The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-04-04
A Fetal Fire.


msn and citizens were injured in
ire accompanied by a series OF exp!o-
sions that demolished the six story
isc;cry building at Bedford and
Owning streets In the Greenwich
village district on the lover west side
of the city. Tnat the 6amages, esti-
mated at from $500, 900 to s4o0, 900,
vas not far greater, was declared by
Chief Croker to be due to the explo-
SicnS.
One fireman was taken out OF tie
building alive, tu5 died almost imme-
diately. The bodies OF his three
Comrades were recovered after the
fze was over, crushed under the
srecksge o. floors and walls that fol-
20 aed the explosion.
The Gesd are: Foreman John
Walsh and Fireman George G. Crist-
man, Thomas L. Halpin and J.
HszlY, all OF engine company No. "A.
Fireman Co1er and Cali we're burned
and bruised and removed to the hos
pital. The other persons injured
were employed in the factory, dwell
Iers in acj cent tenements and pass
ersoy, none Of them seriously, bow.
evar.
Three hundred men and women
9ere in the FACTORY during the lunch
'lcur when slight explosion occurred
On one Of tee upper floors and almost
lis antly the whole structure was en-
geloped il flames. Most Of them took
refuge on tbe fire esclpes, where they
remained huddled together. Before
the fire ladders could be run up,
policemen, fremen and volunteers
formed q human pyramid against the
front wall OF the factory and in this
way handed down to safety upward OF
50 girls who were clirg'rg to the h'e
escapes on the second fl jor.
O5hers imped into the life-saving
re:s OF IN piles OF bedding hastily
ga:hsred and hoip d Cn the sid> walks.
Wlbhin 10 mlnu ses all the occupants
If the building had heen taken out in
safety and were uuhurt except for
minor injuries. Several hundred po
licemen we're hurried to the scene to
control the panic stricken crowds in
the vicinity. All the adjoining tene.
mems were ordered vAcs5ed and this
task had b.en barely accomplished
when a toppling wall crushed in the
upper portion OF row OF seven ten
ements in Carmine street. A no.
neat later the flames shot across the
street, setting fire to row Of build
ines.
Hardly had the flames enVeloped
the building, which occurred within
few minutes after the outbreak,
than terrific explosion occurred, fol-
lowed in rapid succession by tcuc
more, the last Of such violence as to
shake builc!nge for blocks around.
With the last deto3ation what re
na:eed Of the walls fell inward, smot-
leriog the fines which a moment
before we're shooting 200 feet into
the air. Within 40 minutes after the
b!az2 showed itself, all that remained
Of .ne huge building was glowing
hezp Of shattered floors, wall and
b5ans, beneath which were baried
The bodies Of the four fireman.
Just after the second explosion
Fireman Walsh and the men Of his
company made q gallant effort to fo,ce
their way close to the rear OF the
building in order to get line On the
hottest part OF the fire, and while so
engaged the north wall crashed down
On item. Healy, who vas not cca.
plarelg burned, vas dragged out in a
dyirg coDGisi9n. OF tae while comp
ary every map was either killed OF in-
juSsd. Foreman Wash was born in
this city In 1864 and it was be WHO
asd charge OF the New York fire bli
yade that aided materially In stopping
tie great Biltimore fire IL 1904. Tue
sc.ory was occupied by the Empire
Art Metal company, tue Standard
Tar:ad company AID the MeEal Stamp
company, which owned the building.
D :a't teach your children that 1t
is q shame to wear worn and patched
Nnf