The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-08-28
AWFUL DISASTER.
Fatal Boiler Explosion In a Build
ing at New york.
The Structure Eaus 20 the Ground znd the
Ruins Take Ftrs-Ftfty Persons Crushed
or Burned to Death without a
Moments Warning.

NEW YORK, Aug. IA most disss-
trous and terrible explosion occurred
Saturday afternoon at 1880 o'clock ia
Park place, between Greenwich street
and College place, just at the time when
the street was dlled with hurrying peo-
pie and heavily laden wagons and
trucks
Without moments warning a whole
block of buildings swarming with busy
yvorlrmen collapsed as the result OF q
mysterious explosion, and an appalling
loss OF life is beyond all doubt
The number Of the dead IS variously
estimated at from fifteen TO fully a
hundred and only thorough search Of
the ruins viii establish the full extent
of the calamity.
In the restaurant on the ground floor
OF No. "a which was kept by j. Peter
son, there were a crowd of persons at
lunch The number is estimated at
the time of the explosion at between
twenty-five and thirty-five- Then there
were a number OF girls in the wash
room ia the basement
Trippe & Co.. druggists at 90 and ~
Park place, also had a large mum Der of
employees
First a small, white, vaporish cloud
burst forth from the ground floor of 20,
~ and "A Park place; then was heard a
dull, deep, sullen roar. This was fol-
lowed by an eruption and mass of
brick stone and timber was hurled
thirty feet heavenyg ard
No more than a second could posi-
l bly, have elapsed before the front walls
/ of 20, ~ and "A fell crashing into the
/ street The great walls slowly rolled
/ and swclied out with on undulatiug
[ motion until they gave way and in a
{ moment there was not a stick or a stone
/ standing sbeve the first floor between
/ the dividing walls
The walls of the standing buildings
/ were jagged, as the bricks were torn out
in places. They did not retain the
slightest semblanCe OF what had been
/ three seconds before an apparently
/ strong and well constructed uilding.
] Suddenly fire burst out in darlzly
I colored flames from the third fourth
I and fifth stories of that part of the
building on Park place next to Green
I Wich street, occupied by Liudsay's type
. foundry. The floors and the other parts
of the place were saturated with oil OF
other iuhammabie matter which fed
the flames generously. murmur ran
through the throug that the build
ing was lost and the multitude shud
dered at thoughts of the fate of the
occupants of the ruined and burning
part OF the building
As soon as the flames were under
control the work Of recovering the
bodies of the unfortunate persons whS
were buried beneath the ruins was be
gun by about forty dremeu, wh'
climbed upon the great heap of brick
that filled the street
After twenty minutes work the mel
saw the dead body OF a man down IL
the heap of brick, and then cleared
away the mass in an astonishing shor
space of time. At $500 o'clock the bod
was recovered 1t was burned anS
charred so that the features were un
recognizable.
About fifteen minutes after the frs
body was taken out the fremcn cam,
Hcross another body of a man lyini
, under a piece of the roofing near tn
side entrance The man was apparent,
80 years old. His legs, hands and fac
were badly burned
Thirteen out of seventeen bodies re
covered have been identified.