The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-09-03
THE PARK PLACE HORROR.
DREADFUL SIGHTS AT THE SCENE OF
THE CATASTROPHE.

Crowds OF Distracted Mourners-A Num-
Der OF Mems Bodies Found Under One
Press--A Group of Girls and II BOY Dis
covered in Another Place.
New YORK, Aug. 22.-lt now seems
possible that one Of the worst fatal ac-
cidents which has ever happened in this
city occurred just after noon today.
From all that can be learned, fully as
many if not more than fifty people have
lost their lives. The accident came so
sudden that it was impossible for the |
occupants Of the two big buildings at |
buildings before the collapse was COM
plete. There was but one eyewitness to
the accident, A. A. Johnson, janitor in
the building at 81 Park Place, across the
street from where the accident Occurr-
ed. lie said that he was standing on the
steps to 81 when he heard the sound of
an explosion. 1t came from across the
street. 1t was not loud. Almost i'm
mediately the front wall of the two
buildings collapsed and the entire build.
ing caved in with a deafening crash. 1t
came so suddenly that it was impossible
for a living soul to escape from the
buildings. On the ground floor of one
Of the numbers was a restaurant that
was crowded with people. The other
floors were occupied by metal plate
factory; the Southern Publishing com
pany; S. Loutel e. Co., art designers;
Ellis 81 Mcdonald, bookbinders, and
other establishments.
Michael Carroll, who was employed in
the metal leaf factory, had been out to
lunch and had just reached the door Of
II when he heard the explosion, which
daZed him for a moment. lie jumped
A hDr
the front walls Of 20 and 72 toppled ov-
er with a loud crash. As the walls fell
Carroll saw many people passing the
place were covered und6k the brick and
stones. 1t is not known how many girls
were at work in the metal plate factory,
but there were a large number. In the
restaurant on the 81 ound floor Of No 72,
which was kept 10y j. Peterson, Il crowd
or people were at lunch the number
being estimated at between twenty five
and thirty. Then there was ten or
basement. Tripp IL Co., druggists, in
the building also had a large number of
employees. Three children Of Frank
llaggerty, ianitor OF 81 Park Place, were
playing In front of - Park Place. They
were killed. Their father stood across
the street at the time. Roundsman Tay-
lor was on his way to dinner, passing
along Park Place, when he heard the ex-
ploslon. lie ran to the scene and rc2liZ-
ing that something must be done, ran TO
hardware store on NOSey street, Secur-
eu dozen axes and distributed them to
the iiremen who had already arrived
The iiremen and bystanders soon cut
hole in the side wall of II, out of which
seventeen persons crawleG, ali Of whom
bore bruises. The testimony Of all the
people who were in the ncighborhood at
the time is that they were first startled
by deep rumbling sound Of an eXplo-
sion, which was directly followed by the
collapse of the building, the wall of
which fell outward with u frightful
crash: Three alarms of fire were fol
lowed by the arrival Of tho ambulances
from all the hospitals. The reserves
were called out from nearly all station
houses, but the greatest difficulty was
experienced in keeping the thousands
or people back beyond the fire lines
When 1t became known that there had
been fearful loss of life.
NEW YORK, Aug. 2l-Thc work Of
looking for the dead in the ruins Of
Iark Place continued uninterrupted
through the night except at times when
ram poured down in such torrent as to
render labor beneath it impossible EX-
cepl at these times also the fire lines ut
either end Of the block were lined with
waiting friends or relatives Of the miss.
ing. When they were driven from the
StreetS by the rain they sought shelter
III QoorWayS or wherever protection
might be found, but as soon as it ceased
thelr weary and mournful vigil was re-
Sumcd.
at 800 o'clock there was a hustle of
cltement among the WorlImen that in
Stantly communicated itself to the
eager watchers at the fire lines. Another
BODY had been found. 1t was that of a
man that lay beside tangle of presses
AT NO 49, 1t was taken out and placed
IN one OF the pine collins on the sidewalk.
IL was terribly burned and unrecogni-
ZaDle unless identity may be disclosed
ny the tattered fragment Of clothing
that but partially covered it.
Inc work again went on unmarked
by any accident until o'clock this
morning, when II second body was
found, also that Of a man, near the spot
where the first was discovered. Five
minutes later the third body, also Of a
man, was found in nearly the same
place. Both were taken out and placed
IN collins on the sidewalk besides that
containing the body found at 3.55
o'clock. Hardly had this been done
when the body of another man was
found, but 1T lay beneath heavy press
and it will be impossible to move 1t un-
til derrick is obtained to hoist the
press from the ruins. There was al.
most simultaneous discovery Of fifth
body, making twenty-One in all, made
among brick and paper at "a 1t was
that of large man, but although the
lace was visible, like the Others eXhum-
ca, 1T was sunrecogniZable. At o'clock
Italian laborcrs were still ut work re-
moving the bricks that buried the body
anh hindered its removal.
From daylight OH the crowd Of spec
tators at the fire lines gradually increas.
ed, and at o'clock IL densely packed
! throng filled every spot that command |
ed the slightest view of the blackened
RUNS. AT the Office of the boiler inspec
at police headquarters to-day it was
stated that according to the records
there the Taylor building had no steam
boilers OF any kind, nor had there been
any there for several years past The
steam power used in it was supplied
from outside sources.
Dprino tho