Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1891 — A NEW YORK DISASTER. [ARTICLE]

A NEW YORK DISASTER.

Sudden Collapse of a Building in Park Place. Probably Fifty Inmates Crushed In Its Debris—Not a Soul Escapes— An Awful Horror.

A dreadful catastrosphe, fraught with a great loss of life, occurred in New York shortly after the noon hour Saturday. Men, women and children, who, after a weak's 'weary toil, within but a few minutes of their usual half-holiday, met death without a word of warning by the fall of Taylor’s building, Nos. 36 and 60. Part:-Place, Anywhere from thirty to fifty persons were killed. How many are in the ruins nobody knows, neither sit known what caused the collapse. It may have been an explosion, or the building mar have fallen because it was overweighted, or by the vibration of the printing presses. The building was condemned a few years ago. Some persons said that the bqjilor in the basement exploded, Whatever it was. the wreck was complete and the havoc awful. The whole front wall of the building was torn out and dashed into lieap of ruins, which ex tended'Entirely across and partly blocks the street. Following the crash came an outburst of flame, and in ten minutes ail that was left of the building was a solid wall of fire. Tho most terrible loss of life occurcd in Peterson’s restaurant, which occupied the ground floor. It was a very popular little restaurant and wa9 well filled. An eyewitness of the dlsastor says at tho time of the explosion fully fifty persoqgf- were seated at the tables. In addidion to this number there were the waiters, the cooks and the proprietor and cashier, wh% if the estimate of fifty customers is correct would swell the hist of the dead in the restaurant alone to fifty-eight or sixty. Just exactly what momeut the explosion took place is not known; it was probably nearer twenty minutes pt3t 12 o’clock than half past, so .that only those who sh>it down the moment the hour for knocking off work came, and had already left the building, escaped. One tiling alone is certain, and that is that those unfortunates who were in the building when the aw. r u crash came were either crushed to deatli or burled alive. Fire added to the awful horror. It broke out with fury, and bthe»tiino the department got to work h ■ enveloped a large part of the ruins. It wai gotten under control, but not until, It is feared, many of the victims in t ie ruins had been burned. The work of rescue began at once and continued all day .Sunday and Monday. At this wrilin-r Seventeen bodies of the fifty in the ruins had been recovered. Not a person rescued alive. The scenes were the »io>t heartrending. ,