The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-09-07
DUTY CALLED TO DEATH.
Seven Baltimore Firemen Meet Their
Fate While Fighting Furious Confia-
grafton In Which the Loss Is Estimated
at 81, OOO, 600.

Seven Baltimore Firemen Meet Their
Fate While Fighting u Furious Confia-
grafton In Which the Loss Is Estimated
at 81 ,OOO, 600.
BALTIMORE, Nd, Sept 3-Fire broke
out in the toy warehouse of E. A. Pryor q
Co., 107 South Sharp street. about o'clock
Sunday morning, and before the firemen
could get to work an explosion of fire.
works wrecked the building and caused
the flames to spread with alarming rapid
Winkelman &c Co., on the north,
Co. on the south. Scarcely had the
firemen entered the building occupied by
the drug firm when the inside of the build
explosion followed, and the immense
building collapsed The entire fire depart
ment 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, the
flames had chance to spread, and spread
they did with frightful rapidity. In an in
credible short space of time the entire
block, running from Lombard to Pratt
Streets wag seething mass of fame. At
~. Holes were cut through the pavement
and every effort was made to reach
the imprisoned men, but they were buried
under great mass of brick and iron,
and fierce flames were roaring around
the spot. Awful groans came from the
pile, which seemed to make the
working firemen put forth superhuman
efforts After more than an hour's
work it became evident that some of
the men were still alive and that they were
being roasted to DEATH John Kelley, 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
with his life He was cut and bruised, but
his injuries are not serious
The names of the men known to have
been buried in the ruins are: George Bow
ers, Thomas Wagner, John A. Combs,
Perry Ryan, Harry Walker, George Ker-
ms Hiram McAfee. 1t is certain that these
men have lost their lives, and it may be
that others were with them when the crash
came.
The origin of the fire will probably never
be known. No fire was used in the Pryor
establishment and it is supposed that
spontaneous combustion was the cause. A
system of electric lighting was introduced
in the building recently, and it was only
tried last night, and it might be that
defective insulation started the flames
and the combustible nature of the contents
of the building served as food for the de-.
stroying elements. The fire was discov-
cred by a drunken man who stopped to
rest on the steps of a building opposite.
There was considerable delay in getting
the alarm, and when the engines
arrived the building was In flames
from cellar to roof. The fire.
works in the upper floors at once be-
gan to explode, with the rapidly spreading
flames, presented the grandest spectacle
ever seen in this city
The intense heat several times drove
the firemen from the building where the
bodies of their unfortunate comrades
were lying under tons of brick and iron,
but they persisted in the search,
and shortly after noon the first body
that of Wagner-was brought to light.
Near the spot was the body Of Harry
Walker standing erect, as if packed in.
Near him was found what was left Of
George Bowers, but no other bodies were
found until nearly o'clock, when that Of
George Kerins was uncovered. The bodies
were terribly disfgured, the flesh being
burned off in many places
In the hardware store of Tabb Bros. &
Dimmock there were stored large guam
titles of cartridges, and as they exploded
several men were slightly injured by the
flying bullets.
The firms that are completely burned
out are Wylis, Bruster & Co., wholesale
shoe dealers; J. r. Winkelman & Co.,
drugs; Tabb Bros. & Dominick, hardware;
Pryor & Co., toys; M. s. Levy & Sons,
hats; H. S. King & Sons, hardware;
Dobler, Nudge & Co., paper, and Hirsh-
berger, Hollander & Co., paints and glass.
The row of buildings was one of the finest
in the city, none of the warehouses being
less than five stories high. Nearly all of
them had been recently erected. Among
the buildings partly burned was the
Maternite on Lombard street, and its iu-
mates were removed only with great diff
Guilty.
The loss and insurance On the properties
that were totally destroyed, as far as can
be ascertained, are as follows:
NAME Loss. Insurance.
]. H. Win1leman s. Co... 5000 63,OOO
M. 5. Levy & Sons. ....... $4,000 $4,000
Dobler, Nudge q co.. 10000 5000
Steppacher Stern. 20 o0O 10000
The total losses, on which the insurance
can not be ascertained, were:
II. S. King g. Sons, hardware, $4,000;
Wyfe, Brustar & Co., dry goods, $50, 600; Coffin,
Altemus & Co.. dry goods, $4,000; Tabb Bros.
& Dimmock, hardware, S45,000; w. F. & e.
Damman.
These are the only total losses, and, as
the row of small stores and dwellings on
Pratt Street, between Sharp and Hanover,
on: Lombard street between Sharp and
Hanover, and on Hanover between Lom-
bard and Pratt were more or less dam
aged, additional losses aggregating 49,
900 are reported. The block of five
story, warehouses Nos 1O7, 100, Ill,
113 and lis Sharp street, were recently
erected by John King, president of the
Erie Railroad Company, at a cost Of $3.50, I
000 The other buildings were owned by
individuals whose names could not be
ascertained. They are believed to repre-
sent a valuation of at least $500, 900.
They are said to be pretty well covered by
insurance.
Well-pos ted parties estimate the entire
loss at over 100000.
BURNED IN THEIR BEDS.
WEST SUPERIOR, Wis, Sept. 3.-Fire was
discovered in the American House, on the
COTUcT Ol NlFu anu lOWeE dpcnu0S, dDOub
2 O'Clock Sunday morning. Very soon the
hook and ladder company and hose compa-
MES were at the scene, and four streams
were turned on the fire. Before this could be
done, however, the building was enveloped
in flames, and the screams of frantic men
and women escaping from the burning
building, some in only their night clothes,
lent horror to the scene The charred
bodies of three men were found, one Of
which is supposed to be that of Paul Claire.
Canadian. The others have not been
identified
Took All the Cash.
CHICAGO, Sept 3.-The little town OF
Roseland, suburb of Chicago, whose pop
ulstion is chiefly composed of Hollanders,
is in state of excitement over the disap-
pearance of the officers of the savings
bank of the village. The president of the
bank, William Swart, its teller, l.. IL