The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-10-20

HxPLOSION OF DOIL11-HnE-
LOSS o. LlEB-HBART.
RENDIH0 SCENE.

From Thursday's Democrat.
At half-past nine o'clock yesterday morn
ing terrific boiler explosion occurred at the
tufning shop OF John Vanbrosk, on Franklin
avenue, between Sixteenth and Seventeenth
streets, which shattered de entire busldiBey
shook the surEupnding huilAings like IN earth
Quake, and created the greatest conformation
in he neiehborhood. Large piecea Of the
boiler were hurled through the air 70 . dis-
lance Of Z hundred yards or more, and pr
tons Of the timbers of the baiidang weso
scattered in all directions.
TIE WRECK.
1.-THE building was thrse-story brick, and
The force of the explosion prostrated oil the
valls. causing the ioists and flooring to fall in
4 confused mass upon the first Hocf.
| There were some twenty-five or twenty
three persons ct work 10 the shop ct the tims
Of the explosion, oil Of whom ware more Or
less injured, and about half Of them killed.
The adjoining building on the east was also
crushed, but the inmates were not injured.
The carriage factory Of Edward Busch, ,d-
joining the shop on the west, WAS partially
demolished. The whole presented mass g
ruined timbe.s, brick walls and demoimned
machinery. as though . mountain had fallen
upon the buildings and crushed them 10 the
earth.
| Immediately after the explosion fire
broke out in the ruins and ragged with great
| violence, adding to the horror Of the scene.
| Officers Plowmsn and Reed had just passed
along and were at the corner OF Fifteenth
street when the explosion occurred. They
ran back and the alarm was gwen, ana IN
less than ten minutes the engines arrived.
| When Chief Stevens reached the spot the
buildings on the east Of the shop were IN
flames, and crowd of excited men and
women we're assembled on the street, shout
ing, swearing and wringing their hands.
HORRIBLE SPECTACLE
| The 6remen were not slow in unwinding
their hose. but the crowd pressed upon them,
and excited men and women impored them
TO save their burning houses. Stevens paid
| NO attention to these insane entreaties, Tor
his ears we're filled with the shreks and
Rrosns of more than dozen human beings,
who were buried in the RUNS aud loudly
called for help. the Chief ordered his pipe
men to turn their streams upon the burning
ruins in which these unfortunate men were
| imprisoned-some of them crushed and
mangled, others dying, and all in danger OF
being burned to death by the savage flames.
| In a few minutes the fire in this quarter was
checked, and then the iremen turned their
attention to the other burning buildings
DOZEN LIVES SAVED.
As soon AS the fire in the ruined shop was
extinguished, the tremen, the police and the
citizens went to work to remove the debrs
and rescue the men who we're imprisoned
amongst the fallen timbers.
Mr.. Yanbroek, the owner Of the shop, was
near the door at the time of the explosion,
and was covered with light pieces OF the
fallen timbers, but forced his way out with
no other injury than scratch on the wrist.
Vigorously the men worked to remove
| the tilnbers and machinery that covered the
shr,eking workmen, and in the course of an
hour twelve we're rescued, some of whom
| severely injured, and the others more or less
burned.
THE RESCUED.
Sanbroek was the first to escape from the
| ruins, and he got out without any assistance.
Mrs. Busch was washing on the porch in
the second story in the rear of the carriage
shop, and was taken out without any serious
injury. The following persons were extri-
Gated:
Ernst Meyer, right thigh broken, lives on
| Benton, between Thirteenth and Fourteenth
| streets.
Joseph Moresch, severe wound on head;
| lives on Soulard street, between Seventh and
eighth.
WIN. Ehrlbreck; badly burnt and cut on
the face.
Henry Erch, of Quincy, H.. severely
bruised and burnt.
Randolph Ause. Charles Smith and -
Let's, were taken out with slight injuries.
Charles Steinberg, Charles Smidt, Fred
Linderz, Rudolph Gagnor, Henry Good and
John Dunn were severely injured. III
The engineer, name unknown, was badly
scalded, and had both his eyes put out.
These men were all workmen in the turn
| ing shop. They we're removed to kiepstien' s
drug store, on the corner Of Seventeenth
street, and some fifteen or twenty physicians
administered to their immediate wants.
Two or three were sent to the hospital; the
! others were removed to their homes.
| DEAD AND MISSING
| Eight or ten dead bodies were exhumed,
several ofthem SO burnt and cbarred that
identification was impossible. One body
had nothing but the shapeless trunk left. the
head, arms and legs being all burned
away.
| Among the missing are Fred Volker, Hen
ay konihaus, - Latham, VIM. Gueshing.
| John Davis, John Hepner, and several others.
| The bodies of GUESSING and Davis were iden~
titled At least ten dead bodies we're found,
and there may be two or three more under
the debris.
THE DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS
| The loss of Nonbrock is about S15,000
insured $4,000, in the North st. Louis, the
South St. Louis, and $4,000 in the Missouri
Central.
Bersch's loss on the carriage shop is sbout
SIC ooo insured for 50, 600 in the Jefferson,
the Washington. the St. Louis AMI the South
ST. Louis
The two story brick buildings belonged
to Dr. Bineer, whose loss and insurance we
could not ascertain They were occupied by
the families Of Peter Falk, Mr. Locknor and
Goifried Goehring, who saved most of their
furniture.
The grocery store Of j. II. Laumeier adj
joining the carriage factory, was damaged by
the jar of the explosion and by water, but
only to q small amount. A number of
buildings were slightly damaged by pieces Of
the boiler, machinery and timbers being
projected through the walls and roofs, and a
great many windows were broken.
The safety valve was blown to distance
of over one hundred yards, in Southern
direction, and brashed through the roof of
the kitchen Of Mrs. Rosenheim, on morgan
street
A piece of the boiler, about six feet
square. was blown over the tops of the
houses and fell into the alley between Frank
lin avenue aud Morgan streets. Other large
fragments Of the boiler were projected to .
considerable distance, and a piece of the
steam pipe abou, ten feet long was thrown
over fifty yards.
| TOO MANY COOKS"
The widest excitement prevailed while the
work Of digging out the buried men was 60
ing on. The police could not keep the
crowd off, and the multitude pressed forward
and impeded the progress Of the workmen.
Women rushed frantically upon the ruins to
get look Al the dead bodies, in order to as
certain if they were the forms OF their own
| friends or relatives, and shrieks of anguish
were heard as some mother caught sight of
her man gled or dead son.
/ The 6remen had first commenced to rescue
the buried workmen, and Chief Stevens di-
rected them. Then the Mayor came along,
and the star of the Metropolitan seemed to be
in.the ascendant Mr.. Krieger, OF the Board
of Health, next took command, and employed
/ al - nu NJ