Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-08-01
FIND IS CORPSES
IN TENEMENT RUINS
NEW YORK BUILDINGS COLLAPSE
IN EXPLOSION AND FIRE.
FIREMEN DISPLAY HEROISM
Police Also Join in Work of Rescue
Taking Family From Sixth Story
Windows-Many Leap From High
Places-Others Caught by Falling
Timbers.

New York, July 30.-An explosion
accompanied by fire, shattered an east
side tenement early Monday morning
and with the crumbiing walls eighteen
persons went down to death while
twice as many were probably fatally
injured.
The wrecked building was at 222
Christie street where a six story tene-
ment rose above the grocery store
in the basement. An explosion as yet
unaccounted for tore out the front of
the building and the fire that followed
caught twenty families, numbering
about 100 persons, while most of them
were sound asleep.
So far fourteen bodies have been
taken from the ruins.
Of the injured many jumped from
the windows, others were caught by
falling timbers, many half suffocated
by smoke were dragged from the hail
ways while others received their in
juries during the panic and mad fight
for an exit.
Exp osion; Building Falls.
The tenement was occupied chiefly
by Italians. A passer5y was at
tracted by the explosion on the base
ment floor AS he turned toward
the building the whole front with its
flimsy fire escapes fell into the street
and from the sagging floors a score
of half awakened persons dropped to
the pavement. Many were badly
hurt, but they proved to be the more
fortunate of the tenants for in an
other moment the building was wrap
ped in flames and the cries of per-
sons burning to death rent the air.
OF the dead and dying a large part
are women and children. In the
scramble for an exit and safety, the
stronger in most cases survived.
The fire was not without acts of
heroism.
When fire patrol No. arrived,
Capt. Albert Johnson saw how he
could save some lives. In a sixth story
window there was hanging a group of
persons, women and children. Just
across from them was the window on
the sixth floor of the tenement ad,
joining.
Accompanied by Detective Connors,
Johnson ran to the top floor of No
224. There was a small ledge just
below the window and on this the cap,
tain took his stand with Connors be.
hind holding him. Reaching as far
as he could, Johnson could just touch
the hands Of Thomaso Gazzaino, who
with his three children and his wife
had fled to the window.
Swung Across Gap.
The man was the first saved. He
was swung around the big fireman,
so that Connors could reach him and
drag him to safety. The others
followed in rapid succession, while
the crowd below rJared applause.
After the Gazzaino family had been !
saved the window was cleared for j
the approach of Teresa Coma ard her
baby, who were also pulled across The F..
gulf.
BY this time the entire neighbor- f.,
hood was lurid glare from the fire, |
which sweeping upstairs had reached .
and burst through the roof The !
roar of the flames was deafening
and the scorchfng heat drove the
rescuers away.
The police reserves were for a time
unable to handle the crowds The
were not controlled until the
building was practically in ashes
Fourteen bodies, most of them burned
bevond recognition, were recovered.