Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-02-17
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
The Greatest Loss Of Life and Property
in the History Of PlttSOurg.
AN IMMENSE WAREHOUSE BURNED
Firemen Crushed by Falling
Walls.

| IUb IRE uu llkt BiTfbI DtUT lulItHHnIU.
last night, ware the greatest in tho his-
tory of Pittaburg. At Toast II persons
were killed. over a ecnfe were Injured
and property valued ut Sl,500, 00C was
destroyed.
Tho iat Of dead, injured and missing
is ss follows:
| Dead Lieutenant of Police John A,
Berry, John Dwyer, William Scott, Jr.,
Stanley Scitz, George Lovelsss, Mrs,
Mary Sipe, Mrs. -.-- Sipe, Stanley Sips,
Lieut. Joseph Johnston of No. EnGins
| Co., william l.. Walanstein and four
unknown men.
Injured Robert Rosmond, Owen X,
Fielder, George Douglass, Owen Mul,
| lehar, William Flaming, Joseph Head.
ley, Kit Wilson, Robert Dobson, Capt,
j. A. A. Brown, Ieter Malone, David
stewart, William Dusmuke, Charles
Wilson. Police Officer Rodgers, Mira
Mary Dssmuke, Charles Simon, George
King and John Hunter.
Missing Nathaniel Green, Thomas
Lynch and Edward Larry.
| IL ia believed that at least 10 more
bodies are in the ruins, which ara still
too hot to be moved.
II was Just IL O'Clock last evening
when smoke was seen issuing from the
fourth huor Of ths Union Storage Co, 4
building, on IiKe street, near Thirt
teenth. The building was six stories
10 height and occupied almost thg
entire block between Twelfth and Thirt
teenth streets and Pike street and MuIl
berry alloy. The first floor front waJ
occupied as Offices by the ChautaueuJ
Lake Ice Co, and as local Office
the Union Storage Go. The secon
tinar Phi tb,. ,41 81 fI1
Chautauqua Co., and in the Twelfth
street emu the company bad its ice.
making plant, which occupied the first
three Hours. The plant was filed with
cs.making machiresy and other prop.
erty Of the ChaItauqua Ice Co. The
rest OF the building was occupied by
the Union Storage Co.
Immediately upon the discovery of
the fire an alarm was sent in, and it
Was responded to promptly, but, owing
TO the construction of the building, it
was practically impossible 20 fight tbe
| fire from without, while the volume of
smoke in the particular division in
which the lire originated made it i'm.
possible to fight 1t from within. The
only openings in the three fire walls
dividing tho building were closed by
heavy iron doors. amt these were locked,
For three hours the tremeu worked,
scarcely knowing what they were doing.
The iron shutters were impregnHbG
to their attacks. Finally. at Il o'clock.
the flames burst out through the rout
and shot upward 100 feet, making that
part of the city as light as day. This
note of alarm started the flight of
people from their residences On Pike.
Thirteenth ami Twelfth streets, carry
l e.. - -. i
of their household effects. The pnlce
we're watchful, and the crowds were
kept back Dy fire lines and the fearful
heat.
Suddenly. above the roar of tho
flames and the pulling of fire engines
came the first explosion. Those within
the fire lines were seen to fall IN all
directions Those outside tho lineH
were not beyond the reach of danger.
Those not Frustrated by the frat blast
were knocked down by the reactionary
waves Of air, as the falling walls created
a vacuum that seemed TO draw in every
thing. 1t was on the Mulberry alley
stills, where the least danger waa an
ticipated, that the force of the OK.
pusion was the most severe. and thera
the greatest number OF fHtalitiss &C.
Cured. Explosion followed explosion
for about half an hour between mid
night and | O'clock this morning.
4 Walls kept falling, and tiromen, police
men ami spectators were rendered
almost powerloss 10 act by tina sense of
terror which the scene iuqrirod. Tbs
old brick houses along Penn avenue
from Twelfth 10 Thirtsenth atreets
caught fire from the rear, and burned
randy A company Of iirqmen was
throwing stroam ilto the great storage
house IRON Morrow court yard in tho
rear OF Penn avenue, from which u
much narrower alley led to the stront,
About l. 80 O'Clock 4 heavy explosion
occurred, and part of the heavy wall uf
the storagehouse topnled over on tho
roofs Of the houses and into the court
yard. The firemen at work there es
oaned by the narrowest chance. Tho
sceno on Pis. street was even more
we.inspirins.
Following the first great exposipn
the warehouse ut HOoyelor 4 Co. caught
fire, and this was followed by tho fail.
ing in of the walls oil tho building of
the ChautauquR Lake Ice Co. When
the walls fell, Chief lIullphrios shouted
a warning to tho men of No. II engine
company, and they had Just time to
get away from the spot, onu ireman
being struck by ii falling brick Through
tho Hoevoler warehouse tho flames
swept like dustcloud before the wind.
Tho building, though new, was OF
ordinary construction, and contained
GOO barrels of WHISKY. One after
another the barrels exploded, throwing
blnzing heams and rafters and massps
OF stone and brick into the air and
scattering the tiremen, police and specta-
tors.
McKallup e 20. d grain and leed
warehouse caught in the rear, und, DIES.
pite the efforts Of the tremen, the
flames worked their way into the centre
of the building, and then mounted by
the elevator shaft 10 the roof.
Three more bodies wore takou from
the ruins at IL o'clock this lnorninu.
making II 30 far recovered. Tho dead
1t is now thought, will reach % Thopo
taken out this morning we're: John
Hanna, John Scott anu an unknown
fireman.
Murderer Clifford ReprIcved.
New York, Feb 1l,-EuTard ".
Slihurd, the former West Shore railroad
detective who was to have bsen hanged
IN Jersey City IN Wednesday pext Far
the murder of section Superiptendent
| Watson. Mt Moo ba,pIa,