New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-23
SIX BODIES RECOVERED FROM THE RUINS
AND MANY MORE STILL BURIED
A LONG LIST OF MISSING PERsoNs-vARoUs
ESTIMATES OF THE NUMBER OF LIVES LOST
WONDERFUL ESCAPE OF A LITTLE
GIRL WHO WAS OVERWHELMED
BY THE MASS OF BRICK.


then was heard dull, deep, sulen roar as if some
monster wfss trying TO break his bonds. The roar
was followed by an irruption and a mass of brick
stone and timber was hurled thirty feet heaven
ward.
The cries Of terror of men and the almost human
screams Of the horses was only a small accompani-
ment of the terrible scene which instantly followed
Not more than second could possibly have elapsed
before the front walls OF Nos. 6s, TO- ~ and "a fell
crashing into the street. T5 those who saw the
sight It was horribly attractive. The great walls
slowly rolled and sweled out with an undulating
motion until slowly at first but then more rapidly,
they gave away and in a moment there was not a
stick or a stone standing above the first floor be-
tween the dividing walls The walls of the stand
ing buildings were jagged as the bricks were torn
out in places. There did not remain the slightest
semblance of what had been three seconds before
an apparently strong and wellconstruced building.
The mass of brick stone and timber fell upon the
sidewalk and filled half the width of the street.
FIRE BREAKS OUT IN THE RUINS.
"A
of those who were gathered from all quarters was
attracted by the sound of the escaping steam
which was spoutlng 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 of from all but one
but that one wire lay in the middle of Col
lege Place and Park Place, spitefully flashing out
its deadly electric fluid. The fear OF the electric
wires caused the immense crowds to surge from one
side Of the street to the other
An express wagon was standing almost directly
opposite where the explosion took place. 1t was
loaded with boxes and trunks and was drawn by
one horse The driver whipped the beast up to
escape from the falling walls The covered part
of the wagon caught the wires and tore several
of them from the post The crowds which had
-athered made the streets almost impossible.
THE SPREAD OF THE FLAMES.
y tie meautime fire had broken out and was
iic'ng the lower part of No. 6s. At least fifty
men 'ad clambered up on the pile Of ruins, hoping
10 les'e some of the unfortunate people who were
driven I'm their posts by the fire, which was
spreading lpidly. 1t had burst out on the other
slue Oh the Tins and ran rapidly up the elevator
smart at the min entrance 10 the block Of build
ings of which Ms. 20. 70 and "A were part.
For tlm. the hisaug steam fought the fire, but
as that dleu 1ut the dement, made more headway.
II the nre department. could have been on the
scene at the hAe of the explosion, the terrible
| effect of the fire would ha>o Deen prevented in
large part. As it was the first oontinocnt Of the
department did not appear until five minutes
after the explosion IAe delay was Inc "a the
blocked condition of Murray-st and Par. Place
at Churchst One hose cart came tearing t,yvn
| College Tlace. The electric wires were hanghg
| down just above TIN horses heads. The driver o.
the cart with his bare hand fearlcssly grasped
the wire which had caught on his seat, and flung
| it over his head.
ARRIVAL OF THE ENGINES.
| line Of hose was laid and one feeble little
stream from hydrant was played on the tire
| which was breaking Gt on the side next
! TO No. 6S. Soon aftrward other engines
/ arrived, but tie efforts of the department. were
all directed to tne portion of the fire. To those
VINO were watching the slowly creeping flames,
! the delay o terrible strain.
! Suddenly the fire burst out in darkly colored
| flames from the third, fourth and fifth stories Of
that part OF Tn building on Park Place next to
( Gre.nwich-st. This part of the building wac
/ occupied by Lhdsay's type foundry. The floors
/ and other partSof the place wero saturated with
I oil ,r some othc niammabe material which fed
/ the flames generously murmur ran through the
thrcng that the building was lost, and the multi
( tutle huddered thinking of the fate of the oc-
cupanS of the uined and burning part of the
building. When full force of firemen did at last
get 10 work, th headway of the fire was soon
! checked by Their skilled endeayors.
+ running TRANS on THE ELEVATED ROAD.
| Whih the fans were bursting forth from the
buildin;, and unretrainedly leaping in al direc-
tons, tie crowd wa horrifed to see a train on the
Ninth A'enue Elevatd road gliding slowly directly
by the burning building. The falling of the
walls in he frt instace had led those assembled
TO belieH tha there would be a repetition Of
that awfrl ocorrence. However, the trains con-
timed 10 runall the ;fternoon, although later
only the oowl track was used.
As the intelst in the explosion and the falling
walls in insure subSidtd, horrible conjectuTs
were circulat as to how many were injured in
the nlins.
WGking-ppe as well as those engaged in OF
fees and wanouses generally get their luncheon
at noon or dttle later. There was a cheap res
taurant on t ground floor OF No -. in which it |
WIS thoughnere were about twenty-five persons /
when the aclent happened. In the upper por- ]
tion of the Hiding there was a large number Of (
workns-peo'. employed by the firm Of lithog-
raphers ancn other trades. IL is not known
| ,.-, many nile were emnloved I'm tle nlaops