The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-09-03
BURIED BENEATH TONS OF DEBRIS.
Seven Baltimore Flremen Known to
Have Lost Their Lives
BY the Explosion which Demolished
a Burning Building.
Nearly an Entire Block Burned Over.
Loss S 500, 900. sE>.

BALTIMORE, Sept. i2.-Fire early this morn
ing destroyed nearly block. causing a loss
of about $1.500,000. Seven firemen were
killed. The flames broke out in Prior &
Co.'s toy warehouse, 10Y South Sharp street.
Before the iremen could get to work, an ex-
ploson of fireworks wrecked the building
and caused the flames to spread with alarm
ing rapidity to J. Winkelman & Co.'s drug
house on the north and M. S. Levy & Co.'s
hat house on the south. Scarcely had the
firemen entered the drug store when the in
side of the building seemed suddenly
to drop. terrific explosion followed.
and the immense building collapsed.
The entire fire department had by this time
reached the scene, and, as the attention of
the men was concentrated on the building
under which their comrades were buried,
spread they did with frightful rapidity. In
an Incredibly short space, the entire block
running from Lombard to Pratt street was
mass of flames.
Atthe drug house the firemen worked brave
ly. Holes were cut through the pavement,
and every effort made to reach the imprs-
oned men, who were buried under great
mass of brick and iron, around which fierce
flames were roaring. Awful groans came
from the pile, which seemed to make the fire.
more than an hours work, 1t became evident
that some of the men were alive, and were
being roasted to death. John Kelly. of
Truck No. 2, managed to crawl out from the
rubbish, and of the men who entered the
building he was the only one to escape. He
was horribly cut and bruised, but his inju-
ries were not serious. The names of the
men known to be buried in the ruins are:
George Bowers,
Thomas Wagner,
John A. Coombs,
All Of No. 2, Hook and Ladder Company.
George Kerins,
Hiram McAfee,
All of No. Engine Company.
1t is certain that these men lost their lives.
1t may be that others were with them
when the crash came.
The firms completely burned out are :
Wylis, Bruster d. Co., wholesale shoe deal
ers; j. III. Winkelman & Co., drugs; Talb
Bros. d Dominick. hardware; prior & Co.,
toys; M. S. Levy q Sons, hats; III. 5. King
& Sons, hardware; Dobler, Nudge & Co.,
paper; and .Hirschberg, Hollander q Co.,
| paints and glass. The row of buildings was
one OF the finest in the city, none of the ware
houses being less than five stories high, while
they were mainly all of recent construction.
Among the buildings partly burned was the
Maternlte, on Lombard street The inmates
| were removed with great difficulty. The to-
tal JOSS VIII probably reach 81 100000 and is
| PiGTxIy wen covered by insurance.
Inc bodies of Wagner and George Kerins
nav nave Deen recovered. The bodies were terri
Diy dlshgured, the flesh being burned off in
many places Search is being pursued to-
night with the aid of electric lights
The origin Of the fire will probably never
| be known. No fire was used in Prior's nIace
and it is supposed that spontaneous combns.
tion was the cause. 1t is known, however.
that system of electric lighting was intro,
| duced ia the building recently and was tried
| last night. Il may be that defective insula-
| tion started the flames.