St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-01
Six Men Crash Through Burning
Floor in Large 0onhagration
in Chicago,
One of Them Losing His Life and the
Others Being Injured in a
Shocking Manner.
a Fireman Horribly Mangled by n
Falling Cornice--Linemen
to Blame.
Eighteen Wire w orkers Arrested, but
Released--L on Building
$25O,OOO.
Fatalities at a Fire.

CHICAGO, Oct. 31.-A conflagration
causing the loss of nearly $3.50. 900, and
probably several lives, occurred in the
Knights s. Leonard siX-stOry building, 109
and III East Madison street. between and
o'clock this morning. The inmates OF the
dozen of gambling houses in the vicinity
were unaware of the fire at the outset. and
it made such rapid headway that none had
stirred from the tables until the lives OF
most of them were imperiled. Then wild
stampede ensued. The proprletors hurried
their gold and greenbacks into satchels,
others showed ivory chips into bags, few
rushed downstairs loaded with roulette
wheels, faro tables and gambling parapher-
MALTA of all description. But these were
the exceptions. The majority-dealers,
lookouts and players-rose together and
came tearing out of the buildings many
hatleSS and coatleSs, and all frightened.
After an hours work by the firemen
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
Suddenly there was terrible crash, fol-
lowed by dense wave of smoke and sparks
which puffed out into the street. Tue roof
and top floor had fallen through to the base
ment, burying the men of the insurance
patrol in the ruins A moment after the
crash detachment of fremen and insur-
ance patrol men, led by Chief Sweenie,
rushed to the rescue. The cries of the i'm
prisoned men could be heard above all the
din. Hardly were the rescuers at work
chopping and tearing away the fallen beams
and splintered flooring when there was an
other crash, and heavy piece of machinery
fell from the third floor. 1t was so far back
in the building that no one was hurt. and
the rescuers continued manfully without a
stop. George Furnel was the first man out
He came up
THROUGH A HOLE
which had been made in the sidewalk over
the basement. He was only slightly in
jured. William Darby also managed to
crawl out over the ruins with only slight
injuries. The rescuing party found Capt.
Hume pinned down under fallen beam
and wedged in between two boxes OF
goods. He was carried out, both legs
crushed and left foot turned completely
around. +. 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 rapidly
rising under Boergemenke's eyes, while
the flames were gradually eating their way
toward him. Chief Sweenie ordered an
engine detached from a fire plug and set to
work pumping the basement of the floods
from the other engines, whose efforts were
redoubled against the fire. The waters
had lust reached Boergemenke'S chin when
they began to go down and the flames COM
menced to recede. With the aid of jack
screws 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 an arm is shat
tered but it is thought he will live. G.
Papineau, aged 30, could not be found,
and, after long search, was given up for
lost. 1t was not until eleven hours after
that his body was found. In the recovery
of the corpse another fireman was
FATALLY INJURED
and a patrolman seriously wounded. The
fire and the fall of the roof had damaged
telephone and telegraph wires. Gangs of
linemen were sent to the roofs adjoining TO
straighten the tangled mass. They were
requested to wait until the firemen found
Papineau's body, but the wire workers did
not comply. While putting heavy cable
over a wall piece of jagged iron cornice
was dislodged. 1t fell to the basement and
struck Fireman Michael McGOvern. The
sharp iron struck him in the small of the
back. and while bis companions picked him
up policemen hurried to the roofs and in
tercepted the linemen. While helping to
carry out the wounded man, William Cor
nell. of the insurance patrol. fell through
hole in the sidewalk and was so seriously
injured that he had TO be taken
to the hospital. McGovern was hor-
ribly mangIed by the cornice and
is diving. Eighteen of fhe line
men were put under arrest, but
afterward released, telegraph officials be-
coming their surety. The building was oc-
cuped by a number of large firms. The
Goodyear Rubber company had the base
ment and first floor of Nos. 105 and 107.
The stock was valued at 500. 900, Insured
for S62 600. The company's loss is $780,
900. Salisbury & Cline, agents for the
GOODYEAR Manufacturing company, Boston
Betting company, Gossamer Rubber Cloth
ing company and James Davis & Co.. had
the basement and first floor of 109. Their
$3.50, 900 stock is damaged 0.0O0 insured
for $50, 900. Knight & Leonard, printers.
on the upper floors, lose about $50, 900, in
surance SAG, 900. William Wilson q Co.,
bookbnders and publishers, lose $50. 600
and have but S13 900 insurance. G. NJ.
MagiIrs printing establishment is damaged
s.. 600: fully insured. r. G. Babeaux,
publishers. and the Derby Paper company
also have small losses. The building is
owned by Judge l.. c. P. Freer. whose loss
is about $35, 900, believed to be fully in
Sured.
Two Railway Accidents.
PopTTAND Or Oct 31-The west