Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-08-24
FALLING WALLe
c, ush Many Victims snd Fire Adds
to the Horrors.

NEW YORK. Aug. % An explosion oc.
CURED a, IL 30 o'clock today in the Gv.-
story bulldog extending from IS 10 "A
Park place, and in a moment 4 frightful
| rumbliug noise WAS heard and the whole
front portion Of the walls collapsed and fell
| outward in pile on the street.
About fifty lives are believed TO hsve
been lost, being crushed to death under the
debris OF burned by the fierce fire that fol-
lowed the explosios and collapse About
fifty people escaped from the building with
| their lives.
All the fire engines in the lower portion
o i, the city were summored to the scene.
the police were called out, and the widest
excitement prevailed throughout the city.
But one person was taken out awe
Mary Heasnsy, . years old. She was found
| under two feet of debris, near ths edge Of
the sidewalk. She had been sitting with
her sister Anna, who wss younger than her
| self, on doorstep, and when the ex plosion
occurred, star ed to ruo, but was pinned
under the falling macs Of wrecksge. Anna
was dug out dead, and so was 5 5year-old
Johnny Gibbs, who had been with the little
girls.
The FIRE burned hercely, but the fireman
got il under control within q hour and =
half, and the work Of digging at the ruins
began for the bodies Of the unfortunate vic
tins. Ambulances were summoned from
several hospitals, and the dead wagon came
from the morgue to remove the dead. The
work Of searching for bodies will be kept
up all night and all day tomorrow.
The building Was occupied by John Ebert
& Co, bookbinders; the Souselle Art
Designing Company, Ellis Co.. book
binders. These firms we're ali on the upper
floors, as was the lithosrsphing and print
| ing establishment Of Eieber & Moss, and
they all employ ed many men and girls.
II was the dinner hour and the restsu-
rant was crowded with customers and the
kitchen basement filled with help.
Roundsman Taylor Of the 5.h precinct
was passing near the scene OF the disaster
when the explosion occurred and the walls
began falling. He ran to hardware store
on the next block and securing . dozen
sxss, distributed them among bystander.
and iremen who cut hole in the side wall
Of No. 70 Park plscs through which II
persons crawled. They were all bruisad
and blackened but none Of them fatally
injured.
Dominick Befker, cook in the restaurant
OF Andrew Peterson, was ut work in the
kitchen in the basement OF No. "a. He
escaped ~ if Dy miracle. He said be was
standing at the range when he heard the
explosion.
The next moment the whole building
| seemed to be falling about him, and he was
Knocked TO the floor. Finding that he vas
not hemmed in by the ruins, he CROPPED his
way through hole in the vail. and finally
got ino the ha,ement OF . building on
Greenwich street. through which he gained
the street. Two others pho were in the
basement were rescued through the same
opening.
A. W. Lindsay. propriet1, Of the type
foundry on the two upper f,oss Of No. "a
and 76 Park Place, is said 10 be Q brother
in-iaw Of Inspector Williams Of the police
department. Mr.. Lindsay employees about
20 girls, who we're prepafinR to 20 home
when the disaster ecc1fr.d. They all es-
capped by means Of the fire escape at the
Greenwich street end Of the bu lding. Mr..
Lindsay said:
"Iae girls aud my self we're preparing to
go home
When the Explosion Occurred.
In another minute We heard q rumblins
noise. and I ,houxd to the girls. We oil
rushed to the corner building. snd ~ We
ran we heard the walls behind us falling.
We got down the fire escape"
Michael Cronin, president Of the Voiun-
teef Fifemen's Association. vas standing
on the corner Of College place. He sad
that the dust vss % thick that he could NOT
see through is for several moments. HI
saw sf,ervaYd that all Of the electric hshI
wires had been broken Ard thas horses 70
ceived shocks. One man he saw sunniol
from the scene Of the wreck came into con
tao: With . live wire and wss knock q
down.
i When the walls began TO fall the psopl,
opposite saw many persons try to jumI
from the windows, but the walls cfsshet
down upon them before they landed OF
!. the sidewalk. Ths crssh vas 10 suddei
:. that none Of the pedestrians who hsppenet
! TO be passius on that side Of the street IL