River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-08-27
TOTTEREp AND FELL.

Huge buildings in New York Suddenly
coilapse-The Ruins FILLED with Dead
seventeen Bodies Recovered. and IL IL
Thought the Death List May Reach
Eighty.
NEW York, Aug. 24.-In the twink
ling of an eye without warning, with
out hope or chance of escape, probably
eighty persons were swept to theis
deaths in a rotten old building in
Park place at noon Saturday. 1t was
Taylors building at Nos. 6s, 40, ~
and "a Park place. 1t was occu-
pied by photographers, bookbind-
ers, monthly journal called the
South, and on the ground floor were
drug store, restaurant, a paint and
plumbing shop. 1t was structure so
ancient and so frail that the fire depart
ment had marked it as unsafe and in
surance companies would hardly issue
policies upon it. II collapsed like piece
OF burnt paper and crushed down on the
people in it. Then came fire and added
its horror to the rest. How many poor
creatures instantly persisted under the
falling mass. how many were penned in
by it and died after horrible agonies in
dreadful fates to be drowned in the
floods of water that were poured upon
the wreck after hours of heroic work
by the firemen no one could tell. But
by midnight Sunday there had been
taken from the ruins seventeen crushed,
burned and mangled bodies. Sixty
seven persons are reported missing,
and there is little doubt but their re-
mains are covered by the debris. At
least fifty persons were injured.
There is a considerable difference of
opinion as to the cause of the disaster
People in the wrecked building who
escaped say that there was no explo-
sion, but those who were on the street
near the scene say that they heard the
report of an explosion. 1t seems prob
able that the weight of the printing
presses which were located on the top
floors, together with the vibration
of their motion. proved too much for
the building and caused the collapse.
On the ground floors were bronze
powder factory, a drug store and res
taurant Above them were a blank
book mandatory, printing shop and
a photographic establishment. No one
could tell how many people were in the
drug store. In the basement of the
bronze powder factory there were five
girls employed cutting gold leaf.
All are thought to have been lost. The
restaurant employed about fifteen men,
most of whom are missing. There is
no reliable Information as to the num-
Der of persons in the restaurant, but as
it was just the noon hour the
number was probably large. 1t was
said that there were thirty-three of
the photographers employees in the part
of the building which fell. Eight people
were employed in the printing shop;
one escaped by a miracle. In the blank
book mandatory there were about
fifteen, three or four of whom were
girls. 1t is difficult to see how any of
them could have escaped.
At the time of the accident Park
place was filed with hurrying people
and heavily laden wagons and trucks
First a small, white, vaporish cloud
burst from the ground floor of Nos. 20,
~ and "A Park place, then was heard a
dull, deep, sullen roar, as if some mon
ster was trying to break his bonds
The roar was followed by an erup-
ton and a mass of brick, stone
and timber was hurled 80 feet heav-
onward. The cries of terror of men
and the almost human screams of the
horses We're only small accompani-
ment of the terrible scene which in
stantly followed. Not more than
second could possibly have elapsed
before the front walls of Nos. 20,
~ and "A fell, crashing into
the street. Slowly at first, but then
more rapidly they gave way. and
in moment there was not
stick or stone standing above the
first floor between the dividing walls
There did not remain the slightest sem
blance of what had been three seconds
before an apparently strong and we'll
constructed building. The mass of
brick, stone and timber fell upon the
sidewalk and filled half the width of
the street.
In the meantime fire had broken out
and was licking up the lower part of
No. 6s. At least fifty men had clam
bered up on the pile of ruins, hoping
to rescue some of the unfortunate peo-
pie who were known to be buried in
the ruins. They were driven from
their posts by the fire, which was
spreading rapidly. 1t had burst cut
on the other side of the ruins
and ran rapidly up the elevator shaft
at the main entrance to the block of
buildings, of which Nos. 40, ~ and
"A were a part. Suddenly the flames
burst out from the third, fourth and
fifth stories of that part Of the building
on Park place next To Greenwich street
This part of the building was occupied
by Lindsay's type foundry. The floors
and other parts of the place were
saturated with oil or some other in
flammable material which fed the
flames generously A murmur ran
through the crowd that the building
was lost. and the multitude shuddered
at thinking of the fate of the occupants
Of the ruined and burning part of the
building. When a full force of firemen
got to work the Roadway of the fire
was soon checked by their skilled en-
deavors
At O'Clock the fire was under con-
troll. Half of the Greenwich street
building had been burned, while the
Taylor building was complete wreck.
The losses were computed at $3.50, 200
for the Taylor building and contents
and $4,000 for the Greenwich street
building.