovering the
bodies of the unfortunate persons who
we're buried beneath the ruins was be-
'un by about forty fremen, who
limbed upon the great heap of bricks
hat filled the street.
After twenty minutes work the men
aw the dead body of man down in
he heap of brick, and then cleared
way the mass in an astonishing short
pace of time. At 300 o'clock the BODY
las recovered. 1t was burned and
haired SO that the features were I'M
About fifteen minutes after the first
ody was taken out the firemen came
cross another body of n man lying
nder a piece of the roofing near the
de entrance. The man was apparently
years old. His legs, hands and face
ere badly burned
Thirteen ont of seventeen bodies re-
'vered have been identified.