The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-08-23

New YORK, Aug. 22.-lSpeciall-A
most distressing and terrible accidcnt
occurred this afternoon at l2 80 o'clock
in Park Place, between College street
and Greenwood place.
AT that time the street was filled
with hurrying people and heavily laden
wagons and trucks. At first small
white vapori sh cloud burst from the
ground-floor of Nos 20, 72 AMI "a Park
Place. Then was heard n dull roar,
followed bY an eruption and mass OF
bricks, stone and timber was hurled
thirty-five feet hcavenwood. Not
more than second could possibly have
elapsed before the front walls of Nos
20, 72 and n fell crashing into the
street.
The great walls rolled and swallcd
out with an undulating motion until,
slowly at first, but then more rapidly,
they gave way and in moment there
was not stick or stone standing about
tho first floor between the dividing
walls. There did not remain the
slightest scmblancc Of what had been
three seconds before an apparently
strong and well constructed building.
a mass of brick, stone and timber
filled half tho width OF the street. At
first there was no sign of fire. Tho at
tention of those who were gathered
from all quarters was attracted by the
sound OF escaping steam which was
pouring forth from pipe which had
been broken by the falling walls A
number Of electric wires had been torn
down. Fortunately the current had
been turned off from all but one, but
that one wire lay in tho middle of the
College place and Park place, spitefully
flashing out its deadly electric fluid
Fear OF tho electric wires caused i'm.
mense crowds to surge from one side OF
the street to the other.
In the meantime fire had broken out
and was licking the lower part of No GS.
at least fifty men had clambered upon
the ruins helping to rescue some Of tho
| unfortunate people known to be buried
in the rubbish. They vera driven from
| their post by fire, which was spreading
rapidly. 1t had burst out on the other
side OF tho ruins and ran rapidly up the
elevator shaft at the main entrance of
block OF buildings OF which Nos. 10. 70
and ~ were part. For a time the cs-
Gaping steam fought tho fire. but as
that died out the element made more
Roadway.
If the fire department could have
been on the scone at the time of the
explosion the terrible effect Of the fire
could have been prevented in largo
part. AS it was, the first contingent Of
the department. did not appear until
five minutes after The explosion. Tho
delay was due to the blocked condition
OF Murray street and Park Place at
Church street.
There was cheap restaurant on the
ground floor OF No. "a, in which, it was
thought, there were about twenty fl ye
persons when the accident happened.
In the upper portion OF the building
there was largo number of working
people, employed by firm of litho.
graphcrs and in other traces. 1t is not
known how many people were employed
in the places, but it is presumed that
most of them who were not out getting
something to cat were in the building.
For two hours the fire could not be SUI.
hciently subducd to permit the firemen
and wounded. and III tho meantime the
widest sort of conjectures concerning
the number Of people caught in the
ruins flew about.
Dead and injured people were being
eXhumed from the debris in the street,
people who had been passing in the
front building when they tapplcd out
ward. One OF these who has been
Identified is named NJ. +. Barnett, of
Johnson City, Tenn. lie was taken to
the hospital and found to have de-
pressed fracture o! tho skull, trepanning
was rcsorted to. Two dead children
and ono living. but badly injured child
were taken out. They belonged to the
families OF the janitors of the buildings
on the same block and were playing in
the street The first lady found was
lying in Park place ten feet from the
curbstone under three feet thickness OF
bricks. Some people had escaped from
the rear and side of the ruins 10 Green
witch street. These were principally
cooks and other employees Of the restaur-
ant and others who had been in the
basement OF the wrecked building.
Policemen AMI firemen mado their
way from Greenwich street through the
Easements until they reached the cellar
wall OF the first wrecked building. Into
this they knocked u hole and took out
three people. They say they could see
others fast in the ruins but could not
| assist them because the flames sur
rounded them. So there is no means as
yet OF determining the exact extent of
the disaster or its cause.