Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-08-23
IN AWFUL EXPLOSION
hals Out Death and Destruction in
New York.
rWO TALL BUILDINGS COLLAPSE,
B1-7isg Many Pscpls Beneath the Ruins-SOms
Nee. Instantaneous Death, Whils Others Lingsr
il Torture-Tba Wreck Takes hrs-Ths
Efforts Of krsmsn at Rescua

NEW YORK, August ga most dis
sstrous and terrible accident occurred
tbs afternoon at 19lsO o'clock in Park
Place, between Greenwich street and
college Place. At that time the street
WAS filled with hurrying people. First
, small white vaporish cloud burst from
me ground floor Of Nos. 20, - and "a
Park Place, and there was heard a dull,
sspn. sullen roar. The roar was fol-
vod by an eruption and mass OF
Irck. stone and timber and hurled 30
feet heavenward. Not more than sec
fnd could possibly have elapsed before
be- front walls of Nos. 20, - and "A fell
.rsshing into the streets. The mass OF
brick, stone and timber fell dpon tho
sidewalk and filed half the width Of
tbe street. Fire soon broke out and
vas licking the lower part OF No. 6S.
A, least fifty men had clambered upon
,hc pile OF ruins hoping 10 rescue some
ri the unfortunate people who were
known TO be buried In the ruins. They
we're driven from their posts by the
ire which was spreading rapidly. IL
bad burst out on the other side of the
ruins and ran rapidly up the elevator
1n which Nos 20, - and Il were part.
Eor a time the Kissing steam fought
NE FIRE, but as died out the element
aade more Roadway. There was
reStraurant on the ground floor
lf No. "a, in which it was thought
here were about twenty-five persons
when the accident happened.
FEELING OF HORROR.
A deep feeling Of horror spread
through the throng as estimates Of the
lumber Of victims were passed from
nouth 70 mouth. For over two hours
lnis was almost the only subject of in
,uiry, 10 was ON the lips Of every one.
During the whole Of those long two
hours the fire reigned supreme. ItcOuld
boz be sufficiently Subdued to permit
|ae 6rcmen 10 make any effort TO ex-
Irlcate the dead and wounded.
The number of the dead was various
estimated at from % to 200. Police
.au Beck said that he hauled three
ben out of the kitchen in the basement
lnder the Hudson restaurant. He en-
cred the basement through a plumb
|ng shop. Beck said that he saw at
past 30 persons partly buried in the
Iasement. Some Of them were alive
Ind calling loudly for help, but most
n them were evidently dead.
Jacob SchleSinger, employed in the
building on the opposite side Of Park
Place, said that there must have been
i least one hundred persons in the
building when the explosion occurred.
He saw fifteen or sixteen girls at the
windows OF Liebler x Mass Offices on
.he third floor just when the building
'ell. His impression was that the explO-
lion occurred in ROSenfeld'S store.
As soon as the flames were under con-
r0l the work of recovering the bodies
u the unfortunate prisoners who were
buried beneath the ruins was begun.
About forty manly fremen climbed
ipon the great heap of bricks that
He'd the street and began the search
or bodies. They worked like fends,
very one of them.
TERRIBLE sPECTACLEs.
At 9:2O o'clock the body of a man was
ound. It was burned and charred so
hat the features were unrecognizable.
About Is minutes after the first body
vas taken out the tiremen came across
mother body OF man lying under
piece of the roofing near the side en-
trance. The man was apparently 30
fears old. His legs, hands and face were
badly burned. The firemen were work
ng brayely when suddenly they heard
ow moan coming from beneath their
.eet. Ii was feeble and sounded like
that Of a child. The firemen redOubled
their efforts in clearing away the mass
)i bricks and timber from the spot
whence the sound came, ard after work
ag hcrOically for nearly twenty minutes
Edward 5. Mulligan, driver OF hook and
adder company No. 5, raised a little
yri in his arms. That she was alive
and conscious after being buried under
.he mass Of brick seven feet deep was
almost a miracle The little girls face
and arms were bleeding from cuts and
burns, but she was able TO talk. As
soon as Mulligan raised her up she
lifted her eyes to q window on the
upper floor Of a building across the
street and called in piteOus tones,
There's my mamma" The mother
upon seeing her child became so frantic
with JOY that had IL not been for the
combined efforts of four men standing
near by she would have jumped from
the window. When the little girl was
rescued the crowd yelled and clapped
their hands In JOY.
The little girl told the men as they
were placing her in the ambulance that
her brotherand sister were both dead
under the b,icks.
Another body, burned fearfully, was
taken from the ruins at 2:45 p. m. A
lew mOmentslater the bodies OF little
ooy aud girl were found. They were
'ae children Of Eugene f. Heagney,
The plumber, tho lives at No. 10 Park
Place.
TIE BUILDING.
The buildingl which was wrecked By
the explosion covered city lots Nos. 20,
Y and "a PaA< Place, and was five
stories high. Bsck walls divided It into
Iuree parts up to the second story.
Leo Rosenfeld. OF 1O3 East Eighty
urst street, occipied the first floor
ana basement of No. 20. He was a
uea!er in gold paiit and bronze. Eight
young women weie employed in the
basement. Fredekck w. Trippe, OF
NO l2S West Setenty-frst street, a
Oealer in drugs had his store on the
ground floor Of Nol %. and occupied
Ine basement for lhe storage Of his
seOek. Andrew P3ersons restaurant
va, Sas on the ground fpor OF No. "A and
IT,. ~ Kitchen was the basement.