The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-09-01
THE PARK PLACE HORROR.
DREADFUL SIGHTS AT THE SCENE OF
THE CATASTROPHE.

THE CATASTROPHE.
Crowds of Distracted NIourncrs--A Num-
Der of Mems Bodies Found Under ono
Press--A Group of Girls ami IA BOY Dis-
covered in Another Place.
NEW YORK, Aug 22.-It 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 Hs
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
| 40 and ~ ParlStlace to escape from the
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. He 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 III with deafening crash. 1t
came so suddenly that it was impossible
for q living soul to escape from the
buildings. On the ground floor OF one
of the numbers was Il restaurant that
was crowded with people. The other
floors were occupied by metal plate
| factory; the Southern Publishing com
pany; s. Loutel & 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
70 when he heard the explosion. which
daZed him for Il moment. He jumped
up and ran for life. AS he got. away
the front walls of 70 and 72 toppled ov-
er with loud crash. AS the walls fell
Carroll saw many people passing the
place were covered undsr the brick and
ST ones. 1t is not known how many girls
were at work in the metal plate factory,
but there were large number. In the
restaurant OH the glound floor of No 72.
which was kept kS9J. Peterson, a crowd
of people were at lunch the number
being estimated at between twenty-five
and thirty. Then there was ten or
twelve girls in the wash room in the
basement. Trpp 81 CO., druggists, in
the building also had large number of
employees. Three children of Frank
Iiaggerty, janitor of G1 Park Place, were
p.aylng In front OF ~ Park Place. They
the street at thG time Roundsman ray
lor was on his way to dinnpI, passing
along Park Place, when he heard the eX
plosIon. He ran to the scene and realz-
ing that something must be done, ran to
a hardware store on NoSey street, secur-
ed dozen axes and distributed them to
the iiremen who had already arrived.
The liremen and bystanders soon cut
hole in the side wall Of "a, out of which
seventeen persons crawled, all Of whom
bore bruises. The testimony Of all the
people who were in the neighborhool at
the time is that they were first startled
Gy deep rumbling sound of an eXplo-
siun, which was directly followed by the
collapse of the building, the wall of
which fell outward with a frightful
crash. Three alarms of fire were fol-
lowed by the arrival of the 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
o.! people back beyond the fire lines
when it became known that there had
been fearful loss OF life.
New YORK, Aug. 24.--The work Of
looking for the dead in the ruins Of
Park Place continued uninterrupted
through the night except at times when
rain poured down in such torrent rs to
renuer labor beneath it impossible. EX-
cept at these times also the fire lines at
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
in doorways or wherever protection
might be found, but as soon as it ceased
their weary and mOurnful vigil was re-
Sumed.
AT 3.60 o'clock there was hustle of
citement among the workmen that in
slantly communicated itself to the
eager watchers at the lirelin Another
body had been found. IL was that of a
man that lay beside tangle of presses
at No 70. 1t was taken out and placed
in one of the pine collins on the sidewalk.
1T was terribly burned and unrecogni-
Fable unless identity may be disclosed
by the tattered fragment of clothing
that but partially covered it.
The work again went on unmarked
by any accident until O'clock this
morning, when a second body was
found, also that of Il man, near the spot
where the first Was discovered. Five
minutes later the third body, also of Il
man, was found in nearly the same
place. Both were taken out and place d
in collins on the sidewalk besides that
containing the body found at 3.55
when the body of another nun WAS
found, buJ 1t lay beneath Il heavy press
and it will be impossible to move 1t un-
/ il Il derrick is obtained To boist the
PRESS from the ruins. There was al
most simultaneous discovery Of q fth
body, making twenty. one in all, made
among brick and paper at III 1t WAS
that of large man, but although the
face was visible, like the Others cxhum-
ed, it was sunrccO2niZablr. AT 8 O'Clock
ithsian lahOrers were still at work re-
moving the bricks that bulicd the body
and hindcreu it5 removal.
From daylight OH the crowd of spec
tators at the fire lines gradually increas
ed, and at 8 o'clock d densely packed
throng filled every spot That command
ed the slightest view Of the blackened
ruins. AT the Office of the boiler insptc
tor 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 1t was supplied
from outside sources.
During the morning one of the Ital-
ians working in the ruins stopped over
The body of one of the victims and took
silver watch from his pocket. lie was