Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-03-21

turn IN nh attempt to fee after the
FIRST duh roar when the flooring SANK
beneath them and they were carrIeu
to the ground floor, crushed ana pruls,
ed. amid the mass OF debris. M"ns zen
into veritable fiery furnaces.
In the sections Of the factory WHICH,
remained standing the operatives were
manic stricken as they sought escape.
MANY fled down the stalrWays II
raa c,od the street, others ran TO the
windows the fire escapes i many
coses In wing been torn away by the
EXPLOSION. In desperation many Jump
ed from the second and third story
ndoU 10 the ground and were dan
o~o,onslv injured. The crush OH the
stairway resulted in numerous minor
injuries. ,N
scarcely had the rear portion of the
structure collapsed when a tongue
of flame started up from the boiler
nit and reaching out as it assembled
communicated with the splintered
wreckage and Immediately after with
the standing walls. Soon the entire
factory vas in flames.
! Instant death was the fate of many
who went down with the floors that
collapsed. a large number of men and
women who We're working near the
supports were alive after the floors
and walls fell. From these unfortu-
mates thrilling cries of agony and ter
ror went up Almost all had beeh
,,,,nlA IA.onv. I,pl-nn tiYn hnIS light
err wooden wreckage and heavy pieces
of machinery. A few persons succeed
cd in cNtricating themselves from lhe
wreckage. but more were roasted 10
death.
BY this time nearby citizens had AT
rived to assist the employees who es-
caped in the rescue of their lelio"S'
This task became olnentarlI lhotc
difficult and perilous, for the neat from
the fire was almost unbearaDle. Is!
the use of long pieces OF timber ihe
~rescuprs were able to raise pafts Oh tue
w~rcckape and thereby release some OF
the imprisoned men and women ana
then by rushing into the smoke pun
them from the ruins.
Then If was that acts of sacrifice ana
hproism were seen. One man WhoSe
lees were caught under an iron beam
cried TO the cScuers that they could
NOT cxtrlcate him and to help the girls
behind him. Stretching IL his arms,
he lifted several girls, one by one, and
passed them TO the Then the
fire reached him, and he died.
4 woman who was ~entangled i'll a
shoe machine cried out that she was
diving and commanded the reScuers to
attend to others who might live. She
begged TO be shot. Soon the flames ell
vcloped her. Among TIL. first to arrive
on the scene was the Rev. James A.
O'Rourkc, curate of st. MargaretS ItO
man Catholic church, near by. At the
risk Of his life he removed eve per-
sons from the ruins before the fire had
reached them and was returning for
the eighth time when he tainted from
the effects Of the smoke and the shock.
Father O'ROurkc administered the last
rites Of the church to many Catholics,
both to those who were saved and some
who later persisted.
Not for many hours was it possible
to begin a search of the factory ruins.
Several charred and headless bodies
were recovered near the boiler pit and
the bones of others were found. They
were placed in pine boxes and remov-
ed to a temporary morgue.
Treasurer G. o. Emerson of the Gro
yer company estimated the loss on the
factory at 100000, and the aggregate
of loss on the other burned structures
was placed at about $4,000.