The San Francisco call., 1901-11-27
TWENTY-SIX MEN MEET AWFUL FATE
Continued From Page One.

ging for their comrades who were buried
deeper Flames broke out almost imme-
diately and the horror of fire was added
to the sufferings of the imprisoned ones.
Rescders Fight the Fire.
Almost immediately after the fire alarm
was turned in calls were sent out for all
the ambulances in the city and they were
hurried to the scene. Pending their ar
rival. neighboring houses were turned into
Temporary hospitals and those physicians
who were In the vicinity eased the suffer-
ing ones as much as they were able Tne
first ambulances on the scene We're total
ly Inadequate to carry those who had al
ready been extricated and express wagons
and similar vehicles were pressed into ser
vice.
AS soon as the gravity Of the accident
was realized calls for additional firemen
were sent in and the apparatus came fly
ing to the scene from all parts of the
city While part of the firemen directed
their efforts against the fire, which was
burning in the center of the ruins, the
greater number of them seized axes and
crowbars and began prying out the vic
tins who could be seen or whose faint
cries were audible.
The department of public works imme-
diately sent all it's available men and
horses to the scene.
In a comparatively short time all the
laborers who were able to work to advan-
tage were hurriedly set to pulling the
debris out on Brooklyn avenue, where
1t was loaded into wagons and carried
off.
Victims Burned to Death.
The floors and roof had fallen at an
angle and formed a sort of huge cover
under which the fire burned f1ercely. Not
until the firemen had chopped through
apparent effect on the flames The suf-
ferings of those who were buried beneath
were lately mutely testified to by their
charred and blackened bodies.
bod aA4r
way downward through the pile. By this
time there were no cries or groans to aid
them, for the flames had destroyed those
unfortunates who were not killed by the
explosion or the fall. But the work of
rescue continued. When a heavy beam or
piece of shafting was encountered horses
were driven in and the piece OF wreckage
hauled to the street. Stretcher-bearers
stood beside the workers and bore away
the burned and blackened bodies va
cant house adjoining the factory was con-
| yerted into a temporary morgue, where
| the bodies were placed in coff1ns and
| taken to the nearest Morgue. In several
cases the charred corpSeS were so hot
/ when recovered that they could scarcely
be handled by the undertakers and assist
| ants.
Panic Among the Girls.
| The hospitals were besieged by relatives
| and friends of the injured men. An emer-
gency hospital, which was only a short
distance from the scene and where many
| of the injured were carried in wagons,
was crowded to overf1owing, the floors of
the reception rooms and even the halls
being used as a temporary resting place
| for the victims. Physicians were hastily
| summoned and the work of relief expe-
dited. Similar scenes were enacted at
| Grace and Harper hospitals.
| A number of girls were among the en-
pIoyes on the four floors Of the front of
| the building and there was a panic among
them, but none of them was injured.
The property loss, according to Secre-
tary George w. Childs, is about S1S0,000.
Nothing is known as yet about the cause
of the explosion. The boilers had been re-
Gently inspected, and the engineer was
known as a careful and capable man.