The record-union., 1893-10-28
Causes Destructive COnAagratiOn
at PittSburg, Pa.
LOSSES FOOT UP SEVEN HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS
Eight Persons Seriously Injured, Sew
eral of Whom May Die. and a Score
or More of Others Sustain Slight
Cuts and Bruises by Being Trampled
Upon by the Mob Surrounding the
Burning Buildings.
Burning Buildings.
Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
PITTSBURG, Oct. I7.-An explosion of q
barrel of whisky in the big warehouse of
the Chautauqua Lake Ice Company
caused the destruction of nearly 100000
worth of property and the serious injury
of eight persons. Several of the injured.
it is feared, will die. a score or moro
others sustained slight cuts and bruises
by being trampled on by the mob sur
rounding the burning buildings.
The fatally hurt are II. L. Heilamn,
Martin Griffith and Edward Sees. The
less seriously injured are William Cox,
William Smith, Frank McCann, William
Wiseman and John Reische.
When the first explosion occurred the
men quickly gave the alarm and started
for the stairs, but the flames had already
cut off retreat, and the only means of exit
left them were the windows, fifty feet
from the ground. The heat was so in
tense that they were forced TO creep out
upon the windoWsills and hang by their
hands until the fire department arrived.
They were terribly burned before rescued.
In short time the fire spread to the
seven-story building OF the Pittsburg
Storage Company, adjoining, and both
structures, 200 feet long and 100 feet deep,
were burning fercely. At 2 o'clock it
looked as though the whole block from
Twelfth street to Thirteenth and from
Pike to Pennsylvania avenue, was
doomed, and residents were notified TO
move out.
To add to the excitement, it was dis
covered that a large tank of ammonia
was located in the cellar of the ice COM
pany's building, and the police, fearing
an explosion, quickly ordered the occu-
pants of houses on Thirteenth street TO
also vacate. All the houses in the neigh
borhoOd were cheap-clasS tenements,
crowded to SutfocatiOn with Polish Jews
and Slavs. When they were told to move
panic indiscribable started among them.
Soon after they got out the walls of the
big building were blown out by an eX-
plosiOn of more whisky stored therein,
and the debris buried long row of ten
ements in the alley and a three-story
brick building on Thirteenth street. None
of the inmates saved any of their fur
nture. The ruins took fire Immediately,
and for while the entire tenement dis
trict of Pennsylvania avenue was threat
ened with destruction. by hard work
the firemen succeeded in drowning out
the flames. but it was late this evening
tefore the fire was really under control.
" When the walls of the big building fell
the great mob of people made rush to
get out of danger. Many men tripped
and fell, and were trampled under foot.
Scores OF people received slight injuries
At midnight the loss was placed at $780,
900, of which 500, GOO was sustained by
the Chautuaqua Lake Ice Company and
$500, 900 by the Pittsburg Storage Com
pany. President Scott of the latter con-
Germ stated that nearly every firm doing
business in the downtown district Of
Pittsburg had goods stored in their ware
house. IL is thought all the losses are
covered by insurance.