Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-11-03
CAUGHT In THE RUINS.
Firemen Crushed tn Death in a Rurninp
| Building.

Firemen Crushed tn Death in a burning
Building.
A condagration causing the loss of
nearly $25O,OOO and probably several
lives, occurred in the Knights & Leon
ard slx.story building, loo and III
East Madison Street, Chicago, between
and O'Clock on the morning of the
olst. The inmates. of the dozens of
gambling houses In the vicinity we're.
unaware of the fire at the outset. and
1T made such rapid Roadway that
none had stirred from the tables until
the lives Of most of them were i'm
perlled. Then wild stampedeensu
The proprietors hurried their gold and
greenbacks into satchels. others show
eled ivory chips into bags, q few rushed
down stairs loaded with roulette
wheels, faro tables and gambling para
phernalia OF all descriptions. But
there were the exceptions. The ma
Jorlty-dealers, look outs and players
rose together and came tearing out
OF the building, many hatless ard coat
less. and all frightened.
After an hours work by the fremen
the flames were under comparative
control. At this time six men of the
insurance patrol were in the building.
Singing tarpaulins over the stock of
the Goodyear Rubber Company. Sud-
denly there was q, terrible crash. fol-
lowed by dense wave OF smoke and
sparks, which pulled out into the
street. The roof and top floor had
fallen through to the basement, bury
ing the men of the insurance patrol in
the ruins. A moment after the crash
adetachment Of firemen and insurance
patrolmen, led by Chief Sweenie,
rushed to the rescue. The cries of the
imprisoned men could be heard above
all the din. Hardly we're the rescuers
at work chopping and tearing away
the falling beams and splintered floor
ing, when chere was another crash and
a heavy piece OF machinery fell from
the third floor. It was SO far back in
the building that no one was hurt, and
the rescuers continued manfully with
out stop.
George Furnell was the first man
out. He came up through g. hole
which had been made in the sidewalk
lights over the basement. He was
only slightly injured. VIM. Darby also
managed to crawl out over the ruins
with only slight injuries. The reecuing
party found Capt. Hume pinned down
under fallen beam and wedged in be-
tween two boxes of goods. He was
carried out-both legs crushed and
LETT foot turned completely round. P.
l.. Mullins was dragged from under
two heavy beams. He was cut
about the head and his BODY
fearfully bruised. Gus Boergemenke
was being held down by a.
heavy piece of printing machinery,
SO that all efforts to release him seemed
useless. The imprisoned man clutched
convulsively at the iron bars and
wheels, begging his comrades to kill
him, as they could not get him out
The sewer of the basement had become
choked up, and the immense amount
OF water thrown into the building was
rising under Boergemenke's
eyes, while the flames were grad
ually eating their way toward
him. Shief Sweenie ordered al en-
CINE detached from fire plug
and set to work pumping
the basement of the foods from the,
other engines, whose efforts were re-
doubled against the fire. The waters
had just reached Boergemenke's chin
when they began to go down, and the
flames commenced to recede. With
the aid of jackscrews, the machinery
was at last raised and Boergemenke,
who for nearly three quarters of an
hour had given himself up for lost, was
carried to the hospital. One of his
legs is broken and his arm is shattered,
but it is thought he will live.
G. Papineau, aged so, could not bt
90 1%-1< Il.
en- up for lost. It was not until eIev
en- hours after that his body wa
found. In the recovery of the corps
another fireman was fatally iniure
and patrolman seriously wounded
The fire and the fall of the roof ha
damaged many telephone and tel
graph wires. Gangs Of linemen wei
sent to the roofs adjoining to straigh
en- the tangled mass. They were
quested to wait until the fremen four
body, but the wire-wor
ers did not comply. While pulling
heavy cable over wall piece
Jagged iron cornice was dislodged
fell to the basement and struck Fir
man Michael McGovern. The shan
iron struck him in the small of t.
back, and while his companions pickt
him up, policemen hurried to the roc
and intercepted the linemen. VIII
helping to carry out the wound
man, VIM. Cornell, of the insuran
patrol, fell through a. hole in
broken sidewalk and was so serious
injured that he had to be taken
the hospital. McGovern was morrill,
by the cornice, and is dyi
Eighteen of the linemen were put
der arrest, but afterward releas
telegraph officials becoming tn
surety.