Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-22
COLLAPSE OF 4 BIG BUILDING.
The Ohio Campaign Opened by
Major Mckinley.
THE GRAIN MARKETS TODAY.
CAME DOWN WITH A CRASH.

/ c. Eberle, manufacturer OF maps. The explo-
sion was immediately followed by n fre, and in
few minutes the building collapsed. The fire
spread to the adjoining buildings and extends
from No. &C to rs.
| THE EARTH TREMBLED.
At the time the explosion occurred, many
others who worked in the building, were at
lunch. 1t is estimated that more than forty
] boys, girls, men and women were in the build
/ ing at the time. Those who saw the catastrophe
saw that the earth trembled when the explosion
| occurred and that the fire was in the street
| in couple, Of seconds. The dust from the
| wreck rose in such clouds that for three min
utes nothing could be seen of what was left
standing but from the pail which lowered over
the wrecked building came clouds OF smoke
and sheets Of flames, yells and shrleks OF
| agony.
Out of the clouds Of fire and smoke half
dozen persons emerged, while from the six
story building on the northeast corner
of Greenwich and Park place poured
at least 100 working people of both
sexes and Of all ages uttering cries OF
| alarm. When the fremen arrived the Taylor
| building, Nos. &c to Is Park place, was ablaze
and the Greenwich extension of the building
was on fire. A general alarm was sounded and
the firemen looked around to see if life could
be saved.
LEFT TO HIS FATE.
Close to the entrance of 76 Park Place and
pinned under lot of masonry was a man whose
head and shoulders were visible. While the
| firemen were endeavoring to unloose him
crash was heard above and down came the
wreck of part of the Taylor building cornice.
The fremen jumped for their lives and none
were hurt.
When they dashed back again the man had
been entirely buried and the bricks from the
Greenwich street building began to fall SO
thickly that the attempt to rescue him had to
be abandoned. Shortly after this a man who
said he was an engineer crawied out Of the
cellar under the wreck and fell exhausted. He
was sent to the Chambers street hospital. He
was unable to give e.. account Of how he es-
capped.
MANY THOUGHT TO BE IN THE WRECK.
At l o'clock the fire was under control.
Half of the Greenwich street building had been
burned. while the Tyler building was a COM
plete wreck. The losses were computed at
Sl50, 900 for the Tyler building and contents and
$40 900 for the Greenwich street building. As
to the loss OF life the more conservative esti-
mate, that of Fire Chief Cushman was that sixty
persons persisted. Persons who know how many
worked in the building say that it daily ran the
list up to 100. Nobody had been taken out at
!: 80 and it appeared impossible to overhaul the
ruins for several hours. Eight persons injured
by the explosion were taken to the Chambers
street hospital.
Among the concerns destroyed were a res
taurant, LindsGys type foundery, L. T.
Heaghys plumbing shop. Liebler's glass ware,
Ellis 4 McDonald's bookbinding concern, a
cigar mandatory and printing Office.
OTHER VICTIMS REPORTS.
There were about twenty-five persons in the
restaurant. Mike Carroll, who was employed
at 6 Park place, says that there is very little
| chance of many of them escaping. There
were seven men employed in the kitchen and
| Carroll says they must have been killed. He also
saw four girls working in the basement mixing
/ bronze and he does not think they could have
| got out. Carroll saw seven persons passing the
| building at the time of the explosion and all
| were knocked down by the shock. Before they
| recovered the walls fell on them and he thinks
i they were killed.
! Among other occupants Of the building wers
Rosenfeld & Co.. metal leaf manufacturers, the
southern Publishing Company, art designers;
Ellis & Mcdonald, book binders. 1t is said by
come that the explosion occurred in Rosenfeld's
place.
FIFTY LIVES LOST.
/ From al that can now be learned fully, If
not more than fifty people have los. their lives
/ The accident came so suddenly that not a
| single person in the two big buildings at 10 and
" Park place escaped from the building.
There was but one witness to the beginning
| Of the accident. This man is named A. A.
\ johnson. He 10 janitor in the building at 81
Park place, directly across the street
from where the accident occurred. He
i said that he was standing the steps to
| 81 at noon, when he heard the sound
of an explosion 1t came from across the street.
1t not loud. Almost Immediately the front
| walls of the two buildings collapsed and the
i entire building caved in with a deafering
crash. 1t came SO suddenly that it mpos-
sole for living soul to escape from the build
| ing.
Or course nothing accurate is yet known, as
| the ruins are O mass Of fames, and every en-
CINE available in the city is at work trying to
subdue the flames IN order that the work
| of recovering tie bodies OF the dead
may be begun The jan!tor Of 81 said
that the accident occurred so quickly and with
out warning that he did not see person escape
| End feels certain that Everybody in the build
ings were killed.
MICHAEL cAkRoLLs ESCAPE.
Michael Carroll, who was employed in the
metal leaf factory, had been out to his lunch
and had Just reached the door of 70 when he
4 heard tcrrluC tAplOciOlis NhASH udZtu LIN IOr q
moment. He jumped up and ran for mis- life. As
he got away he saw the front walls Of 70 and ~
| topple over with o loud crash As the walls
fell Carroll saw that there were many pedes-
trans. who were passing the place, who were
covered under the bricks and stones.
At the metal factory It is not known how many
girls were at work, but there were large
lumber In the restaurant on the ground floor
OF "a. which was kept by J. Peterson there were
a crowd of people at lunch. The number is
estimated at the time of the explosion at be-
tween IS and 50.
Then there were n number OF girls in the
Mushroom in the basement II Is thought thai
there were ten or twelve in the washroom.
Trippe Il Co., druggists, at ~ and " Park
place. also had o large number OF employees.
YouR OF TWENTY-FIVE EscAPED.
Only four persons are known to have escaped
from Hudson's restaurant. There were a,
least twenty five in the place. At $50 the po-
lice estimated the loss Of life at between sixty
| and seventy. One of those who escaped saws
the explosion was IN q boiler beneath the res.
taurant 1t is said that several factory girl
are among the dead
| The 9th avenue elevated railroad stopped
running and the fremen worked upon the
structure in pouring streams on the fire. The
work OF removing the debris in the search for
bodies has been commenced, but proceeds
slowly owing to the heat of the bricks and
| ambulances from Chambers Street and St
vincert's hospitals in attendance. Twenty
four injured have been taken to Chambers
Il Tlx..f alfA H..