The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-26
THE WORST REALIZED.


Ruins Approaching tho First Estimato.
NEw YoRK, Aug. 25.-From midnight
until the city awoke to its business life
the scenes witnessed by the watchers
at the fatal fire at Park Place proved
that the worst fears as to the extent Of
the awful catastrophe were to be fully
realized. The bodies that were re-
covered during that time and the horri-
BILE possibilities that lurk in the mis-
shapen shadowy vision OF human forms
crushed and jammed amid the bulk Of
machinery and weighty timbers, assured
the police and firemen that the worst
evidence is yet to come. The greater
number OF the unfortunate victims will
be found underneath the debris yet to
be removed.
Nosuch mangled remains OF humanity
have been recovered during the search
as the specimens shown during the
night. Bodies mutilated beyond all
recognition and so fearful to look upon
that even iiremen turned away
weakened BY the sight. The Italians
for the first time since they were en-
ployed did good work in gathering up
the ghastly remains Of the victims:
Foreman Farley, OF truck No.l5, had
charge Of the work, last night, and
although the men had to stfuggle
against great difficulties remarkable
progress was made.
This morning twenty bodies had been
identified and there were eighteen un-
identified at the morgue and four bodies
were in sight in the ruins, thus making
forty-two so far revealed.
Tho body of Frederick W. Trippe,
proprietor Of the drug store on No. rs
Park Place, was found at 9:l5 O'Clock:
II was SO badly mangled and burned
that it was Mt first impossible to tell
whether it was that Of man or
woman. Finally friends Of Mr.. Trippe
recognized a diamond ring on his fin
ger and gold watch with the initials
"F. W. 7" on that was found beside the
body.
The body OF William H. Ellis, Of the
firm OF Ellis & Mcdonald, 20 Park Place,
was taken out of the ruins at II o'clock.
1t was burned and mangled almost out
OF resemblance to humanity, and the
clothing was also unacceptable. In q
pocket was found pocketbook contain
ing various papers bearing the name OF
William H. Ellis, which served to show
that body was his. Mr.. Ellis was forty
years old. W. T.[McDonn,d, Mr.. Ellis
partner, is missing and is supposed to
be among the dead.
NINETY VICTIMS.
Up to 1915 o'clock three OF the twelve
printing presses had been removed.
The foreman decided that it was impos-
sible to get out the great iron machines
entirely, so he set his men to work to
break them up with sledge hammers.
Still it will take probably forty-eight
hours to reach the cellars and sub-Cel-
lars where it is supposed most OF the
dead are. at about half past ten o'clock
the workmen removed timbers which
disclosed two more bodies, one on the
site OF No. 70 Park Place, the other ut
No. "a. The former was believed to be
that OF woman. These could not be
taken out on account OF the pressure OF
the heavy machinery without doing
violence TO the bodies; so that efforts
OF the laborers were directed during the
remainder of the morning to the task OF
hauling away the heavy distractions.
AT 1915 q derby hat was pulled out
from a net work OF beams, beneath 1t
two or three bodies were seen. Clerk
Mandelbaum OF the coroners office who
has made careful investigation, said
at II o'clock that there we're not less
than twenty persons buried under the
restaurant. The back wall, which is
still standing. grows more threatening.
The firemen fear that when the iron
work is removed the wall may fall in.
1t was almost in tottering condition
at noon and the workmen were keeping
a sharp lookout.
1t is thought there are fifty corpses in
the cellars. That would make a total
of 90. This estimate may be above or
below the right number, but consider
ing the number of missing, OF whom
nothing has been heard, the list OF
killed Is not likely to fall far below 90,
and especially as it may happen that
persons living out Of town, who have
not been reported missing may have
been in the restaurant. Superintend-
ent Brady OF the Department OF Build
ings, stated that this afternoon that he
visited the scene OF tho Park Place and
from what he could learn he was OF the
opinion that the catastrophe was caused
by an explosion Of naptha or some other
explosive matter. He was satisfied
that the upper floors Of the building
were overweighted and had direct evil
A. a