The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-10-28
PIITSBURC'S Big BLAZE
It Was Caused by the Explosion
Of q Barrel of Whisky.
Marrow Escape of workmen who Were
Driven to the window sills by the
Fiames-ssverai Severely Injured. and
Two May Die.

Driven to the window sills by tho
Two May Die.
PrTrspURe, Oct. 2S-The explosion Of a
barrel Of whisky in the big warehouse of
fhe Chautauqua Lake Ice company yester-
day afternoon caused the destruction Of
over $500, 600 worth Of property and serious
injury to eight persons. Several of the
injured, II is feared, will die. A score or
more Of others sustained slight cuts and
bruises, or were trampled on by the mob
surrounding the burning buildings.
Those seriously hurt were: T. J. He'll
man, married; dropped irom the third
floor to the ground; hands and face ter
ribly burned; injuries considered fatal.
Martin Griffin, married; dangerously
burned. Edward Speese, body and head
badly burned; may not recover. William
Cox, single; dangerously burned about face
and body. William Smith, painfully
burned; will recover. The above were all
rescued from the burning building by the
fremen. Others seriously injured are:
Lieutenant Frank McCann, of engine
company No. Z; struck by falling bricks
and left leg fractured. William Wisman,
struck by falling timbers and skull frac-
badly hurt by falling timbers.
A number of the employees on the third
noor Of the building were suddenly
startled by loud report, and almost in
an instant the large room was ablaze
The men quickly gave the alarm and then
started for the stairs. but the flames had
already cut off their only exit, Left them
were the windows, fifty feet from the
ground. BY this time the heat was so in
tense they were forced to creep out on the
window sills, where they hung until the
Gre department arrived. The flames burst
ing from the windows burned their hands
and faces, but they hung there until the
hromen got ladders and brought them
down.
., The Are quickly spread to the seven
story building of the Pittsburg Storage
company, and both structures were soon
burning fiercely. 1t looked at that time
as IL the whole block from Twelfth to
Thirteenth street and from Pike to Penn
avenue was doomed, and the residents
were notified to move out
To add to the excitement 1t was discov,
efed that a large tank of ammonia was
located in the ice company's building, and
the police, fearing an explosion, quickly
ordered the occupants of the houses on
Twelfth street TO also vacate. All the
houses In the neigh borhood are cheaI
class of tenements, and are crowded,with
Polish Jews and Slavs. When they were
told to move out panic indescribablt
started among them. Household goods
store goods, children and everything that
could be carried away were rushed to 9
place Of safety,
Suddenly the walls on the Mulberry al
ley side fell in with crash, and few
minutes later the eastern wall came down
The debris buried long row of tenementi
in the alley and a three story brick dwell
ing on Thirteenth street. The tenement,
were occupied by twenty families but for
funately they had been deserted some tint
before the walls fell in. Not one of tn,
Families had chance to save any of thei
goods, and all their furniture was de
etroyed.
A list of the insurance companies in
Nolyed was not obtainable, as the books o
Che firms are locked in their vaults. Th
loss is estimated at $1,000