The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-23

t; tenD; de was taken to the hospital and
touno 70 have depressed fracture of the
SATit- Irepannlng was resorted to.
| Two dead children and one living. but
badly injured child, were taken out. They
belonged to the families OF the janitors Of
tne buildings on the Same block, and were
playing III the street.
THE FIRST BODY FOUND
was lying in Park place, ten feet from the
curDstone, under three feet thickness of
bricks.
Some people had escaped from the rear
ana side OF the ruins TO Greenwich street.
4hese were principally COOKS and othsr en-
ployes OF the restaurant and others who
nau Deen IN the Easements of the wrecked
buildings.
WORK OF POLICEMEN AND FIREMEN.
The policemen and firemen made their
way from Greenwich street through the
easements until they reached the cellar
wall OF the first wrecked building, Into
tnis they knocked hole and took out
three people. They say they could SEQ
Others fast In the ruins, but could not assist
them because the flames surrounded tnem,
SO thereis no means as yet of determining
the exact extent of the disaster nor lbs
cause.
NINE BODIES RECOVERED.
At late hoDr tonight nine bodies had
been taken from the ruins; ell except one
was dug from the rubbish on the street
outside the building line. Several attempts
nave been made to recover the bodies from
within the buildings, but only
one was brought out. Many
others were found, but so
wedged in by the wreckage that they could
not be extricated. 1t was not until about
o'clock that the ruins had cooled sufficiently
to permit the men to 60 among them
These men found five feet Of water in the
cellar, but the fire was still burning in spots
above the water level.
Ten injured people are at the hospital, OF
whom Mr.. Barnett Of johnson City, Tenn,
is most seriously hurt. His skull hos been
trepanned. The building was
KNOWN AS THE TAYLOR BUILDING
and was condemned by the building depart
ment thirteen years ago. The authorities
are no nearer O solution Of the explosion
mystery than at first, but whatever caused
1t, there is no doubt the condition of
the building is responsible for the utter col
lapse and completeness Of the wreck.
THE WRECKED BUILDING.
The building which was wrecked by the
explosions covered city lots 70, 72 and "a
Park place and was five stories high. Brick
walls divided it into three parts up to the
second floor.
Leo Rosenfeldt of No. 103 East Eighty
first street occupied the first floor and base
ment of No. TO- He was q dealer in gold
paint and bronze. Eight young women
were employed in the basement.
Frederick w. Trippe Of No. 1913 West
Seventy-first street. dealer in drugs. had
his store on the ground floor Of No. ~ and
occupied the basement for the storage of
his stock.
Andrew Peterson's restaurant was on the
ground floor of No. "a, and his kitchen was
in the basement.
The entrance to the upper part Of the
building was at No. 76, and the entire sec~
ond floor WIGS occupied by Ellis & MacDon-
aid, printers, whose offices extended from
No. 10 to 76.
Liebler & Mass. photographers, occupied
the upper part of the building, having their
offices on the third floor. their Iithographio
stones on the fourth floor and their prirt-
ing presses in the top story.
The building was said TO be owned by Mr.,
Crane, who recently bought it,and was said
to be insured for $4,000. The property in
the building was said to be worth not less
than s125 900.
THERE WAS BUT ONE EYEWITNESS
to the beginning of the accident, A. A. John
son, the janitor in the building No. 81 Park
place, across the street from where the acci-
dent occurred. He says that he was
Park place when he heard a sound
of an explosion. It came from across
the street. 1t was not loud. Almost i'm
mediately the front walls of the two build
Ings collapsed, and the entire building
ceved III with a deafening crash. 1t came
SO suddenly that it was impossible for
living soul to escape from the buildings.
Michael Carroll, who was employed in
the metal leaf factory, had been out to his
lunch, and had just reached the door of the
building No. 70, when he heard the explo-
sion, which dazed him for a moment He
jumped up and ran for his life. As be got
away he saw the front walls of Nos. 10
and ~
TOPPLE OVER WITH LOUD CRASH.
As the walls fell, Carroll saw that many
pedestrians passing the place were covered
under the bricks and stones.
Roundsman Taylor was on his way to
dinner. passing along Park place when be
heard the explosion. lie ran to the scene,
and, realizing that something must be done,
he ran to hardware store on Vesey street
and secured q dozen axes and distributed
them to the firemen, who had already ar
rived on the scene.
THE FIREMEN AT WORK.
The testimony of all the people who were
in the neighborhood at the time Is that they
noIo iob pbdIlAcN OJ a hOopt
sound Of an explosion, which was almost
directly after followed by collapse Of the
building, the wall OF which fell outward
with frightful crash.
COME TO THE RESCUE.
Three alarms of fire were followed by the
arrival of ambulances from all the hos
pitals.
The reserves were called out from nearby
station houses, but the greatest difficulty
was experienced in keeping the thousands
of people back beyond the fire lines when it
became known that there had been q fear.
full loss Of life.